Our appeal to readers to take part in a conversation around race was met with enthusiasm ? some wrote in the spirit of engendering greater understanding, others? well? they took it as an opportunity to vent about other races.

Needless to say, we have only published the constructive responses.

Do you agree with what these readers have to say? Do you have something to add? Mail us, post a comment below, or vote in our poll.

Masixole Kawuleza

This is really a critical topic to talk about, which I think people have to engage and talk about it in its worse cases. I believe, to solve a problem is to deal with it directly; to keep on shoving matters under the mat won?t help, but it will make issues worse than what they are.

People need to know how other people think about them, so that we can create a free non-racial environment in our societies; heal those needing healing; and help and assist those who need assistance. If we have to form organisations and structures so be it because racial issues will always crop up until our last generations if we do not take a stand now and engage.

We can blame apartheid and structures, which is fine, but my view is that this is deeper than that as I believe that even if there were no apartheid, racial division would have existed now and, unfortunately, it always affects the dark skin.

So going forward ? we need forums and discussions and to open up about our thoughts, cultures, beliefs and many more things like languages, events. Even the education system must be streamlined on these approaches as this also affects employees in the working environment. People can't cope at all, as they do not have ways to deal with racism, both black and white. That results in frustration and double racism which can't be helped by anyone if we do not communicate

Let's use education, and tolerance more especially, to engage, engage, engage and engage.

Tami

I am a coloured female who matriculated from one of the top schools in a 'tree-lined suburb' in 1996. I started dating a white male (blonde, with blue eyes) in 1995 and you would not believe all the pointing and staring.

I have since married said 'white guy' and have two children. I recently applied for bank accounts for these children and was still asked to racially classify them. I was stumped. My son looks like me (dark skin, brown hair and brown eyes) and my daughter looks like my husband (light skin, blond hair and green eyes). Why do some companies still require that they know what race you fall into?

If I did not answer the race question on the form, the process would go no further. No matter what anyone may say, we all have perceptions of both our own race/culture and other races/cultures. It will take a lot longer than 15 years for those perceptions to disappear and WE actively have to DO something about it to ensure that it does not continue into future generations.

Julian

I am a white, English-speaking fourth generation South African male. I also have a profession that the country has a shortage of. I have been offered a full paid relocation for me and my family to leave South Africa.

I am employed currently on the basis that I transfer my skills to non-whites and after a set period I may be made redundant, purely because I am white. I am told that even if I stay, I cannot progress further in the company as I am white.

The question I ask is: what do I say to my eldest child in three years time, when she is denied access to study at university in her chosen field because her marks may not be high enough merely because she is white? Or that she may not be employed because she is white? I keep hearing the last words from lawyer of the overseas prospective employer: "You are living in Nazi Germany 1937, get your family out."

Gerrit Kellerman

I did grow up under apartheid, but finished matric in 1996, so I did not have any say in how the country was run, or what happened in 1994. The only advantage I had growing up in a white Afrikaans household is that my parents had jobs and could provide food, clothing etc. We weren't rich and stayed in an average area in Cape Town.

I also believe racial differences will always be there, but they need to be understood and overcome so that we can move on with our lives. I can already see the difference between the younger and older generations, especially younger black people, who grew up after 1994 ? most of them, who I have spoken to, know about the struggle and apartheid, but they don't care as much about it as the older black people, because they weren't there. Similarly, younger white people don't care about what happened any more either, because it is in the past and we have to look to the future.

We need to look forward ? not forgetting the past ? if only not to make the same mistakes again.

My personal opinion on the whole violence issue and 'black people' attacking 'white people' is that I believe that there are equal percentages of criminals through all the races. But we must remember that there are about eight times more black people in SA than any other race, therefore the majority of criminals will be black, and therefore it is very easy to blame race again when not taking the numbers in to account.

Hylton McCabe

I too am a white person and hope to offer a slightly difference perspective. Originally from Zimbabwe by birth, I always considered myself South African as I have lived the greatest portion of my life there. I type this message from Australia where I now reside having emigrated two years ago with my family.

I mention all of this as it has been a struggle in many respects my whole life. To be born on the African continent as a white person is not as easy as people from other races may think. Sure, I had all the privileges that come with freedom, but I was born into a generation who did nothing to deserve the label categorised largely by white apartheid generations before me.

Racism is a disease that spreads its ugliness across all boundaries and to all race groups including white people. I truly feel sorry for the way black, coloured and Indian people were treated pre-1994 and can have no real comprehension of the injustices they had to endure, but do not feel ashamed for being white or guilty for the actions of others that constructed the injustice long before my birth.

I miss many aspects of South Africa terribly, as I still do Zimbabwe, and I guess will always consider myself African, though as a white South African post-1994 I often felt threatened as the minority we have been for so long. I decided to move on, but really hope the country flourishes and does not deny, cover up or justify the faults it has, including 'reverse apartheid' towards white people of a generation that did not deserve it.

I wish there were more Nelson Mandelas out there with the rare capacity to truly forgive and forget. But I fear, unfortunately, if we are honest, that it may take a couple more generations for the animosity to subside as was felt towards German people after World War II. Thankfully this process started 15 years ago and as kids from all cultures and colour go to school together now there is hope that South Africans can weed out the wrongs of before.

Tomorrow: iafrica.com regular Rocky shares his experiences of apartheid, his love of the country, and his attempts to stay positive in the face of so much negativity?

Do you have something to say? Mail us your thoughts and, if they match the tone of the conversation, we'll publish them!