Facebook Share Twitter Share
It is not a book club, a yoga club or a theatre
club, but about 100 South African wives rely
on their own social group to meet and share
their experience of prejudice for being married
to foreigners.
They say that having Nigerian husbands
exposes them to daily discrimination, and that
they had long predicted the wave of deadly
xenophobic violence that has shaken South
Africa in recent weeks.
The United Nigerian Wives in South Africa
(UNWISA) club was set up two years ago to
support wives who tell of being shunned by
family and friends for falling in love with
Africans from outside South Africa.
The group’s existence underscores the deep-
rooted tensions that erupted anew in
Johannesburg and Durban this month when
mobs of South African men hunted down
immigrants, attacking them and destroying
their homes and businesses.
At least seven people have been killed in the
unrest, and thousands of immigrants — mainly
from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Mozambique and
elsewhere in Africa — were forced to flee their
homes and seek safety in makeshift camps.
“We saw this thing coming and that’s why we
formed this association,” UNWISA chairwoman
Lindwela Uche, 42, told AFP.
“If only they (the authorities) had listened to
us… they would have known that there’s a fire
burning slowly and they would have seen how
to tackle it.”
The group has 100 members on its Facebook
forum and also organises picnics, family
soccer tournaments and demonstrations
against the stigma they endure.
“Being married to a foreigner is very
challenging,” Lufuno Orji, a Johannesburg
resources consultant whose husband is a
Nigerian medical doctor, told AFP.
“You often spend your time defending yourself
and then you defend your foreign husband for
being himself.”
Attitudes “are negative everywhere we go,”
said Thelma Okoro, 37, adding that even
wearing traditional Nigerian dress on the
street can attract barbed comments.
– Paying a high price –
Daily life for the wives, their husbands and
their children includes battling criticism from
neighbours, schools, government officials,
health workers, taxi drivers and even the
police.
Last year Uche’s 13-year-old daughter
returned from school complaining that her
teacher had told her “not to bring that
Nigerian mentality here” after she and
classmates were noisy in class.
“We need to be protected, we need our
children to be protected… and our husbands to
be treated with dignity,” said Uche, who has
been married to her husband Cajethan Dennis
for 17 years.
Okoro’s eight-year-old daughter gets mocked
by schoolmates over her name “Ngozi” which
means “blessing” in Igbo but literally
translates to “danger” in Zulu.
For Orji, her decision to marry Ogbonnaya has
cost her dearly.
“Just before I got wed to my husband, I lost
two very best friends of mine. They thought I
was out of my mind,” said Orji, who adds that
her own family though were “ecstatic” at her
choice of husband.
Some of UNWISA members have kept their
maiden names because their husbands’ name
attract galling remarks.
Okoro, who has been married to Kenneth for
13 years, says she was told off by an official
when she tried to apply for free government-
issued houses in 2011.
“They told me that I was not entitled because
I am married to a foreigner, and that if I
wanted a house I must divorce the man first,”
she said.
She also cited taking her sick children to
hospital, where “the nurses ask ‘why are you
giving these people residence papers’ —
degrading and discrediting our choices”.
The wives’ club is now looking to widen its
reach to South African women married to other
foreign nationals after the recent anti-
immigrant attacks highlighted many other
women going through similar experiences.
One victim, Nokuthula Mabaso, last week told
local media she was threatened with rape for
dating her Zimbabwean boyfriend Elias
Chauke.
“A group of Zulu-speaking men arrived and
kicked down the door,” she said.
“They asked me why I dated a foreigner when
there were many South African men in the
squatter camp and I replied that I love Elias.
They then assaulted and robbed me.
“One of them threatened to rape us and was
stopped by others.”
The South African government has vowed to
tackle xenophobic attacks, while human rights
lawyers say women who are unfairly
discriminated against should consider legal
action.
“Marriage does not infringe your citizenship as
a South African,” said Trish Erasmus, of the
Pretoria-based Lawyers for Human Rights.
SHARE ON

..

South Africans are sick. Imagine discriminating against your own citizen only because she's married to a foreigner. The funny thing is this also happens in Nigeria. Ladies who marry men outside their tribe are also victimized.

Op why not include where you copied it from

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/having-nigerian-husbands-exposes-us-to-daily-discrimination-wives/



This shows that SA are just pure evil
So, its now a crime to marry your fellow Africans
If these guys where whites.... Their racist chats and behavior would have stinks to high heavens

This is serious. Even South African women married to non South Africans are not exempted from these madness.

I am not author of the article or did say that

Most male SA'ns re so backward in thinking. Who knows if they think through their a$s

Discrimination for marrying a foreigner, they do same here in Nigeria though subtly.
But for SA it is born of massed envy and hatred.

prettyrosiemua:
South Africans are sick. Imagine discriminating against your own citizen only because she's married to a foreigner. The funny thing is this also happens in Nigeria. Ladies who marry men outside their tribe are also victimized.

Victimized by family is understandable, not by government officials

prettyrosiemua:
South Africans are sick. Imagine discriminating against your own citizen only because she's married to a foreigner. The funny thing is this also happens in Nigeria. Ladies who marry men outside their tribe are also victimized.

The degree of division in almost every fabric of society is the major problem facing the world since time immemorial.
When whites fight against blacks, blacks against whites, whites against whites, blacks against blacks, religions against one another, jews against arabs, the cycle of violence and hate continues.

Anyi3:


Victimized by family is understandable, not by government officials

Its all the same thing. Whether by families, the community or even the government. A lady shouldn't be discriminated against because of her choice in marriage.

prettyrosiemua:
South Africans are sick. Imagine discriminating against your own citizen only because she's married to a foreigner. The funny thing is this also happens in Nigeria. Ladies who marry men outside their tribe are also victimized.

In Nigeria, It's either the parents of your spouse accept you to marry their child or not. We don't deny anyone from government benefits and rights as citizens just because they are married to different tribes or condole violent act or attack couples with weapons. There's a difference.

Jeez this is really disheartening. Terrible people everywhere.

prettyrosiemua:
Its all the same thing. Whether by families, the community or even the government. A lady shouldn't be discriminated against because of her choice in marriage.

Victimised by family is a very bad thing. We're humans we tend to do this though. Not saying it's good but a lesser evil practised all over the world.

Next case,
Victimised to the point government officials start treating you like a non citizen and denying you benefits is not just bad, it's devilish.

Anyi3:


Victimised by family is a very bad thing. We're humans we tend to do this though. Not saying it's good but a lesser evil practised all over the world.

Next case,
Victimised to the point government officials start treating you like a non citizen and denying you benefits is not just bad, it's devilish.

I get your point.