Real questions about apartheid

Recently, I have been watching more and more documentaries and YouTube videos about apartheid, and it made me realise just how little I actually know about the real experiences people had. I was born in the 2000s in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town, which is really not a reflection of what South Africa should look like, IYKYK, and as I have been growing older, I have realised just what a bubble the Northern Suburbs are.

So back to my recent deep dives into our history. From many interviews I have watched where non-white people are asked "How was life during apartheid?" the response is often not always so negative, and some people even say stuff like "Well, some Afrikaners specifically were actually very friendly to us". This all confuses me so, so much. I have also previously spoken to someone who was born in Soweto in the 60s, and I asked her to be brutally honest with me, and not give me a certain response just because I am white, and yet it went along the lines of "Sho, it was really tough, and I couldn't do this and that, but..." and it's always the "buts" that confuse me.

Now for my question:

Whether you are black, brown, asian or white, tell me about your REAL life during apartheid. What was your day-to-day like? What happened when you were younger that made you realise Apartheid was a thing? What's one thing that is impossible to forget? I don't want to hear the facts that everyone talks about all the time; I would love to hear real, personal experiences you had.

Have a lekker day further everyone!