Oupa Saga Continued

Last week my family tricked Oupa into going to church so they could pray for his behavior to improve. Hilarious....

Drunkeness

Last night Khutso's mom came over. Why she was here; I'm unsure. Khutso was off visiting his Granny so she wasn't here to check up on him. Regardless, she came in the house smelling fermented, as she always does, in her constant intoxicated state. As always, she came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder and began greeting me in the over zealous way that drunken people frequently do. I, especially after the last time I saw her while she was beating Khutso, felt no patience for her antics. In response to her slobbering personality, I removed her hand from my shoulder and told her not to touch me. In response, she slapped me across the arm. Mapula saw her as it happened and removed her from the room while I recovered from my shock. Later, she returned and apologized while I told her I didn't want to talk to her; she was drunk. Thus, she told me to "fuck off" in Afrikaans.

One of the things that really bothered me about the whole situation was Mapula and her telling me not to worry about the whole thing; Khutso's mom was drunk. Perhaps that attitude is why so many atrosities go unpunished here; there seems to always be an excuse why we don't hold people accountable for the behavior.

Domestic Abuse

Last week I was having my hair braided in the front yard when Mothopi's father began beating his wife in the path in front of the house. At least ten people must have witnessed the event and for a good 3 minutes no one did anything but watch as he ripped her shirt and continually slapped her. Eventually, my host mom and dad yelled a few things, and after he got in a few more punches, he stopped and walked away leaving her sobbing on the ground.

She then got up and came into our yard where she sat down and everyone else basically ignored her for twenty minutes: no comforting her, no calling the police, etc. Eventually, when people decided she was no longer "tainted" they questioned her. She told them that she had wanted to go and visit her auntie but he wouldn't let her because he was having an affair with the woman next door to her auntie and didn't want his wife to confront her.

Later I asked Mapula why no one had done anything and she said it was because they were married so it wasn't anyone else's business.