Shooting of black infant highlights racist rhetoric of crime

The death of a black infant after a shooting on a white-owned farm has underlined, once again, how deep racial divisions remain in South Africa.

Within hours of the death in hospital of Angelina Zwane, aged six months, after she was shot on a small holding, allegedly by the farm owner, Nicholas Steyn, South Africa echoed to political rhetoric with race as a major theme.

Thus African National Congress Women's League president, Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, saw the tragedy as evidence of the continued intransigence of some whites, of their abusive attitude to blacks and their view of them as "worse than animals."

In similar vein Pan Africanist Congress deputy president, Mr Motsoko Pheko, spoke of the "frequent shooting of blacks on white farms as if they are wild animals."

The implicit assumption in most statements by black-dominated political parties is that Mr Steyn had deliberately and knowingly shot at black children as they were crossing his land, wounding two of them, one seriously (Angelina's cousin, Francina Dlamini, aged 11) and one fatally (Angelina).

Angry black women were adamant that Mr Steyn was guilty of murder. Waiting outside the court where the farmer was arraigned on charges of murder and attempted murder, they clamoured for him to handed over. "Let's get the dog and kill him," one shouted. "Here's a devil, let's kill him," another screamed.

But it has not yet been established whether Mr Steyn had maliciously and wilfully shot the children. According to the police, he told them after the episode that he had shot at "intruders" who were walking through his fields when they failed to heed his warning to stop, only to discover that they were children when he went to investigate.

The anger and anguish provoked by Angelina's death coincided with the appearance in court of Frikkie van Rooyen on charges of shooting a 12-year-old black boy. Mr Van Rooyen, owner of a small holding in Northern Province, allegedly shot Klaas Mashishi on February 15th.

The shooting was seen by many blacks as evidence of the unreconstructed racism of many whites in rural areas more than four years after South Africa's first open democratic election.

Mr Van Rooyen's first court appearance witnessed the same clamour for "people's justice" by angry blacks as shown when Mr Steyn was brought to court. Northern Province premier, Mr Ngoako Ramathlodi, chastised the local white community for not showing their sympathy by attending Klaas's funeral.

If there is a tendency in the black community to see the shooting of Angelina, Francina and Klaas as naked white racism, a countervailing trend is evident in the white community: a belief that the anger of black politicians is selective, that they are vigorous in condemnation when the victims of violence are black and the suspected culprits white, while being almost insouciant when the victims are white and the suspected assailants black.

Within hours of Angelina's death, an elderly white farming couple were attacked by black criminals. Silas Otto, aged 81, was found dead, battered about the head, his mouth stuffed with fertiliser and his hands and feet bound with wire. His wife, Issabella (75) suffered head injuries.

Their anguished son, Hendrik, noting that President Nelson Mandela (and several ANC notables) had visited Angelina's parents, said: "President Mandela, the front pages are full of your sympathy for the child that was shot. You accuse (white) farmers of racism, but you have not once sympathised with the family of a murdered farmer. Do you not think that is racist?"

The National Party, referring to the attacks on white farmers by black criminals and/or zealots, blamed Angelina's death on the ANC-led government's inability to combat crime effectively. Government ineptitude in containing crime made farmers nervous, even paranoid, and caused whites to take `reciprocal defence action."

That assessment from a party drawing most of its support from the white community should be seen in the context of figures compiled by the SA Agricultural Union. Last year 145 farmers were killed in 470 attacks on farms.

Constand Viljoen, leader of the Freedom Front, whose raison d'etre is to establish an Afrikaner state within SA, said: "The President has never reacted so emotionally to the many senseless farm murders as he reacted during the last few day to the unfortunate death of a child."

The overwhelmingly black South African Communist Party in North West Province - where there are many white-owned farms - urged the authorities to look a "violence on farms" as well as violence against farmers. It was undoubtedly alluding to attacks on, and maltreatment of, black people living on farms by farm owners.

The implication is that the behaviour of white farmers may be a factor in making them a target for black anger. There is evidence that some - but not all and not necessarily a majority - of attacks are carried out by aggrieved black farm workers and labour tenants.

Racism may be officially outlawed by South Africa's new constitution by racial prejudice is still far from eradicated. It is invigorated by every senseless interracial killing.