Trumpism is apartheid's heir

Trump's return to power has emboldened fascists worldwide, from neo-Nazis in Europe to right-wing secessionists in South Africa.

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

Apartheid divided South Africans into beneficiaries, victims and bystanders. Today, Trumpism divides the world in the same way - into those who gain from supremacy, those crushed by it and those who pretend neutrality absolves them.

Supporters of apartheid saw no fault in it because they benefited or believed it natural, often invoking scripture to justify oppression. Opponents, including its victims, resisted because the system dehumanised them.

Some whites, though not directly harmed, joined the struggle out of conscience, refusing to stand idle. Many of those continue today to advocate for real change that addresses apartheid's imbalances.

Apartheid was not an isolated invention. It was a byproduct of Nazism. The National Party's rise in 1948 was inspired by Hitler's racial hierarchy, applying his policies to black South Africans as Jews had been targeted in Europe.