Squinting through the hype surrounding the new South Africa, I reckon that the country is in the middle, farcical stages of authoritarianism. On Freedom Day, Women’s Day, Heritage Day, and so on, heroes of the revolution pop out of limousines and luxury planes to dispense social upliftment through speeches to the “previously disadvantaged.” After the straggly rallies, the government media either represent them as heady fests or convey scoldings for indifference to the creation of a better life for all.

Even most blacks have firmly re-designated every new holiday Going to the Beach Day, and their decision seems sound. The absurd evil of apartheid could be summed up in the prohibition of the majority of South Africans from the abundant and beautiful beaches; the freedom for all races to play in the sand together signals the blessings of the post-apartheid era. I began this article on March 21, Human Rights Day, and I could hear multilingua ...

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