I graduated with a four year degree in engineering at wits in 1980 at 19 years old.
Here is what We had to deal with after living in Soweto for four years of varsity in apartheid SA :
Group areas act
Job reservation laws
Immorality act
Prohibition of Mixed marriages act
Population registration act
Pass laws
Mine and works act
The Asiatic land tenure act
The Indian representation act
The aliens control act ( yes , I was an alien in my own country )
Prohibition of political interference act
Being shot in the back in 1981 by the SA police Force
Sanctions and a border war with internal insurrection.
Etc etc etc
Here is what We did NOT have :
BEE laws
Transformation laws
NSFAS bursaries ( I had a Barlows bursary)
Labour equity acts
Preferential procurement
Small enterprise development acts.
A black democratically elected government
Billions pumped into black education and business development
Etc etc etc
We did ok because we were tough, stoic and focussed. We did not whine, were not entitled, did not create excuses for failure , did not blame everything on race. We just got on and did it. We did not invent state capture or tenderpreneurhip to selfishly accumulate wealth to the disadvantage of all.
We did put country first , change above all else and pulled our communities forward with us. We did not aim to get rich by sitting on our butts or stealing from the poor. We did not hide our shortcomings behind our race.
So can we please stop whining about how tough it is and consider for a moment how bad it used to be. We made it through that. We will make it through this again.