South Africa - Vavi: Mines, apartheid created killers

White South African's have taken a lot of stick and are routinely blamed for all the ills which befall South Africa daily. If it doesn't rain - they blame Apartheid. The high unemployment figures - Apartheid's fault. Failing state hospitals - Apartheid's fault again. Crumbling infrastructure - Apartheid's fault. Babies crying - Apartheid's fault. Sky too blue - Apartheid's fault. Bin Laden's death - yup, that will eventually also be Apartheid's fault. You get my drift. SA Whites are used to this because the ANC government, under Mandela's leadership, started their crusade of beat-whitey-and-humiliate-him-whenever-possible-comedy fest when they came into power to cover up their shortcomings - after all, they were the mighty liberation movement so of course they know what they're doing. South Africa is a beautiful country, however, I realised years ago that beauty just wasn't enough. I also needed my sanity and security hence the move to Australia. But reading this article made me thankful once again that I made the decision to leave. Cosatu (Black SA union) general secretary, Comrade Zwelinzima Vavi, is now blaming Apartheid for creating serial killers and rapists (yeah, really scrape that guilt-barrel Vavi)! Mr Vavi - as part of that much-talked about reconciliation drive - has kindly identified SA Whites as responsible for creating monsters. Thank you Mr Vavi for finally solving the worlds biggest conundrum of why Blacks are more prone to violent criminal behavior. Its because of White South Africans! All serial killers, murderers and rapists rejoice because it wasn't your fault you hacked someone to death or gang-raped a 6 month-old baby. No! It's because of us. I hang my head in shame - I truly do....not. There's nothing like a Black man making excuses for his fellow Black rapists and murderers. There's nothing like a Black man excusing why his government has failed to produce the jobs they promised. There's nothing like a Black man playing the class warfare game to excuse why his people still live in poverty. This, dear readers, is why I left South Africa. With this backward mentality there is little hope for the country.

Johannesburg - Colonialism, apartheid and international mining houses created serial killers and rapists, Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Wednesday.

"While of course other countries have produced gruesome lists of killers, South Africa's history has created conditions under which there is a greater number of serial rapist and murderers. The problem is rooted in our colonial and apartheid history," Vavi said in a speech prepared for delivery.

He was speaking at the unveiling of the Umzinto Wall of Remembrance in KwaZulu-Natal to remember the victims of sugarcane serial killer Thozamile Taki, who killed 13 women and dumped their bodies in sugarcane and tea plantations.

"None of us can ever excuse such acts of barbarism, but I believe we do have to try to explain how such atrocities can happen. Because Thozamile Taki was not unique. There have been others in our recent past found guilty of similarly despicable acts," said Vavi.

He said slavery, racism and the "apartheid-era 'Bantustans' where (people) existed as a reserve army of unemployed workers" were part of the causes of serial crimes.

"Meanwhile, their racist bosses made their fortunes, exploiting our mineral wealth and cheap labour, creating huge international monopolies like Anglo-American and DeBeers, which are still exploiting us today...

"This cruel and immoral system was ruthlessly imposed through violence."

Vavi said colonialism and apartheid caused the current social problems, including the high unemployment figures.

"We have become the most unequal society in the world, with top businessman Pine Pienaar of Mvelaphanda taking home 4000 times as much as a farm worker getting the minimum wage.

"Proof that such problems are still with us today, was yesterday's (Tuesday's) announcement that unemployment is still rising."

The latest figures brought the official unemployment level to 25%.

"In the longer term it is becoming more and more urgent, if we are to prevent a full-blown social and political crisis, to restructure our economy to one that creates jobs, gives people a living wage and makes our society more equal and just, and creates an environment in which family and community life can thrive and prosper," said Vavi.

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