A white drama professor is shot and wounded by a black student demanding the staging of African rather than European productions. And a white Cape Town rap artist faces possible criminal charges for advocating hatred on a recording in which he hurls expletives and racial epithets at former President Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, the current president. For some, these acts of violence and discrimination are isolated cases of frustration boiling over. But other South Africans believe a recent series of hate crimes indicates a rise in racial tension and intolerance. Even if they are simply offshoots of South Africa's overall crime problem, they represent a setback to the country's struggle to rid itself of the legacy of apartheid.
Observers acknowledge that there has been overall progress toward racial tolerance.
Today there is more social mixing of different groups, at least among the upper class and young people. For many, there is a political correctness regarding race. And South Africans seem to have a stronger sense of national identity. But recent surveys indicate a deterioration in the feeling of unity. A poll taken last year by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa showed that whites had the least desire of any racial group to create a united South Africa.