South Africa
Jan Bosman
Mail & Guardian
Whites are South Africans, too, said Jan Bosman in the Johannesburg Mail & Guardian. South Africa contains many different peoples, cultures, languages, and religions. The Afrikaner community, descendents of Dutch settlers, is just as valid a group as the Xhosa or Zulu. Yet whites who speak Afrikaans feel alienated, marginalized, almost second-class citizens in their country of birth. Affirmative action programs have resulted in whites being tossed out of jobs that then remain empty because no qualified blacks can be found to fill them. Most government departments cannot fill nearly one-third of staff positions. Given that so much infrastructure work must be done before 2010, when soccers World Cup will be held in South Africa, this country simply cant afford to leave skilled white or mixed-race professionals idle. The government should give us a chance to help. Afrikaner history dates back more than 300 years. We are part of Africa, we are proud South Africans, and we are here to stay!
