Continuing Problems Of Colonialism In South Africa

Running head: CONTINUING PROBLEMS OF COLONIALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA 1

Continuing Problems of Colonialism in South Africa

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CONTINUING PROBLEMS OF COLONIALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA 2

Continuing Problems of Colonialism in South Africa

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many countries established colonies in Africa

and other parts of the world. In the process of colonization, the annexing powers forcefully

subdued the indigenous inhabitants of the colonies and subjected them to dictatorial rule. This

was characterized by forced labor, abuse of human rights, theft and amassing of communal

resources, and discrimination among other vices. When decolonization began, the colonizers left

without creating systems for the colonies to govern themselves. Some of the systems created in

the colonial era survived into the independence of many new states while others were plunged

into administrative crises that led to the rise of armed struggles that have gone on for decades

(Pallotti & Engel, 2016). A review of South Africa’s situation shows many problems caused by

colonialism. These include unequal distribution of resources, poor governance, continued

structures of apartheid, corruption, and dominance of companies created by colonial powers.

The first major challenge caused by colonialism in South Africa is the unequal

distribution of resources among the populations. The colonial era witnessed the alienation of

agriculturally rich lands for colonial settlers. This process left many indigenous people landless

and homeless. When South Africa gained independence, land was not redistributed to the

original owners. Instead, most of it was left for the settlers, who were now considered South

Africans. Later on, efforts to redistribute land were made by the government. However, as

explained by (Ramutsindela, 2017), the redistribution process has only seen 2.1% of the targeted

32.5% used for resettling homeless families. The situation is similar in the apportioning of

development projects like infrastructure and social amenities. In most cases, areas dominated by

whites descending from colonizers are seen to receive preferential treatment as opposed to those

of the black indigenous people.

CONTINUING PROBLEMS OF COLONIALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA 3

Poor governance and corruption are other problems in South Africa that can be connected

to colonialism. It is worth noting that the last two elected presidents of South Africa, Thabo

Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, have had to step down from their positions for misuse of power and

corruption respectively (Urdang, 2017). The former was accused of orchestrating corruption

allegations against the latter. In the end, the latter ascended to power only to resign because of

corruption. As expressed by Ramutsindela (2017), the system of governance inherited from

colonialism gave the South African presidents excess power that would easily allow misuse.

Other than this, Pillay (2004) indicated that the complex political design inherited from the

colonials has multilevel loopholes for corruption, which in turn hinders good governance and

development of the national economy. To solve this challenge, South Africans must redesign

their systems to improve integrity checks and serve their national interest.

Perhaps, the most recognizable effects of colonialism in South Africa are the continued

structures of apartheid and dominance of previous economic systems. Apartheid was a

segregation system that was designed by colonial whites in South Africa. It separated racial lines

for access to social services. No black South Africans were allowed in schools to which whites

went. The former were given technical education while the latter received academic education.

In sum, whites received preferential treatment at the expense of the blacks (Urdang, 2017). With

independence, apartheid was abolished. Nonetheless, the structures set by these systems still

exist. For example, the schools formerly dominated by the settlers who had amassed communal

wealth are expensive and unaffordable for the poor. This case is the same in the systems of

restaurants and other social provisions. It is also worth noting that the mining industry in South

Africa is still dominantly managed and run by companies established in the colonial era. An

CONTINUING PROBLEMS OF COLONIALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA 4

example of such a company is Cecil Rhodes, which is in charge of most gold and diamond trades

in South Africa.

In conclusion, extended effects of colonialism still affect many formerly colonized

nations. In South Africa, the evidence of such effects includes unequal distribution of resources,

poor governance, corruption in public and private sectors, racial discrimination, and the

dominance of companies created by colonial powers. While some of these problems were

inherited from the colonial systems, others are products of colonial activities.

CONTINUING PROBLEMS OF COLONIALISM IN SOUTH AFRICA 5

References

Pallotti, A., & Engel, U. (2016). South Africa after apartheid: Policies and challenges of the

democratic transition. Boston: Brill Publishing.

Pillay, S. (2004). Corruption - the challenge to good governance: A South African

perspective. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 17(7), 586-605.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09513550410562266

Ramutsindela, M. (2017). Unfrozen Ground: South Africa's Contested Spaces. London:

Routledge Revivals.

Urdang, S. (2017). Mapping my way home: Activism, nostalgia, and the downfall of apartheid

South Africa. New York: Monthly Review Press.

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