Reverse Racism - in South Africa

In South Africa

The term has been used actively by White and Black South Africans after the end of apartheid. Accusations of reverse racism have been leveled particularly at government efforts to transform the demographics of South Africa's white-dominated civil service.

Nelson Mandela in 1995 described "racism in reverse" when Black students demonstrated in favor changing the racial makeup of staff at South African universities. But students denied Mandela's claim and argued that in fact a great deal of ongoing actual racism persisted from apartheid. Some charged that Mandela's government moved slowly in other areas of social change, due to fears of being perceived as "reverse racist." Mandela was later himself charged with reverse racism—during 1997 proceedings of the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission and for supporting the 1998 Employment Equity Bill.

Claims of reverse racism continued into the 21st century. Helen Suzman a prominent white anti-apartheid politician, has charged the African National Congress and the Mbeki administration of reverse racism since Mandela's departure in 1999. In 2004, a group of young white members of the "Solidarity Trade Union" locked themselves into a zoo to protest discrimination against whites.

South African critics of the "reverse racism" concept use similar arguments as Americans. Accusations of "reverse racism" have been described as a defense mechanism, and attributed to white people's refusal to take responsibility for apartheid.

Mixed-race South Africans (designated as "Coloured" during apartheid) have also sometimes claimed to be victimized by reverse racism of the new Black government. Similar accusations have been leveled by Indian and Afrikaner groups, who feel that they have not been dominant historically but now suffer from discrimination by the Black government.