Albie Sachs E-Mail Exchange: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

Albie Sachs's E-Mail Chat with High School Students

E-mail exchange with Doug Woodbrowns's world history course at Marin Academy in San Rafael, California

April, 2000

ISSUES FACING SOUTH AFRICA

"Education is the key."

How do you see the balance in power between blacks and whites evolving in the government and in social/economic situations?

Spencer and Preston

What still needs to be done to advance equality between blacks and whites?

Gaby and Caroline

What is the most important issue, in your opinion, facing the general South African population today?

J.P.

The biggest problem in South Africa today without doubt is the huge gap that still exists between black and white. Blacks are well represented in leadership positions, in government, the administration, the army, and the police force. They are there as legislators, and in increasing numbers but still too few, as judges. Yet the economy is still overwhelmingly in white hands. Whites generally live in beautiful, tree-lined suburbs while blacks live in arid townships and vast areas of shantytowns. In terms of dignity, everybody has gained enormously. You really feel a free person in a free country, whatever your color. But in relation to life circumstance and opportunities, the divide is still huge. The most pressing problem is to facilitate the growth of the economy so as to provide more jobs and tax revenue for social programs. At the same time, we must see to it that public spending focuses on poverty alleviation, infrastructure, and capacity building. Education is the key.

This is not to say that we don't have other serious problems. But the other problems are aggravated by poverty and inequality. For example, although we have won our liberty, we haven't gained personal security. There's just to much crime. Steps have been taken to deal with it through more effective law enforcement, headed by a special investigation agency called Scorpion! But there can be no doubt that unemployment plays a major role in producing crime. Similarly, HIV infection and resultant AIDS is hitting our country extremely hard. It is one of our major challenges. If you have funds, like my colleague Edwin Cameron on the Constitutional Court who is living with AIDS, you can take medication and live an active and productive life. But if you are poor, you are ravaged by the disease. The problem is aggravated by the failure to convince many of the drug companies to make their medicines available at affordable cost.