Mumbai : When South Africa as a state was under the apartheid reign of a vague white minority that included Dutch and English names, South Africa was a beacon of light in a dark continent that had Congo, Ethiopia and Algeria in it. The whole of Africa was under colonial powers, christianised and anglicized with tribal cultures of numerous shapes and sounds. The Africans were supposed to catch a white man, put him in a large boiling pot and when cooking was ready, eat him up as only tribals could. When the whites withdrew, blacks established their supremacy in so many pieces of land called nations, without laws. It was difficult to civilize the black folk culture as in Congo, where UN Secretary General was killed in air crash and Angola had civil war. Countries like Uganda had Moslem dictators like Idi Amin, and Ethiopia had a king like Saleh.
Freedom that came to Ghana (or Gold Coast) under Nkrumah had ministers who lived in mansions and used gold beds for comfort. Masses lived in poverty and diseases of dreadful proportions. Countries turned to piracy as in Somalia to plunder ships and live. Dictators abounded all over Africa, but in South Africa there was only the colour hatred that had to be ended during MK Gandhi’s days as practising lawyer there. South Africa had mines of gold and copper besides other metals, even oil perhaps. In the last one decade, South Africa has marched to prosperity under a black regime with Nelson Mandela, a prisoner for nearly 3 decades under the British and the first president of black majority South Africa. It has organised World Cup in cricket, IPL-2 under BCCI, and now World Cup in soccer to the satisfaction of all. India had recognized South Africa as a great country in cricket and revived its blown out energies. On July 11, South Africa bade good-bye to 32 teams in foot ball without winning a Cup, but winning hearts as host nation.