When I'm in Africa I get a little weary of being singled out by beggars. They are usually men in their twenties or thirties who think I'll feel sorry for them and give them money. Sometimes, when in a shopping area I am approached by men who tell me they have no money and ask me to give them a few rand. I either ignore the beggar or just flatly decline and turned away. These people probably have about the same amount of money as everyone else, they just think they might find a sympathetic white woman to enrich them.
Alweet and I were in the ShopRite in Malamulele the other day and as we exited I handed over my receipt to the guard at the door and opened my shopping bag so he could verify that I was not a shoplifter. I wished him a good afternoon and had gone just a few steps when a stranger asked me for money. I told him no and said to go away. That was the first time Alweet had actually seen the begging happen. In the car driving back to Mabiligwe I told him that the next time someone begged I was going to deal with it differently.
Fast forward slightly, Alweet and I are in the Saselamani ShopRite this time and as I'm cooling myself off in front of the wilting lettuce in the refrigerator section a short-ish, little bit unkempt man approaches me. He takes his hat off and literally "hat in hand" tells me he doesn't have any money and would I be so kind as to give a few rand. I narrow my eyes and as why he's asking me for money. When he doesn't answer, I ask why he doesn't ask the guy standing near the racks of bread for money. The man says, "That guy doesn't have any money". "Oh, okay", so I take him by the arm to a different man and ask that man if he will give the beggar some money; and of course, he won't. So, still holding the guy's sleeve, I lead him to a woman who looks to be in her mid-thirties who is eyeing a tube of baloney. In South Africa they call it Paloney; either way, it's a disgusting bright pink lump of reconstituted meat. "Excuse me, mum", I say, "this man needs money. Will you please give him some?" She looks at me like I'm a crazy woman so I repeat the question. She looks back and forth between me and the man, who by now is really starting to wonder what is going to happen, and with a small smile she shakes her head and says no. I thank her and turn back to the beggar, who by now is convinced that I'm a crazy woman and rues his decision to approach me. "So, there you have it! Nobody, black or white, is going to give you any money. Now what are you going to do?" As the guy turns toward the door, another man, who has observed the entire exchange laughs and says, "You have bad luck today, brother!" Meanwhile, Alweet was so busy choosing a tea kettle (they only sell one kind) that he missed the whole funny event, darn it!
