The Legacy of South Africa in Apartheid: A Photographic Journey
Our local guide, Booysie Khanyile at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. Booysie shared his stories of the reality of growing up in racist apartheid South Africa and the life-long contributions of Nelson Mandela to bring his people freedom. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa 2024
In early September of 2024, I had the unforgettable experience of meeting and learning from everyday South Africans, of all colors, who were eager to share their personal journeys with the racist system of apartheid and how this history continues to impact their country even today.
Humanity is the core subject of my photography, either on assignment with a humanitarian non-profit organization or for a range of personal projects.
The intensity of the human interactions I experienced in South Africa provided a lasting appreciation for the complex and troubled modern society that is South Africa and a reminder of the fragility of freedom.
While I have travelled to many other African countries, South Africa possesses its own unique culture borne from a dynamic and often tragic interplay between traditional and colonial powers that linger to this day.
Art installation within Mahatma Ghandi’s house near Durban, South Africa. Ghandi lived in South Africa for more than two decades where he advocated for the rights of Indians and was subjected to oppressive policies of racism. His experiences in South Africa were foundational to his thinking on civil disobedience Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa 2024
Apartheid Legacy
Anyone remotely familiar with the modern history of South Africa knows of the extreme and tragic inequities of the apartheid system and the famous names of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
Even after some reading and preparation for my visit here, I could not have imagined the personal impact of the experience provided by speaking with the people who grew up in and lived through the darkest days of South Africa in apartheid.
Mandela, the man who endured 27 years of imprisonment, was eventually released and later became President. He is rightfully acknowledged for his immeasurable impact on the history of South Africa and his life-long commitment to obtaining freedom for all of the South African people.
While his intentions, methods and past actions continue to be a source of debate, the steps taken by F.W. DeKlerk were also instrumental in the dissolution of apartheid. Whatever his motivation, DeKlerk’s recognition that apartheid could not endure and his decisive action to offer a (some say limited) apology, and the release of many political prisoners including Nelson Mandela, were critical for the subsequent dissolution of the apartheid system.
For their work to negotiate a path forward, Mandela and DeKlerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Restricted Movement During Apartheid
In Johannesburg, I had the distinct honor to meet Booysie Patrick Khanyile who, born in 1953, belongs to the generation that followed Nelson Mandela (also known in South Africa by his clan name Madiba), and can clearly remember the dark days of apartheid.
On August 9, 1956, almost 20,000 women participated in the Women’s Anti-Pass March. The struggles they waged and the demands they raised remain relevant even now.
Booysie guided us on a visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. He shared with us his clear recollections of the travesties that occurred in South Africa from the 1970s to the present day. It was deeply touching to hear the hope and kindness in the voice of a man that had personally experienced severe racial oppression yet retains the hope and vision of a society that accepts all people regardless of their class or the color of their skin.
Nelson Mandela’s vision for his country was for all people not to seen not as black, white or “colored”(mixed race), but simply as a single identity; as “South African”. This vision is shared by Booysie in the present day. Unfortunately, such a vision for South Africa has yet to be realized as the classification system and significant segregation remains strong in South Africa.
Moving about during the times of apartheid was a constant reminder of the segregation and oppression faced by black and colored South Africans.
The oppressive laws dictated where non-whites could go or not go, limiting movements to designated areas that were overcrowded and under-resourced. Daily life was also marked by the necessity of carrying passbooks that dictated identity and permitted passage in certain spaces. Streets that were once a right to traverse became battlegrounds for survival and dignity, where the simple act of walking could result in harassment or arrest by enforcing authorities. This atmosphere of fear and restriction shaped not only personal interactions but also the broader struggle for freedom and equality within the context of an unjust system.
Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa 2024
Booysie shared that when he was young, he and his friends didn’t think much of apartheid, simply accepting things as they were. However, exposure to movies and ideas from the West made them realize that other places had more freedoms and they began to ponder the unjust nature of their situation.
Movement of colored or black people was not only highly regulated under the apartheid system but punishment for non-compliance could be severe. After international pressure began to grow significantly in the 1980s, the severity of the penalties regarding the passbooks luckily began to wane. However, Booysie shared with us his personal story of always being very careful to follow the rules to avoid conflict with the authorities.
Once as a young man, he forgot his passbook when he went to work within an area where it was required. Being without his passbook, he was arrested and put in jail. Since it was a Friday, he had to remain in jail until he could see the magistrate the following Monday. Lucky for him, it was his first offense, he was charged a fine on Monday, but he wanted to avoid more severe punishment so he made sure it wouldn’t happen a second time.
