There was still a need for reconciliation in South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki said on Tuesday.
He told a gathering of church leaders in Pretoria that nine years after the demise of apartheid, there were still many South Africans who still did not accept the need to reconcile.
”As we all know, the legacy of apartheid has ravaged our country in very profound ways. We are still confronted by the need for reconciliation among our people. Part of our new struggle is to reconstruct and develop our damaged society.
”Yet there are still many in our country that, nine years after the demise of apartheid, still do not accept the need for active and conscious effort to reconcile our peoples. To these people, apartheid has been defeated and there is no need to talk about racism even as its legacy continues to characterise the lives of all our people,” Mbeki told the gathering.
He added: ”We need to recognise the profound impact that racism has had on our society, materially, psychologically, spiritually or morally. We need to recognise that many South Africans are still hurt and still feel the pain and consequences nine years later. If we deny the fact that we have not yet dealt with the century-old effects of racism, then we would not be able to respond adequately to our challenges. As a result, these consequences may very well be with us for a long time to come.” – I-Net Bridge