My mother lived through the Mau - Mau in Kenya and then Zimbabwe. She's a smart woman and is always making dire predictions about South Africa 'going the same way.' She went through some horrible things so I take her opinion knowing its bias. It's no less of a valid opinion.
Myself, I was thinking just the other day of the future holds. As a white woman, I don't feel safe leaving my home unless I'm either with my husband or in a taxi cab. I don't drive and wanted to start walking to get out a bit, get some exercise, just get out and about. Start being a bit more independent. I've had a couple of friends though mugged on my very road. I live in a leafy and upmarket suburb, we have a security guard station on the corner. They're not armed though, and quite frankly, a bit useless. If they're not listening to the soccer on headphones and oblivious they're half asleep. I'm too afraid to walk up and down my own road in a nice neighbourhood because of what could happen. My husband was stabbed last year in the midst of preventing an old man from being mugged/stabbed. He spent 5 days in the I.C.U and almost 2 weeks in hospital. 5 guys all looking for tik money. They went on to attack another old man, he was lucky enough after the attack to crawl on his hands and knees to the local petrol station, where they called an ambulance.
I remember brushing my teeth and thinking - 'you can't even walk out of your front door and walk up your own road without this persistent and very logical fear of being robbed/raped/murdered. WTF are you still doing here? You call this quality of life?" I still wonder about that.
My great great great great grandfather came over from Norway as a missionary in the 1800's. He was partly responsible for the first Zulu/English dictionary. He fought at Isandlwana. On the Zulu side. He stood up for the Zulu nation and ended up losing everything as a result. Eventually all he had left was their respect. All of my family speak Zulu. We may be white but we are African.
I still don't feel safe walking out of the door alone though. My family have put their blood, sweat and many tears into these beautiful green hills. Where else would we go? We would be foreigners in a foreign land. My parents are in their mid 70's. I can't just up and leave. I've thought about emigrating and taking them with us. We just don't have the finances to do that. Also, we have a life here. Family, friends, our family are buried here, in this soil.
I love this country. As soon as it gets to a point where my life or any one of my loved one's lives is threatened, I'm outta here. Oh wait. That was a while ago. I'm either crazy or an optimist, I'm no sure which yet.
It would break something in my chest to leave this beautiful country. Please God I never have to.