This has been an uncomfortable book for a white author who lives in South Africa to write. Although I am not South African by birth, I have lived and worked in South African academia since just before the arrival of democracy. Given the extensive de facto racial inequalities which have persisted since 1994, I have undoubtedly enjoyed countless advantages in life which are still not available to the majority of South Africans. Inevitably, this has been the cause of considerable personal reflection, now that I consider South Africa my home. Ultimately, this has led to this book, because whereas much of the literature on the white minority left behind by apartheid is overwhelmingly negative and condemnatory, I have preferred to look for nuance. As a result, my answer to the question the book poses – ‘how has the white minority accommodated to democracy in South Africa?’ – is bound to be contested. A highly negative answer, arguing that whites have either unwillingly or unwittingly failed to adapt, would likely be criticized for ignoring significant changes which have occurred in the status and behaviour of whites since the arrival of democracy in 1994. A strongly favourable answer, proclaiming whites’ virtuous embrace of change, would be roundly attacked for seeking to absolve white behaviour and attitudes which indicate continuity with the apartheid past. I have sought to steer clear of both dangers, and the answer I give is a complicated one, offered against the long run of South African history. Whether I have succeeded or not must be left to readers and reviewers. Whatever the case, I remain convinced that a detailed consideration of how whites have adjusted to democracy is still a subject of not only historical, but also contemporary importance, and I can only hope that this book represents a constructive attempt to address the matter. However, given the controversies (or contempt) the book is likely to provoke, it matters more than usual that the author absolve all those who assisted in its writing for the content and conclusions drawn.

The book was conceived prior to the arrival and impact of Covid-19 on global and South African shores.