[FlamesAddiction]

I work with 2 South Africans (both white).

The husband of one of the women told me that he was in the army during Apartheid and he believed in it at the time. He said that no one in his family considered themselves racist, but that they felt the system was best for everyone (blacks and whites). He said after Apartheid fell, the blinders came off and he realized what the rest of the world saw. He was 100% convinced that any slack in the system would mean that blacks would rise up and kill all the whites. He agrees that Mandela is a hero and that it was because of him that the fall of Apartheid didn't have the backlash many expected.

He did admit that the standard of living as a whole dropped after Apartheid, but he said it was worth it in order to bring freedom.