South Africa is a country divided, well more shattered. That is broken into hundreds of fragments each one unique. This is a great strength, as it means that you can see and do so much here. There are two ocean eco systems where you can surf, SCUBA or chill on the beach. There is city life equal to any in Britain with a huge divide between rich and poor. There are mountains teeming with wildlife, but home to huge townships nestled close to fruit plantations.

I could go on and on about all the things to do here, but this would read like a brochure. The saddest thing about this diversity is that is never seen as a strength, there is always conflict. South Africa is at war with itself. Okay, a war of culture and class, but still a war. The groups that exist here are totally out of communication with each other, only looking inward.

Now it would be wrong of me to want any sort of homogenization, as it would destroy what is most valuable here. But there must be more co-operation or the country will socially disintegrate. And that is on top of all the other problems faced here.

I can cite an example to illustrate my point; many white people here feel hard done too, as there is positive discrimination when looking for jobs in favor of black people. This is so the professional working environment reflects the numbers of people in society. I support the intention of this action but it has backfired. This has meant that many skilled white workers have left the country to find work elsewhere, leaving South Africa without the necessary people to help the post-apartheid transition. If this continues the South African economy will be disabled. In a health-care setting this is a huge problem, with many Dr’s and nurses leaving. This has a negative impact on the healthcare now, and means there is little training for the professionals of tomorrow.

Finally, just as food for thought. I have been in a few places now where whites and blacks are still very much divided economically. This means that there are still white ‘owners’ and black ‘servants’. This I can accept, as it takes a lot of time for changes to take place in the economy. But what has stunned me is the culture that still exists here. Black people sub-serving to whites, bowing when they serve drinks, never of 1st name terms and rarely any eye contact. Worst of all, it happens in the background, so is never ‘an issue’, so will not be fought about.

South Africa continues to change for the better, but there are still mountains to climb.