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- Politics
- IOL News
UWC study exposes bullying of refugee children in Cape Town schools
UWC study exposes bullying of refugee children in schools. Image: Freepik Congolese refugee children attending schools in Maitland and Parow face relentless bullying rooted in xenophobia, racism, and cultural differences, according to a recent study by UWC Master's student, Adelina Nakatya Ntagerwa. For Ntagerwa's MA thesis, she interviewed 20 parents of adolescent refugees from the war-torn Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which revealed harrowing accounts of verbal abuse, physical violence, and systemic neglect at these schools. The interviews took place amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and a protest by mostly Congolese refugees who were demanding to be repatriated to Canada, Australia and other Western countries. Many Congolese families fled the DRC's Kivu region, an area devastated by decades of conflict, only to find their children subjected to bullying in South African classrooms, according to Ntagerwa. In her interviews, parents reported that their children were frequently called derogatory names like "makwerekwere" and "black boy", highlighting the racial and xenophobic undertones of the abuse. One mother, Sakina, shared how her son was ostracised and physically assaulted by peers who mocked his accent and nationality. "They push him, swear at him, and tell him he doesn't belong here," she said. Another parent, Adelaide, recounted how her daughter was called "swart" (black in Afrikaans), a term hurled with such malice that the girl begged to change schools. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading UWC's Varsity Shield rugby captain Romauld Nsombamanya, 24, who was born in the DRC, although not from Kivu, echoed Ntagerwa's findings, describing his primary school experience as 'quite hard, quite intense'. 'I've been in South Africa since 2011, but I only started school in 2013 at Pinedene Primary in Ravensmead. My primary school experience, I would say, was quite hard because I had numerous (varied) experiences. I was the new kid in school, just trying to fit in. South African kids were very reluctant to accept me,' said Nsombamanya. While the welcome he got at the school was not the greatest, one teacher, Ms McKay, showed great kindness to bridge the language barrier. 'She would take her own time to sit with me for two hours to make English cue cards to learn certain words. It just so happens that she was my English teacher, and it really helped me to develop,' says Nsombamanya. One instance of bullying he encountered at the school was with one of his fellow pupils who teased him about his bad stutter. 'I ignored him until he started spitting in my face. I walked away, and then he came and slapped me from the back, and then I retaliated, which caused a fight. A prefect then came and held me for the other kid to beat me,' said Nsombamanya. He ended up being punished by the principal despite explaining the violent provocation he had endured. The bullying continued at Florida High School, where most of the pupils from his primary school were enrolled. At high school, Nsombamanya became a loner, but this changed when his older cousin from the DRC joined him, and he learned to assert himself. In her research, Ntagerwa found that bullying often escalates into physical violence. A participant called Rodrigue shared that his daughter was taunted for her long name and Congolese heritage, while Imani's son was beaten by classmates who told him to "go back to Congo" after he outperformed them academically. In one tragic case, a child, overwhelmed by relentless bullying over his old clothing, committed suicide. His mother, Mateso, discovered too late that he had left a note detailing his torment. Teachers and school staff are sometimes complicit. A Xhosa-speaking teacher refused to translate lessons for a Congolese student, telling her: "This is not your country; go find someone who speaks your language." Another parent, Shabani, described how a school administrator publicly shamed his daughter for unpaid fees, humiliating her in front of classmates. Beyond peer bullying, systemic issues exacerbate the trauma. Refugee children are often placed in grades below their age level, making them targets for ridicule. Christiane's daughter, once in Grade 10 in the DRC, was demoted to Grade 8 in Cape Town and mocked as an "eagle" for her height and age. Extracurricular activities, a potential refuge, are also marred by discrimination. Several parents reported their children being barred from sports competitions or cultural events due to their refugee status. "They used my son to win athletics matches but disqualified him from finals because of his Congolese birth certificate," Imani said. Despite the hostility, some children find solace in friendships with peers who share similar backgrounds or empathetic teachers. Ayale's daughter thrived after a teacher provided extra books to improve her English, while Riziki's son found protection in a group of friends who stood up to his bullies. Parents who were interviewed urged schools to enforce anti-bullying policies consistently and provide language support for refugee students. They also demanded sensitivity training for educators to address xenophobia and racism. The study underscores the urgent need for inclusive policies to protect refugee children, whose resilience is tested daily. As one parent poignantly noted, "We came here for safety, but our children are fighting another war - this time in the classroom." Cape Times
The Herald
30-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
Will it be third time lucky for the Madibaz?
Besides the obvious prize of top-tier rugby in 2026 for Mandela University, the coach also sees it as an opportunity to get a team from his province back into the cup. To do that, they will need to upstage UJ in terms of physicality, intensity and speed. 'This is a Varsity Cup team; they are big men and strong in the set piece with a powerful maul. They are used to the intense pressure of the game at that level,' he said. Manuel said the Joburg side also had several young players who thrived in the chaos produced by playing at pace. 'They don't mind taking quick taps and taking on their opponents in broken play.' The Madibaz lost to Varsity College in the Shield final on April 11 and have spent the intervening time on recovery and preparation. While mildly disappointed with the result, Manuel stressed how proud he was of the squad's growth this season after the departure of 10 senior players at the end of last year. 'That sort of contingent makes up the spine of the team, so these young players had to stand up and fill those gaps,' the coach said. 'They weren't ready for the first game (which they also lost to Varsity College) but as the season progressed, they grew immensely.' Thorough preparation and each player's understanding of his job within the team are key to his coaching strategy. 'These guys latched on to those lessons and kept growing throughout the season, so I'm massively impressed.' Seven wins from nine matches — including big victories over powerhouse teams UWC (twice) and CPUT — speak volumes in this regard. Manuel acknowledged the contribution by skipper and No 8 Leon van der Merwe, who was named the 'Player that Rocks' three times. 'He has been our man of steel and epitomises the type of player we want to produce through our elite rugby programme,' the coach said of their inspirational leader whose Varsity Shield career will, win or lose, draw to a close next week. 'Leon has been such a great leader. 'He doesn't speak a lot but knows when to say something. 'His tenacity and consistency, whether we are up or down, has never faded. 'He has been such an example of how to balance semi-pro rugby with academics. 'I definitely believe he can go places.' Kickoff is at 11am.
