Mysterious letter: Non-whites must move out of Sophiatown
SOPHIATOWN – The letter states that those who do not move will face the wrath of the SCP and the resident whose address has been used in the letter.
The Sophiatown Community Patrol (SCP) has released a stern statement, stating they had no hand in a racist letter doing the rounds in the community.
“We would like to warn all of you that we whites don’t want K****r, K****lie and B*****n in our area…” are the first words of the controversial letter that has left Sophiatown residents dazed.
The bemusing letter continues to make racist statements that may incite violence – stating that the SCP and a pastor residing in Sophiatown want all families and residents that are non-white to immediately move out of Sophiatown or face the wrath of the SCP and the resident.
“The SCP as well as the residents concerned would like to distance ourselves from this blatant attempt to shut down the SCP and tarnish our names as well as the names of the residents concerned,” said SCP chairperson Dauw Steyn.
“We condemn such racist behaviour and we can assure everyone that we will not rest until the culprits are brought to book,” said Steyn.
Steyn added that SCP is a multi-racial patrol group with one purpose – making Sophiatown a safer place.
According to Pastor Johan Pelzer (implicated as the writer of the letter), 17 copies of this letter have been recovered thus far.
The letter is sent to resident’s homes via post.
“I don’t know why someone would do that. This morning there were people who wanted to throw petrol bombs into my house. My wife and I are scared to sleep,” said Pastor Pelzer denying writing the letter.
Pelzer is a pastor of a multi-racial church in Newlands that feeds about 150 people of mixed race through its feeding scheme.
“The reality is I am in danger and can be assassinated at any time for something I didn’t do. Why me,” he said.
Sophiatown was originally built as a whites-only neighbourhood. By 1920 most of the white residents had moved out as the area became less attractive when the City of Johannesburg established a sewage plant nearby.
Sophiatown was left as a uniquely multi-cultural community; so much so that a common language called ‘Tsotsitaal’ developed there.
Heritage practitioner Mbali Zwane previously said Sophiatown was the cultural hub of a burgeoning artistic scene, giving it the status of “the Chicago of South Africa”.
As a result of the apartheid regime’s forced removals , the area was renamed Triomf.
“The apartheid government’s aim was to divide the people of Sophiatown because here, people used to see each other as just human beings. Not Zulu’s, not Xhosa’s, not Indian – just human beings,” remarked Zwane.
When the apartheid regime ended, the City of Johannesburg decided to revert the name change and reinstate some of Sophiatown’s cultural pride.
