The omnipresence of security
As soon as you arrive, if there's one thing that stands out in South Africa, it's security. Every house is equipped with multiple security systems, little fortresses for living quietly in your golden prison... In a minute, at the slightest ring or call from you, a private security company arrives at your home and has the right to open fire on any burglars. White people aren't the only ones who live in paranoia; everyone who can afford to secure their home does so. Mentalities are not always as open as they seem. Thirty-one years of democracy won't erase three hundred years of racial segregation so quickly, especially for those who grew up under apartheid education and laws. The new generation is much more tolerant of other cultures, but the different groups continue to evolve separately, due to the cultural divide. There are also regional differences in mindset: Cape Town is known for being open and tolerant, cosmopolitan, gay-friendly and artistic, while the wine region in Cape Town's hinterland, Pretoria, the Free State and the Karoo are known for being conservative and very Christian. Johannesburg is a symbol of mixed modernity, with the emergence of a black middle class. For everyone, it's the city of employment, where young graduates have a chance of finding an interesting job. Durban is more populated by Indians and Zulus, but also by a fringe of Afrikaners who never go out in the center: very busy, even dirty streets, with hawkers under the arcades of all the shopping streets. Some will say that the city is dangerous... although some lawless areas do exist, most streets are not dangerous.
American life among the Afrikaners
Some Afrikaners are very wealthy, as evidenced by the overcrowding of beautiful residential areas in large cities such as Sandton in Johannesburg or Camps Bay in Cape Town, and live the Californian way of life: big cars, large luxury villas with swimming pools, lodge in a private reserve, jet-ski boats and so on. Others are middle class, live in quiet neighborhoods, have their own car and go to malls on weekends with their family, again a very western life. Finally, the rural people are reminiscent of the cowboys of the American West, far from the metamorphosis that is taking place in the cities, especially in the Free State or the Karoo, Afrikaner strongholds.
African life among the Bantus
Blacks mostly live the "African way," first for economic reasons - most are poor and do not choose their lifestyle - and second for cultural reasons. In every city, you can see popular markets teeming with people next to stations of combis honking at passersby to complete the minibus. Spicy scents, bright colors, cheerful and ringing conversations, this is Africa!
It is especially when you walk through the countryside, where people live in a semi-tribal, semi-modern way, that you feel really out of place. The green hills of KwaZulu-Natal or the Eastern Cape are covered with thatched huts, traditional kraals where the village chief has the real power and the councilor has a consulting role. Tribal hierarchy is highly respected, as is traditional medicine and their powerful sangoma healers who are considered the "wise men" of the community.
Life in the townships
Township life is a way of life in its own right. This urban community has developed a very strong cultural identity between urbanity and tradition, with its advantages and disadvantages. Many problems punctuate its daily life: poverty, unemployment, alcoholism... Living conditions are hellish, especially for those who live in the shacks, these tin shacks, because they are not protected from external dangers. The country's crime statistics are frightening. Murder, rape, carjacking... and more: 90% of the victims are township residents. While AIDS used to affect more married adults, the rate of HIV infection among young people between the ages of 15 and 25 is steadily increasing, which is of concern to the country's authorities. Apartheid has created many generations without qualifications, and the prevailing poverty does not encourage young people to study, despite government aid. However, the spirit of solidarity is very much alive in the townships, which form a close-knit community. Most of the inhabitants have been living better in recent years in townships undergoing a revival, such as Soweto, thanks to a decrease in crime and the normalization of these dormitory towns in the city, with the construction of malls, for example. Soweto has always been the showcase of social progress in South Africa and should serve as an example in the years to come. The free schooling introduced for the most disadvantaged children has just been extended to teenagers who go to high school. This is important because delinquency and criminality affect young people, especially boys, who drop out of the education system to join gangs, attracted by easy money and discouraged by paying schools and parental poverty. As education improves for the poorest, more and more black students are enrolled in universities across the country. Young working people from the townships are being promoted to important positions thanks to the BEE, which gives them priority in employment, underqualified some would say, a giant step others would say. But most of the time, even if they improve their quality of life and their purchasing power, township residents are strongly attached to their township and do not want to move.