Booysie is now 72 years old, but keeps his passbook and travel documents as a reminder of past days and a reminder of gratitude for those who sacrificed so much so he and his fellow countrymen could be free.
He passed the yellowed documents around it for those in our group to hold, and we did so with reverence. Anything less would have been disrespectful of the man in front of us who shared these personal and meticulously maintained relics. This was deeply personal, yet the documents felt unclean and certainly unjust, far heavier than their weight in grams would suggest. We could not help but be reminded of the fragility of freedom.
The Nelson Mandela House, Soweto
After visiting the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Booysie accompanied our group to Soweto where we made a stop at Nelson Mandela’s humble house where he lived prior to his 27 years of imprisonment.
While this is known as the Nelson Mandela House, this place is really an homage to the bravery and resolve of Mandela’s second and most famous wife, Winnie, who is referred to as the “Mother of the Country”.
The Mandela home is now a museum in Soweto, South Africa. The bars were erected around the museum to symbolize the de facto prison that this home was for Winnie Mandela and their children for decades. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
During the long years when Mandela was incarcerated, Winnie shared this home in Soweto with their young children. The museum that exists today is a testament to her resolve and defiance in the face of severe oppression. During this period, the police constantly harassed her and her children including many instances of firing live rounds upon the house. The scars of those incidents are readily evident on the front of the home today.
During the creation of the museum, a barred fence was erected to surround the home, which not only protects the site but are intentional representations of the prison bars that enslaved them for so long. This is the concept I attempted to communicate in my image.
During the time that Nelson was incarcerated, Winnie too was imprisoned for two lengthy periods. The first time for 500 days and, the second time, for 491 days. The treatment that Winnie endured for so long left her unable to shake her desire for vengeance. Following Mandela’s release from prison, he insisted to pursue a path of reconciliation, reasoning this to be a pragmatic way forward for the good of South Africa. The differences in the visions between Nelson and Winnie, proved irreconcilable and they were divorced in 1996.
Inside Desmond Tutu’s Home in Soweto
As if our day in Soweto was not moving and impressive enough, it turns out that Booysie and his wife are lifelong friends of the family of Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1931-2021).
Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1984 for his efforts to resolve the problem of apartheid through non-violence. Booysie’s wife was part of the entourage that visited Sweden in 1984 to accept the prize. Lucky for us, Booysie requested, and was granted, special permission for our group to enter the Tutu home, which is not open to the public.
The belongings inside remain mostly as they were at the time of Desmond Tutu’s death in 2021. The family hopes this place can someday be transformed into a museum, but of course this takes a good deal of money. For now, we were grateful for the unique opportunity to sit on the sofa that Desmond Tutu is said to have been sitting at the time of the announcement of Nelson’s Mandela’s Nobel Peace Prize.
We had the opportunity to gaze upon his collection of books and papers within his personal office and to stand quietly in awe within his private chapel.
Desmond Tutu’s private chapel within his home in Soweto, South Africa. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
Desmond Tutu’s library in his Soweto home. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
Nelson Mandela Casts His First Vote
After Nelson Mandela was released from prison and the presidential election arrived, he travelled to KwaZulu-Natal to cast his first vote on April 27, 1994 in the first election open to South Africans of all colors.
He choose this location because it is near the former home of John Langalibalele Dube, the first president of the African National Congress. This vote was indeed momentous and journalists from around the world gathered at the steps of the Ohlange High School to try to get the best photo possible.
Ohlange High School near Durban, South Africa. The women in this photo is standing near the spot where Nelson Mandela cast his first vote for the ANC in 1994. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
After voting, Mandela paid a solemn visit to the nearby gravesite of John Dube where he saluted and famously said “Mr. President, I have come to report to you that South Africa is today free!” It was indeed a very long walk to freedom.
The grave of John Langalibalele Dube, the first president of the African National Congress which Mandela visited immediately after casting his vote in the 1994 national election. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
Ongoing Segregation and Social Challenges in South Africa
Despite the sacrifices and much progress, more than 30 years after the dismantling of apartheid, South Africans continue to grapple with deeply entrenched racial inequities and social stratification. The legacy of systemic discrimination continues to result in inequitable access to education, employment, and overall economic stability.
In urban areas, racial segregation remains entrenched (with black, white and colored neighborhoods) while rural communities struggle for adequate resources. Despite progress, social interactions continue to contain racial tension, stereotypes and prejudice commonly influencing perceptions and behaviors. Young people, who were born after the end of apartheid, continue to inherit bias from experiences that are not their own.
