Page 113 - The Mending Season

th irteenWe did not usually have assembly on Mondays, but the teach­ ers said that this one was urgent. I had read the Sowetan early in the morning, as Tihelo had come and left one at our doorstep.CATHOLIC SCHOOL GIRL CALLS BLACK GIRL “KAFFIR”I had gasped at the bold headline, the audacity of it. It seemed frightening that this was what the teachers and the principal would be reading. Hardly anyone at the school had said the word at all, none ofthe teachers had wanted to even hear that part of the story, and now the terrible word would be daring them to stare back and acknowledge it.Mmamane Malesedi had nodded at the headline and said, “Tihelo is the only person I would trust to tell this story well.” Malebone and Mabatho just looked at each other and shrugged, anxious to see what people would say.In the letters-to-the-editor section of the White paper, there was a whole discussion headed “Opening our schools to non-Whites”. Most letter-writers held the opinion that it was “just not time”, that “the country was not ready” and that “we shouldn’t create problems when our country’s future’s looking dim as it is”. The opinion that prevailed was that “if these people don’t teach their children manners, then our children are just not safe in multiracial schools”.The Black talk-radio stations spent Monday morning answering the radio presenter’s question, was it justified for the Black girl to slap the White girl? And was it right to send113