Pre-1990 Apartheid era South Africa had many things going, what it never had were white squatter cams. But now hardly a month before the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off several white south Africans (predominantly from the ethnic Afrikaaner group, who have absolutely no excuse for being under educated or jobless) are having to deal with the shame that only oppressed black natives knew.
According to Erika Rossouw, who represent humanitarian relief organization ‘Solidarity Helping Hand’ there are several dozens of white squatter camps around the capital city Pretoria and the Mother City, another name for Cape Town. ‘There are 77 white squatter camps outside the suburbs of Pretoria and now they have also started (popping up) in Cape Town,” she said. Ironically there were no real jobless or unemployed whites as the state gave work evaders mediocre jobs in the post offices and other public institutions.
However since the black-majority government was inaugurated in 1994 unskilled whites (predominantly Afrikaaners) have been decimated in the workplaces. One squatter, called Jaques Derouvaix, who lives in a white squatter camp with 16 other families outside Cape Town, claims to have once worked for a fruit exporting company, where he was addressed as “Boss” by the very black union leader who after the end of Apartheid was appointed CEO and one of the first things he did was to let Derouvaix “go.”
While many whites have changed professions, entered new education schemes to polish on their skills to maintain their higher existence, many Afrikaans squatters didn’t even take the initiative to accept basic assistance. Derouvaix’s partner Hester, who once worked as a staff nurse, has advanced tooth decay, which is very uncommon among uneducated black squatters. Good will hunters had arranged for her to go to Cape Town’s Tygerberg Hospital for dental treatment.
However the lady (who is a mother of a 5 and 15-year old) didn’t keep her appointment and continues to live with her teeth rotting. Lacking basic hygiene and presentable looks are sure not to get any white squatter even a basic temporary job, never mind a better paying sustainable permanent job. Since the democratic change in South Africa white unemployment has more than doubled, according to the Institute for Security Studies.
They added that since 1998 white unemployment has annually increased by as much as 15%. The rate of black unemployment is much higher as the black population is several-fold bigger than other race groups. No matter how much Rossouw would like to help the impoverished parents and children of the white squatter camps, she strongly advises that people should not show or practice benevolence towards them as it is the free charity they receive that keeps them from seeking employment or a better life.
“We constantly tell people not to donate food and clothes as it only keeps them in a state of dependency,” she said. While several white squatters have the excuse that they were once raised in children’s homes, the majority are capable of working, but are excluded for several reasons, especially apathy towards them.
Cape white squatter Philip Wessels, who is a qualified boilermaker struggles to make ends meet, he takes a deep puff on his rapidly diminishing cigarette and blames his fate on his bohemian past that was full of mistakes handling women, money and of course brandy – one of the luxuries he hasn’t savored for a very long time and most probably will not.
When asking the working black and white middle class population of Cape Town about the escalating numbers of white squatters who live up their street, they have very little or no sympathy, and their mixed proverbial answer translates to: “What goes round come round, it’s pay-back time and now these people are experiencing what impoverished and discriminated blacks suffered during the Apartheid era.
According to Erika Rossouw, who represent humanitarian relief organization ‘Solidarity Helping Hand’ there are several dozens of white squatter camps around the capital city Pretoria and the Mother City, another name for Cape Town. ‘There are 77 white squatter camps outside the suburbs of Pretoria and now they have also started (popping up) in Cape Town,” she said. Ironically there were no real jobless or unemployed whites as the state gave work evaders mediocre jobs in the post offices and other public institutions.
However since the black-majority government was inaugurated in 1994 unskilled whites (predominantly Afrikaaners) have been decimated in the workplaces. One squatter, called Jaques Derouvaix, who lives in a white squatter camp with 16 other families outside Cape Town, claims to have once worked for a fruit exporting company, where he was addressed as “Boss” by the very black union leader who after the end of Apartheid was appointed CEO and one of the first things he did was to let Derouvaix “go.”
While many whites have changed professions, entered new education schemes to polish on their skills to maintain their higher existence, many Afrikaans squatters didn’t even take the initiative to accept basic assistance. Derouvaix’s partner Hester, who once worked as a staff nurse, has advanced tooth decay, which is very uncommon among uneducated black squatters. Good will hunters had arranged for her to go to Cape Town’s Tygerberg Hospital for dental treatment.
However the lady (who is a mother of a 5 and 15-year old) didn’t keep her appointment and continues to live with her teeth rotting. Lacking basic hygiene and presentable looks are sure not to get any white squatter even a basic temporary job, never mind a better paying sustainable permanent job. Since the democratic change in South Africa white unemployment has more than doubled, according to the Institute for Security Studies.
They added that since 1998 white unemployment has annually increased by as much as 15%. The rate of black unemployment is much higher as the black population is several-fold bigger than other race groups. No matter how much Rossouw would like to help the impoverished parents and children of the white squatter camps, she strongly advises that people should not show or practice benevolence towards them as it is the free charity they receive that keeps them from seeking employment or a better life.
“We constantly tell people not to donate food and clothes as it only keeps them in a state of dependency,” she said. While several white squatters have the excuse that they were once raised in children’s homes, the majority are capable of working, but are excluded for several reasons, especially apathy towards them.
Cape white squatter Philip Wessels, who is a qualified boilermaker struggles to make ends meet, he takes a deep puff on his rapidly diminishing cigarette and blames his fate on his bohemian past that was full of mistakes handling women, money and of course brandy – one of the luxuries he hasn’t savored for a very long time and most probably will not.
When asking the working black and white middle class population of Cape Town about the escalating numbers of white squatters who live up their street, they have very little or no sympathy, and their mixed proverbial answer translates to: “What goes round come round, it’s pay-back time and now these people are experiencing what impoverished and discriminated blacks suffered during the Apartheid era.
- Budapest Report
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