Hello my name is Clint Dempsey, I play midfield for the United States soccer team. I am here to talk to you about the ethnic strife and conflict in South Africa. South Africa was colonized by the British in the 17th century. In the 1960s people from the National Party invented the apartheid system of Government which was meant to maintain white control. This system created racial segregation between four different groups: the whites, the blacks, the coloreds, and the Asians. As a result black people were forced to move out of white areas, and into more rural areas. This created conflict between the different racial groups because different views on the subject. Nelson Mandela, a popular and charismatic leader of the blacks was against the apartheid system and was put into jail for 27 years because of his views. In 1989 when F.W. de Klerk became president he released Mandela from prison after 27 years. After many years of segregation, in 1991 Mandela and a group of anti apartheid people created a bill that ruined the apartheid system completely. Mandela then became the President of South Africa. Today the political structure of South Africa is still shaped by the old apartheid system. The education system has also been greatly effected, because of the segregation schools are trying to incorporate kids from every race in each school. The abolishment of segregation in South Africa opened the door of opportunities for blacks and colored and the country took a step in healing the number of misdeed that apartheid created. However, there is still a hostile relationship that exists between the racial groups; none of which should bother our team during our stay in South Africa. I feel very great about this season and think that we'll do great!!

Go USA!