I was born in Africa, Zimbabwe to be exact, when it was known as Rhodesia. Some of my family still live in South Africa and over the weekend my aunty, uncle and cousin were involved in a home invasion. 3 men broke into their home, tied them up, stole their cars, jewellery, bashed my uncle up but luckily left them alive and relatively unscathed. Not raped, not murdered. Property can be replaced. The emotional scars that my family will bear are something different entirely. My question is; is this becoming very common in South Africa? I have always wanted to return to Africa, and have wanted to take my husband and children and show them the wild beauty of the land where I was born. But of course I wouldn't want to take them somewhere where it would be too dangerous. I am curious as to people's thoughts on the situation over there. Having grown up travelling around Africa before coming to Australia when I was 11 years old, I was subjected to racism. Not because I am black, I am caucasian. But because in our wide travels I went to schools with different races and on returning to South Africa when I was 8 years old was subjected to bullying and taunts for mixing with 'blacks'. This has made me very sensitive to bullying, racism and general picking on people. I do see that the people of Africa have been suppressed and the racism they swere subjected to has made them angry. But I don't think it warrants the kind of retaliatory attacks that my family have been subjected to. Other family members have lost everything when having to flee Zimbabwe. I am rambling, but I just wanted input from informed people about the situation there...
