Cyprus-Forum.com

[andri_cy]

I think it is an interesting idea. I believe both sides did a lot of things they need to admit too and move on. But with defeatist attitudes something like that will never happen

[BOF]

So is everything rosy now in South Africa?
As far as I know most whites already abandoned the place.

No things are not that rosy at all ..i bump into many "Saffies" in England who have left for a safe environment in which to bring their families up and earn decent wages. When over there it is prudent to keep the car locked at all times, and after dark dont stop and wait at traffic lights if no traffic is coming...you could be hijacked or mugged..also for a lot of the old Boers their hatred is still beneath a thin veneer. and for the first time you are beginning to see white car park attendants!
However the transition that took place in S.A. was little short of a miracle. but that worked because of a non violent change, everyones right to be called a South African (rainbow nation) and lack of another countries invading army to come to the aid of the minorities....
The very three things that rule out that kind of transition happening in Cyprus.

[Pyrpolizer]

Good post BOF.

I was having a discussion long time ago with some South African whites, they told me the only reason would not give power to the blacks was because that liberation party they had (don't remember it's name) was controlled by the Soviets. How right he was!!!!

Immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, horay South African problem gets solved.

[zan]

I went to Cape Town last year and I would move there tomorrow if it were not for he fact that when you are in your home you are living in a fortress. My friend moved out there and showed us the best places to go and we loved all of them. Their problems are far from over though as far as economics go. Just because the blacks and the Cape coloureds have equal status does not mean they enjoy the same privileges the whites do. The difference in standard of living is from here to the moon. The town ships are something else and so are the grand houses of the whites. The blacks are just an inexhaustible supply of service providers for them. There is hardly a household that has not got a maid or two and the whites have got so used to having everything done for them, for next to nothing, they don’t lift a finger. Although there is a system for such employment to help the blacks climb up the first rung of their own social ladder, the whites, we saw and heard about, exploit the fact and stop this from happening.

The first step for the blacks to get out of the townships is to save the equivalent of £60 and buy a compressed cardboard three roomed house in a better location. This takes them years and years to do.

The infrastructure of the area of Cape Town is fantastic and as we were travelling I saw that mostly it was a mini England with motor ways and road markings that were very familiar. What was wonderful though was that you could drive around the corner and see a suburb in America and then a village in Cyprus or a street in France. The influences from all over the world was fantastic.

I will finish this with a story that made me sad and happy at the same time. I was driving my hired car with my wife and sons in the car and we were following my friends’ car with his family inside, when we hit a bit of traffic coming back into Cape Town. On our right hand side was a large township and a black mother and her five children, one of which was strapped to her back, had made it to the central reservation and were waiting to cross the other half of the road. The traffic was moving about 2 miles per hour and not one of the cars in front of me stopped to let the lady and her children cross. The drivers in the other cars were mainly whites but there were also cape coloureds and they just ignored this lady. It did not seem malicious but a sort of apathy and shame to look at this poor woman and so they ignored her. The one thing that I loved, in a way, was that this woman did not look angry or agitated or was even trying to force the situation. They just stood, smiled and waited. All of them (I have now got a lump in my throat). They stood like this for what seemed like ages, to me, and as soon as I got the chance I stopped and waved then through. They crossed quickly and the smiles never left their faces for one minute as they thanked me over and over again. The traffic moved no faster than they could walk and as they walked they thanked me several times more and waved as we waved back. They finally veered off the pavement into a dusty field and turned and waved back until we were out of sight. Make what you want from this story but I loved every smile I got from these people and many others like them throughout our stay.


Now as for the African sunsets well………WOW!

[BirKibrisli]

In the old SA where apartheit ruled,and the blacks were treated more or less like animals,I always thought it will all end in great torrents of white bloodshed. I was astounded at the relatively peaceful transition to majority rule. It must be something in the soul of the Afrikan people.
Most are not capable of bitterness and the need for revenge...
We have a lot to learn from them.
Thanks for sharing that story,Zan.

[zan]

In the old SA where apartheit ruled,and the blacks were treated more or less like animals,I always thought it will all end in great torrents of white bloodshed. I was astounded at the relatively peaceful transition to majority rule. It must be something in the soul of the Afrikan people.
Most are not capable of bitterness and the need for revenge...
We have a lot to learn from them.
Thanks for sharing that story,Zan.

You are welcome Bir. I took that photo and my wife very poetically said that it looked like a scene after a nuclear war. Not very inspiring but I knew what she meant because it was like the sky and the water were on fire and we were trapped in between.

[humanist]

Hey Zan , thanx for the story ...... I know it's the little things that count a smile wow.

One of my dreams is that I'll be in Cyprus when that bloody buffer zone is no longer that and the country is united both leaders shaking hands. That'll be awsome picture and will bring my camers alng..

cheers and a happy New year to you and your family

Andreas

[Pyrpolizer]

Fascinating story Zan. I admit I read it twice.

We have a house next to ours, it belongs to some GCs from South Africa, they only come for Xmas and the summer and they always bring with them 2 black maids, one for watching the children and one for the housework! My wife doesn't like the woman one bit, she says she is a lazy little bitch, she doesn't move her finger to do anything.

What astonishes me they use to go trips in the summer, maybe they are away 2-3 days, and they leave all the air-conditioners (man they propably have 10) working non stop. My wife told the woman "we thought you forgot the ACs on" the woman says "no we leave them on, so the house is cool when we return"!!! Fact is when they are here the ACs work 24/7....

[Piratis]

From what I understand (I might be wrong on this) the commitee in SA was established after the Apartheid was abolished, and it was one of the steps that were taken to end this racist separation between the people and finally have a modern democratic country without the problems and the enmity of the past.

However in Cyprus we are far behind. In Cyprus not only some do not accept that racist separation should end, on the contrary they want to legalize it. We were being forced to accept the Apartheid that was abolished in SA by means of Annan plan not long ago, and still some people can not realize that such systems can only generate hate and conflict and a lot more problems and can never be the solution.

Unfortunately it appears that some instead of reconciliation what they want is gains on the loss of others because they "won the war".

Fortunately for us, we managed to avoid the worst and there is still hope that some day a fair real solution will be found, were Cypriots will be equal and not separated based on their race like in the SA Apartheid model.

[zan]

From what I understand (I might be wrong on this) the commitee in SA was established after the Apartheid was abolished, and it was one of the steps that were taken to end this racist separation between the people and finally have a modern democratic country without the problems and the enmity of the past.

However in Cyprus we are far behind. In Cyprus not only some do not accept that racist separation should end, on the contrary they want to legalize it. We were being forced to accept the Apartheid that was abolished in SA by means of Annan plan not long ago, and still some people can not realize that such systems can only generate hate and conflict and a lot more problems and can never be the solution.

Unfortunately it appears that some instead of reconciliation what they want is gains on the loss of others because they "won the war".

Fortunately for us, we managed to avoid the worst and there is still hope that some day a fair real solution will be found, were Cypriots will be equal and not separated based on their race like in the SA Apartheid model.

I did not want to taint my story but I guess it was inevitable with you around.
The whole point is that we do not want to end up like the blacks in SA. Equality with second class status. I would like to cross the road with a smile on my face.