That is true, but you have to ask what cuased this racial hate to the point where it is now ?
what would you say then if not the inflection of our forefathers, what then is causing this ? idiots in government ? sowetan ?
Who is more at fault - the person who abuses or the person who allows themselves to be abused?
Modern society always tends to blame the abusers, however I would argue that the blame should at least be allocated 50 / 50 - since if you don't stand up for yourself, there will always be someone who abuses you.
In this case of apartheid, it was the good people, both on the side of the abusers and the abused stood up and said it was unacceptable, who were able to bring about change.
This doesn't however, give license for excuses that apartheid caused the behaviour, because what you are doing, either intentionally or not, is justifying the behaviour, and making it acceptable. In other words, you are further encouraging the behaviour - an outcome, I'm sure you'll agree is not desirable.
What is passed is passed, and we can't change it. However, we have a duty stand up for justness and fairness in the present. Using the past as an excuse diminishes our ability to do this.
To say we were abused and therefore the behaviour is justified, reflects doubly as badly on ourselves: (1) That we allowed ourselves to be abused in the first instance and (2) that we are not big enough people to rise above the abuse to behave in a responsible, just and fair manner.