Two Ghanaian children born in South Africa have shared the daily abuse they say they face because of their nationality, saying they want to return to Ghana.
The siblings, whose identities were concealed for safety, spoke about their experiences in an interview with Channel One TV on June 26, 2026.
The young boy said he is constantly bullied by classmates, who call him “amakwerekwere”, a derogatory term used in South Africa to refer to Black African immigrants.
“Sometimes, they tell me that I look ugly, and they also call us foreigners, ‘amakwerekwere’… They also call us very bad, bad, bad words.
“I want to come to Ghana to learn new things and see what is happening there, learn our language there, and know the food there too,” he said.
He added that both he and his sister face constant harassment at school.
“They just bully us every day. Even my sister here says they bully her every day, they roast her, they say silly words to her, and it was not nice. I was feeling bad in my heart,” he added.
His sister also alleged that she has been mistreated by one of her teachers.
“Always in my class, my teacher calls me ‘amakwerekwere’… blames me that I have done something wrong, but I don’t. And she calls my classmate to (sic) my head, and I don’t know why.
“My classmates laugh at me for nothing… When my father comes over, she acts like nothing happens. I don’t know what is wrong with her,” she said.
The children’s faces, as well as their father’s, were blurred during the interview to protect their identities.
According to the family, they are working to secure the necessary documents to return to Ghana.
Watch the video:
“We want to come back to Ghana.”
WATCH: Children born to Ghanaian parents living in South Africa emotionally share their painful experiences in school, opening up about the discrimination and challenges they face from both students and teachers.
They made the appeal on… pic.twitter.com/uFRk4ybDF7
— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) June 26, 2026

