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In his autobiography, Kaffir Boy, Mark Mathabane demonstrates the hardships of growing up in the black ghetto of Alexandra in South Africa during the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout this book, we examine their daily struggles to survive under South Africa’s system of apartheid. Despite the frequent police raids, arrests, and scavenging for food, Mathabane shows us his determination and strength to excel in his education and to have a better life. The word kaffir comes from Arabic origin and means “infidel”. Used by most whites to refer to blacks, it is the equivalent of the term nigger. Members of the African Bantu-speaking peoples were often called “kaffirs”. In writing his autobiography, Mathabane’s goal was to give the audience a real life encounter of his experiences, and paint a picture for readers that would make them understand just how much suffering blacks went through during apartheid. He also shows us how one can be successful and survive if they stand up for what they believe and have the confidence in them to accomplish something in their lives. From the beginning to the end of his story, Mathabane discusses and depicts the terrible toll of apartheid on the lives of individuals. Apartheid develop