Has democracy led to the demise of racism in South Africa? A search for the answer in Gauteng schools

Abstract

The paper interrogates the misplaced belief that at the time of the framing of the South African Constitution a transition to popular democratic representation would miraculously end racism within the country. Would the first post-apartheid generation be free of the prejudices of the previous generations, or would the legacy of the old disposition be too pervasive to shake off? The author argues that the latter part of the question is more applicable since the effects of apartheid, colonialism, and imperialism are deeply entrenched in most people. He validates this argument by researching whether racism still exists in schools 20 years into democratic rule. The research, qualitative in nature, was based on interviews and questionnaires with school principals and educators in four formerly white schools. The findings indicate that racism persists, leading inductively to identifiable causes, warning signals and strategies to combat it.

Keywords:

• Democracy
• racism
• schools
• social ecological
• systems model