Well, they told us- the great unwashed in flyover country- that once the Great Evil of white-minority governments was toppled, "All Manner O' t'ings will Be Well in the Land, Again..."
( to use and mangle a quote from "The Dark Tower" series of books )
But, surprise, surprise! When you throw out the rule of English-style law and replace it with strongman rule and tribalism, only the "group currently favored by those in power" has any rights. And the "group" is ever-changing, so nobody actually has rights.
Also, that elite you mentioned lobbied and propagandized furiously for the change; now that it's turned sour, they want to draw clear from the part they played, hoping no-one remembers their role...
...but we do-