[politburo player]

Kaspar,

I cannot fathom why you keep on giving southern Africa's radicalising governments and political movements the benefit of the doubt. You are virtually silent about the wrongs being committed, and you only speak out or blame people when you have the opportunity to bash the former white minority government of your childhood. Without that government, South Africa would not have highways, universities, a world class airline, a sizable middle class, or a nuclear program. So keep on bashing away, maybe these 'byproducts' of the former white government will crumble, disintegrate, or outright disappear.

[Alchemy]

After all, the ANC would never have come to power were it not for white liberals...

I nominate this statement for the single worst and ignorant post in the Africa subforum......

[Invictus_88]

Even if people recoil slightly at the old system in Rhodesia, it would be difficult to deny that the blacks in the photos seem to have a much better deal of it than current Zimbabweans do, and that healthcare provision, security, education and food were all more reliably assured in Rhodesia than in modern Zimbabwe.

Even if you do find it offensive that the white population flourished as it did, there's a lot more than that to be considered here.

[Kaspar]

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly that Rhodesia was overall a better place to live under Smith compared to Zimbabwe now under Mugabe. But of course, that still doesn't mean Rhodesia wasn't a failure or didn't have to change forms of government.

The system of government in Rhodesia was not only unfeasible, but it intentionally kept the vast majority of its citizens from socially and economically advancing. A quality government is supposed to make the lives of the country's population better, not make a small portion of the population's lives better at the expense of over 90% of the rest of the country.

If that isn't a failed-state, then I don't know what is. I guess I would say present day Zimbabwe is more of a failed-state, but I fail to understand how that gives legitimacy to a previous failed state.

[politburo player]

I nominate this statement for the single worst and ignorant post in the Africa subforum......

I have a feeling this is a minority opinion among South Africans with an education that extends beyond 8th grade. I would prefer if you and Kaspar would refrain from venomous personal attacks such as this. There are many Afrikaners who do not share your (and Kaspar's) glowing and unrelentingly bias opinion of black communist rule in South Africa.

[Alchemy]

I have a feeling this is a minority opinion among South Africans with an education that extends beyond 8th grade. I would prefer if you and Kaspar would refrain from venomous personal attacks such as this. There are many Afrikaners who do not share your (and Kaspar's) glowing and unrelentingly bias opinion of black communist rule in South Africa.

Yes yes dear boy. The only one here incapable of grasping the facts is you. Do you seriously think that the minority group that was the Afrikaaner right wing South Africa could seriously contain the black uprising? Im guessing you are not very good at Maths....

[politburo player]

Yes yes dear boy. The only one here incapable of grasping the facts is you. Do you seriously think that the minority group that was the Afrikaaner right wing South Africa could seriously contain the black uprising? Im guessing you are not very good at Maths....

If they had take a more hard line approach, yes. They should have more vigorously pursued and eliminated rogue ANC leaders going about the countryside, as well as and taken a smarter approach to apprehending Soviet arms specialists giving them free munitions. Israel should have been more involved. Of course, Mandela should never have been released, that creepy old commie.

Bottom line, white South Africans are responsible for the black population explosion that made them such a small minority. Their large hearts are to blame for this. The construction of more than 130 schools in the late 80's, the expansion of the already enormous Baragwanath Hospital, for the exclusive use of blacks, along with numerous other social services caused a black population explosion in the latter years of Apartheid. The sad thing is that many of the schools and social buildings built free of charge for blacks were burnt down, looted, or otherwise destroyed right after they were built. Now that isn't smart, is it???

All eyes will no doubt be watching this great social experiment this summer...

[Alchemy]

^^^^^This guy

[Kaspar]

I know, at this point it's starting to just get humorous Alchemy.

How unbelievably ignorant is it to say that Mandela is a communist? Since when has communism meant economic neoliberalism? The rhetoric is so thick I could eat it with a spoon.

I don't even know if we could call it ignorance, considering that I've already had this discussion with him. Oh well, there's only so much you can do.