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With Mandela becoming the first democratically elected president of South Africa in 1994, white minority rule formally concluded. Moves towards continuous social development for Black South Africans would prove to be difficult as the Post-apartheid nation sought to rapidly reverse the decades of land segregation and enactment of white supremacy. Present societal institutions were born as the offspring of the past. Alleviating white supremacy and its ideals proves to be difficult as the implementation of this racial hierarchy prevailed throughout every aspect of life. Its ideals that promote the notion of Black persons being inferior and the marginalization of this racial group continues within society in the present day. The rule of white minority, or Apartheid, began in 1948. Apartheid is an Afrikaans word and defines separateness. It was a system of racial segregation that governed South Africa for nearly 50 years. The lasting impacts of this 50 year rule resulted in a nation of its racial majority, Black Africans, drastically behind other racial groups in terms of education, life expectancy, employment and income 2 decades later. In 1948, People were categorized into 4 racial categories, Black, white, Indian and Coloured (mixed race people.) and they were all separated into different residential regions. The Black population held no right to citizenship and were regarded as illegal immigrants in major cities. With the alienation of the Black population, this had long lasting psychological impacts on Black Africans, and the dehumanization of these peoples lead to systematic brutality becoming more acceptable. Black Africans were therefore divided into 10 Bantustans (homelands) and these regions were generally overcrowded, rural...

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...arity but literacy levels amongst Black Africans undergoing minimal improvement.

Currently, Black Africans are less likely to have access to higher income generating occupations and thus less access to education. Apartheid’s creation of racially segregated areas has resulted in linking high socio-economic classes located where white Africans populate and non white Africans populating regions corresponding with lower socioeconomic status. Hence a geographic hindrance is formed preventing students of lower socio-economic status to access schools with better facilities and teachers, normally found in wealthier regions.

A Lower literacy rate of Black Africans is a source of obstruction towards the goal of racial equality and by proxy, social development. Lower literacy rates decreases access to essentials such as food, shelter and healthcare.

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