June Harris, a retired school teacher in Sydney, gives her very vivid impressions of a recent visit to South Africa.
Towards the end of 1982 I had the opportunity of traveling with Dr. and Mrs. Campbell Andrews and Mrs. Lex Colville who had been missionaries for nearly thirty years in King William’s Town (in a semi–rural setting), associated with the Free Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church of Eastern Australia. Mrs. Colville still owned a house and a car there, so the four of us lived in comfort from October 1982 till January 1983 and travelled extensively throughout South Africa.
The Scenery
An abiding impression is the beauty and variety of scenery, from exquisite coastlines and beaches to the rugged grandeur of the Drakensberg mountains; from fertile acres of vineyards, orchards, wheat, maize and cane fields, pineapple and banana plantations to the barren but beautiful velds of the Karoo; from myriads of bright flowers and birds to the elephants, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, wildebeests, lions and other animals we saw in their natural habitat. Everything is on a vast scale. Blooms on silky oaks, Illawarra flames, jacarandas and bougainvilleas were more brilliant than I’ve ever seen.
The Population
My first impression was of teeming multitudes of blacks everywhere and of their animation and good humour in spite of living conditions, very poor by our standards. In supermarkets , banks, post office in King Williams’s Town blacks outnumber whites at least ten to one. The situation was similar in East London, but in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg blacks did not seem to predominate in city streets to the same extent. To me it was strange and “wrong” that all men working on building sites, all roadworkers, factory workers, farm labourers, gardeners, house-maids, cooks, waiters and so on were black. People brought up in South Africa, both blacks and whites, seem to take this for granted. The labouring work force is black. It is some consolation that increasing numbers of blacks now also work in banks, offices and in professions, requiring tertiary education.
The Godliness
Another early impression was how much less godless the country is than Australia. In an ordinary state secondary school for blacks I visited the daily morning assembly is opened with prayer and Bible reading. In a mainly white university (Stellenbosch) at least 85 percent of the students go to church every Sunday. I heard leaders of the black independent governments in both Franskei and Ciskei openly acknowledge God and stress the need for obedience of His laws. The general atmosphere is not as humanistic, agnostic or atheistic as it is here.
The Government
Accustomed to hearing the white South African government totally condemned here, I was surprised to learn how much it is spending on raising the standard of living of the blacks, on education at all levels, on social welfare, on amenities of various kinds. In many ways it seemed to me a good government and willing to institute reforms. But it needs to be courageous, to withstand the bias and intolerance ofopposition and to begin now to do away with the harsher prohibitions of the apartheid policy like the control laws. Some apartheid problems are very complex indeed and have no easy or quick solutions. Highly educated blacks with whom we talked think it will be best for the country if changes are gradual. But they resent strongly now things like not having access to holiday accommodation, restaurants, hotels, etc.
The Friendliness
It seemed to me that the blacks arc more friendly and welcoming to whites than they are to other black tribes. On several occasions I was conscious of inter-tribal hostility and dislike, whereas the usual feeling towards whites was one of admiration and esteem.
Worshipping regularly with the blacks was a source of inspiration and challenge. They love to sing, and the psalms were sung in beautiful natural harmony. They do not try to hide what they are feeling, and although I could not understand the Xhosa language, I could feel the devotion, the love and reverence for God and the sense of urgency in their prayers.
The Missionaries
I can’t conclude this report without expressing my profound admiration for the missionaries I met, for the!r commitment to the cause of Christ in this land, for the1r childlike faith and trust in God to provide. I commented on this to one of them and his answer was: “We’ve just got to rely on God. The task is beyond us.” They have to turn their hand to so many different tasks.
Prayer for all of them would be appreciated.
All were lovable people. All made one feel closer to God, because God is in them and working through them. Black pastors are, of course, assuming more of the responsibility, but, with the exception of Rev . Bryce Taho, not yet much of the leadership.
What of the Future?
Towards the end of my stay I sensed an underlying fear of the future on the part of most of the white inhabitants. We should pray for the South African Government that strength of purpose and wisdom might be given to enable them to act decisively to give justice to the blacks before it is too late, and to be willing to relinquish some of their power. Blacks and whites need one another, and the .blacks must ultimately find a common political destroy with the whites.
Reprinted from the Monthly Record of the Free Church of Scotland.
