Don Mattera was born in 1935 in Western Native Township, an area in the west of Johannesburg that was bulldozed by the Apartheid government – it became the whites-only suburb of Westdene. He grew up in Sophiatown. His heritage is a good example of the mixing that was possible in such a place. His grandfather was Italian, his father was Coloured and his mother was African. Sophiatown was a place where this kind of diversity could become a reality. This is one of the reasons it was so hated by the Apartheid Government. As a teenager he was involved in gangs. However, later in life he became an activist and poet. This extract is from his autobiography, Memory is the Weapon. In it he describes the effects of the Population Registration Act, one of the foundations of Apartheid. This law classified everyone into one of four racial groups, often splitting up families. While race is often thought of as a natural fact of life, this shows how they were constructed, and Mattera himself is an example of someone who did not fit neatly into one category or the other – his real heritage of Italian, Tswana and Khoisan was far too diverse for Apartheid.

Be aware that there is some racist language in this story. Most of it is spoken by a white policeman, but there is also some directed at Africans by a Coloured character. At the same time, Mattera stresses that he is proud of his African heritage. While you read, try to think what might have made someone hold racist attitudes towards someone else when both of them were oppressed.