A united South Africa is not possible unless things drastically change. This is according to advocate Christine Qunta‚ speaking at the eThekwini municipality's social cohesion conference in Durban on Thursday morning.Qunta said the unequal economic and social power balance in the country – which leaves black Africans at a severe disadvantage compared to their white counterparts – present a major threat to social stability.She said there was “no community of interest” between black and white South Africans.“It is often thought social cohesion or the removal of racism is about individual changes of attitudes and minds. This is not the case. It is essentially a question of power. In turn‚ this determines the attitudes and actions of those who have it and those who don't.“Those that were previously oppressed are trying to unshackle themselves from the structural effects of such oppression‚ and those who benefitted from the oppression of the majority are trying to maintain the institutions that enabled their dominance. There is‚ in fact‚ a subterranean war raging which occasionally bursts out in the open‚” she said.This meant‚ Qunta said‚ that power – economically and socially – still rested in the hands of the white minority.And it was a power that was not easily relinquished.Qunta said that if white South Africa had‚ in the years following the 1994 election‚ truly embraced equality there would be no need for employment equity policies – and “nor would sports teams such as rugby and cricket remain predominantly white”.“This is the unpalatable truth about South Africa. The commitment to an equal‚ just society‚ which is the foundation of the Constitution‚ is not shared by all‚” she said.To begin to deal with the problem‚ Qunta suggested that government could “mainstream African culture” and begin to teach it at school level. Using indigenous languages at school – as well as including indigenous knowledge systems in the curriculum – would also make a huge difference. The other suggestion is to “accelerate corrective policies‚ and to do so unapologetically”.Closing her address‚ Qunta said: “The current levels of inherited inequality present a major risk to social stability.Social cohesion is not possible at present in a divided society such as South Africa. I do believe that in spite of a contested past and present‚ it is possible to create a different trajectory for the future.”The three-day conference will run at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban until Saturday. ..