The genius of apartheid was convincing people who were
the overwhelming majority to turn on each other. Apart
hate, is what it was. You separate people into groups and
makethemhateoneanothersoyoucanrunthemall.
At the time, black South Africans outnumbered white
South Africans nearly five to one, yet we were divided into
different tribes with different languages: Zulu, Xhosa,
Tswana, Sotho, Venda, Ndebele, Tsonga, Pedi, and more.
Long before apartheid existed these tribal factions clashed
and warred with one another. Then white rule used that
animosity to divide and conquer. All nonwhites were
systematicallyclassifiedintovariousgroupsandsubgroups.
Then these groups were given differing levels of rights and
privilegesinordertokeepthematodds.
Perhaps the starkest of these divisions was between
South Africa’s two dominant groups, the Zulu and the
Xhosa.TheZulumanisknownasthewarrior.Heisproud.
Heputshisheaddownandfights.Whenthecolonialarmies
invaded, the Zulu charged into battle with nothing but
spears and shields against men with guns. The Zulu were
slaughtered by the thousands, but they never stopped
fighting.TheXhosa,ontheotherhand,pridethemselveson
being the thinkers. My mother is Xhosa. Nelson Mandela
was Xhosa. The Xhosa waged a long war against the white
man as well, but after experiencing the futility of battle
againsta better-armedfoe, manyXhosachiefstookamore
nimbleapproach.“Thesewhitepeopleareherewhetherwe
like it or not,” they said. “Let’s see what tools they possess
