First-hand account of apartheid

By RHIANNON HORRELL - East And Bays Courier

For Orakei man Dick Knight, experiencing apartheid as a young boy in South Africa is something he’ll never forget.

He grew up in Durban in the small coastal community of Isipingo Beach during the 1940s and 50s.

Now at 70 years old, he has released a book that documents memories of everyday life and reflects the politics, the racial prejudices and the diverse cultures of the time.

Titled Africa: My Youth The Life and Death of a Durban Community, he describes how "a thriving vibrant white community became a victim of apartheid".

"My daughters said to me: ‘Dad, you must write it down’."

Once he got started, he says it triggered other memories and the ideas kept flowing.

"I was telling the story of my youth.

"It’s more than just a village. It’s a window on life."

He recalls a daily mix of cultures – Africans, Coloureds, Whites, Asian Indians, Hindu and Muslims.

He describes the book as a nostalgic recollection through the eyes of a teenager and says he was forced out of the country for political reasons.

"The memories stick – indelibly etched."

His village was one of the wealthy communities that disappeared.

"We had to leave."

The book reads: "Isipingo Beach was officially declared Indian Residential in 1962 and was one of the first White residential areas to be adversely affected by apartheid."

Mr Knight says despite the beautiful climate where he grew up, moving here was the best decision he made.

"New Zealand is an easy place to live – it’s a simple life relative to life there."

He returned to South Africa 12 years ago and was security conscious because of the crime.

"I wasn’t anxious but aware that you have to be safe," he says.

"The first thing you do when you get in a car is lock the doors," says wife Karen.

She says the central city has been taken over by street vendors.

"Imagine being afraid to walk down Queen St," Mr Knight says of the area. "There are muggings left, right and centre."

But there are also fond memories of his carefree childhood. His father took him rock fishing, surf-ski fishing and crayfish and game fishing.

He says the area has prolific bird life and the noise is incredible. But coastal areas he enjoyed are now badly polluted.

"I wouldn’t even put my toe in the water."

The 208-page book took him seven years to write and he says a bonus has been receiving calls and emails from long-lost friends who have seen it.

Mr Knight still has a brother in Cape Town and a twin sister in Durban.

Africa: My Youth The Life and Death of a Durban Community is available at book stores.