Over the past few months, the media have been awash with reports of racism. The hysteria has generated a lot of fuming and frothing at the mouth.

South Africans must, in the interest of debate, distinguish between pre-1994 statutory racism which was legally enforced from the cradle to the grave from residual post-1994 racism.

In the past, the entire social stratification was determined by the poisonous ideology of racial classification. From 1948 until 1994 there was an undeclared war of genocide between the majority oppressed blacks and the artificially privileged white minority.

When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, parliament systematically dismantled all legislation that had legitimised racism. Our progressive constitution laid the fundamental basis for a human rights culture that promoted non-racialism.

Unfortunately, the constitution and anti-racism legislation could not by the stroke of a pen undo the damage we had inherited over many decades. Hence the many racist pathologies we still experience between the various racial groups 21 years into democracy.

Our challenge is similar to that of post-World War 2 Germany. Many young Germans have said to me: "Smangaliso, we cannot be condemned for the evil deeds of the Nazis. Many of us were too young to understand what Hitler and the Nazis were up to and some of us were not even born."

Although the two situations are not exactly the same, one can understand progressive white young men and women who indeed benefited from apartheid but were not responsible for decisions enforced by the apartheid apparatchiks.

The one thing we have failed to learn from the apartheid apparatchiks and ideologues is that they had a clear vision and an ideology.

It is very short-sighted to blame only white people for everything that has gone wrong in our republic since 1994. The irony of it all is that some black people are striving to transform themselves into Europeans or pseudo Americans in every way possible.

They reluctantly desire to be white by their hairstyle, diet, recreation, education system as well as their political systems.

The Black Consciousness Movement had its own shortcomings. But, it succeeded in elevating the dignity and self-respect of black people. That was one of the reasons why the apartheid fanatics loathed the movement. Steve Biko was too dangerous to be left alive.

Since 1994, black people have been engulfed by some amorphous non-racial superficial mind-set that has largely been defined by white intellectuals and entrepreneurs. Although black people are the majority, they are not stamping their own culture onto the body politic.

Black people are in control of the levers of power. What prevents them from ensuring that all organs of state and institutions become vehicles for radical transformation?

When the Malaysians got their independence, the first thing they did was to legislate in favour of their indigenous language. English and Mandarin lost their artificially imposed pre-eminent status.

The economy, education system and cultural institutions were all given a huge boost in favour of creating a new Malaysian personality. That enhanced their dignity.

South Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. What stops us from implementing it to the letter? Most of the strategic positions in government are occupied by black people. How are they using that power to promote our agenda?

We cannot be naive, either. Many white people are still bitter that 1994 changed their privileged status. White apartheid bureaucrats found themselves having to support a new political administration with leaders who had always been branded "terrorists" or "communists".

The good news though is that human beings can change and embrace a new way of doing things. At a personal level, I had the privilege of overseeing a racially mixed staff. We built such a relationship that I was completely comfortable with my staff regardless of race, sex or colour.

While we perfectly understand the emotional outpourings on the radio talk shows, we all need to accept the painful responsibility of building a new nation together. It is an enterprise that will decide whether we swim or sink together as a nation.

Listening to several radio talk shows reminds me of the helplessness that was regularly voiced by male African-Americans in the civil rights movement until the Black Panthers came on the scene.

Whenever they were challenged to stand up for their freedom, their stock response was: "Hey man, brother, the honkey has got us by the balls!"

Here is the supreme irony. I lambast whitey (derogative term for whites) during the day. In the evening I watch his television programmes, eat his food, drink his liquor, read his books, speak to my children in his language, drive his car, wear his clothes, use his computer, sing his songs.

Every month end I empty his shopping malls, spending my month's salary to buy his merchandise.

I completely agree that in a globalised environment there is a gradual levelling off of cultural diversities.

That said, there is no reason why as black folks we should allow our life agenda to continue to be set by "Mother Europe" or "Uncle Sam".

lMkhatshwa is chairman of the Moral Regeneration Movement