A steadily deteriorating economic situation and ineffective governance have only compounded the situation. The World Bank reported in 2022 that South Africa is the most unequal country in the world. More than 80 per cent of the resources remain in the hands of 10 per cent of the population.
This dire situation is believed to be why in 2024, for the first time since the fall of apartheid, the ANC did not win the national election. Perhaps the newly elected government can move South Africa forward to address what is undoubtedly a formidable task.
For many South Africans, race is intimately intertwined with cultural identity, language, and heritage. Pride in cultural diversity is often celebrated through traditional practices and public holidays. Some groups, notably the Coloured (mixed race) community or Indian South Africans, navigate complex racial identities that don’t always align with the broader Black-and-white dichotomy.
While visiting the colored neighborhood of Newlands East in Durban, where we were told by several persons in this mixed race community that while they are aware that the term “colored” often carries a negative connotation in the United States, in South Africa this term is not only critical element of cultural identity but also a source of extreme pride. Dance Movement from the Wentworth Arts and Culture organization uses dance as a medium for physical, emotional, education and mental health and a big focus of this organization is inclusivity and social cohesion and supports programs for youth, women, the disabled and those living with HIV. We were fortunate to experience their show in Newlands East, which was a version of hip-hop unique to the South African colored community.
Dance Movement, a local hip-hop group that is part of the Wentworth Arts and Culture Organization supporting youth, women, the disabled and those living with HIV. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
Maboneng District, Johannesburg: A Model for Urban Revitalization
While the challenges are great, some are making a positive difference.
During our last day in Johannesburg, we were guided through an artist community of Johannesburg known as Maboneng. Maboneng was developed through a collaboration of entrepreneurs, artists and small business owners as a new model of urban revitalization, critical to a city with a blight of decaying structures, mounting crime and multiple social challenges.
Within these challenges, this and surrounding neighborhoods are a beacon of hope. Here small businesses are flourishing alongside families and artisans who live and work within the development.
A vision of hope and revitalization is shared by many young South Africans including Bheki Dube, who at the age of 21 founded CURIOCITY, a network of African-designed hostels and hotels. Bheki gave our group a guided tour of Maboneng, where he shared his pride in this model of economic development while we discussed the many murals of world-famous artists that are prominently displaced throughout Maboneng.
Bheki has a vision to grow CURIOCITY throughout the rest of the African continent. He is also a vocal proponent of mixed-use economic development neighborhoods that preserve traditional ways of life. Bheki travels and speaks internationally to evangelize and promote the approach around the world.
Bheki Dube, the founder of CURIOCITY and advocate of balanced urban revitalization. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
The prospering art district in Joburg known as Maboneng. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
Murals of Maboneng: The Art of Hope
Maboneng is an artist community and it is filled with exciting modern art. Part of the vibe is created through the abundance of first class murals created by world renowned artists. Others have written on this topic exhaustively, so I will just mention a couple that I found especially compelling.
The first is a large mural know at the “Mother of Light” designed by Sonwabo Valashiya. Their concept, as explained by the artist, is that this is the Mother of Light, uNokhanyo, symbolizing the power of African Women. She is illustrated holding a lamp that spreads the light all around her and brings hope to the community.
Further, Sonwabo explained that she is the hero that fights the darkness in every corner of every city, every township and village and her radiance heals the ills of our communities. This mural seems to reflect the very concepts on which these neighborhoods are being rebuilt.
Sonwabo Valashiya’s “Mother of Light” mural. Johannesburg, South Africa. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
While there were many interesting and exciting murals created by internationally famous artists in Maboneng, my favorite is a ten-story mural of Nelson Mandela created by the Cape Town artist, Ricky Lee Gordon (aka Freddy Sam).
The artist is quoted as his inspiration being Nelson Mandela’s interpretation of Ubuntu. Mandela said, “In Africa, there is a concept known as ‘ubuntu’ – the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievement of others.” This towering mural was completed in early 2014.
Mural of Nelson Mandela in Maboneng District by artist Freddy Sam, Johannesburg, South Africa. Photograph: ©Steven Wade Adams, South Africa, 2024
The Legacy of Apartheid in South Africa
It was an honor and privilege to visit and photograph many of the places where South Africa’s modern history continues to be written, as well as interact with and learn from its diverse people. The lingering effects of the past are difficult to extract.
I will forever remember the sacrifices of Nelson Mandela and the impact he made on the course of this amazing country. It is my hope that the next generation will emerge with greater understanding to someday fulfil his dream that all his fellow citizens will share one identity simply as South Africans.
As Madiba realized, profound change is not possible through the doings of one person, but the collective humanity of us all.