The cultures and colours of the rainbow nation not mixing well

BURGERSFORT – With Steelburger/Lydenburg News focusing on the issue of racism during Anti-Racism Week, the newspaper felt it would be fair to also look at discrimination and xenophobia in and around Tubatse.

After previously publishing an article in which a local father suffering from achondroplasia (dwarfism) pleaded with Tubatse dwellers to stop discriminating against short-statured people, Steelburger/Lydenburg News contacted Jeffrey Shai (63) from Sehunyane to confirm if he was still subjected to a lot of criticism.

“We are still targets; people’s attitudes to me in public can be pretty cruel. Some are okay, but you get the odd idiot who will make fun of you and start laughing at you. I can play soccer even though I am old. I can also do a somersault better than some teenage boys.” Shai added that sometimes he is sworn at by people, all because he is short. “I am still a person, I am clever, educated and can do anything for myself,” the father of three said.

Another group of people who were previously subjected to discrimination seemed to be albinos. Sandra Maroga from Ga-Motodi, a woman who suffers from albinism, said during the early ’90s locals were negative towards albinos. “These days the situation has improved as most people have now changed their bad treatment towards us.” Maroga previously alleged that she was denied a position she qualified for because of her skin colour.

The paper interviewed a few foreigners who are legally and illegally in Burgersfort. One of them, Godknows Malenge from Harare, said he never experienced much hatred in the town but there were few people who teased them about their dark skin colour and accent. “A few also hinted that we are stealing their jobs and girlfriends.”