..........................."AND 23 MILLION BLACKS"

SOUTH AFRICAN NAVY FLEET OILER AND SUPPLY SHIP PROTEA BROADLY SIMILAR TO SAS TAFELBERG

Between October and November, 1968 two South African Navy frigates and the Fleet Auxiliary TAFELBERG paid a courtesy visit to several Australian cities. The squadron was in Sydney from 2nd to the 8th of November and the vessels were berthed at Garden Island with the TAFELBERG alongside the Northern most wharf.

As a member of the Executive of the Junior Australian- American Association I, along with a number of my colleagues, was on the Royal Australian Navy's hospitality invite list. So it happened that a group of us , among many others was invited to a Cocktail Reception aboard the TAFELBURG.

There was at the time the beginning of a thaw in South African - Australia relations which had been severely strained over the Apartheid issue.So there was a little anxiety on our part as to how the evening would go. It was to prove very revealing,

We had a very fine view up the Harbour to the Harbour Bridge. The hospitality was generous and the immaculately turned out officers were doing their best to be good hosts and succeeding well,despite a perceived awkwardness on both sides. Making small talk whilst sipping a drink and looking toward the Bridge backed by the declining Sun, I asked the young officer I was chatting with : "How many people are there in South Africa?" He promptly answered "" About 3.5 millions" and lapsed into a silence which lasted so long I expected to hear no more. Then after at least 30 seconds he said : "And about 23 Million Blacks."

I had lost any desire/curiosity to hear more, and could hardly wait until I could decently excuse myself and be gone. What got to me was that the fact that the appropriate answer of "26.5 Millions"did not occur to him. The 23Million Blacks were nothing but an afterthought, they didn't count.

I doubt anyone was more surprised than me when South Africa made a relatively peaceful transition to full democracy in 1994.