Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD)

in conjunction with Albinism Society of South Africa

(ASSA) conducted albinism awareness campaign in the

West Rand District Municipality, Randfontein on Friday.

The department saw the necessity of raising awareness

to dispel undue-myths on albinism. Some people hold

unfortunate beliefs that purport that people with

albinism don’t die, they simply vanish from the society.

In worst cases, albinism is ill-considered as punishment

or a curse from ancestors due to suspected wrong

doings in the family. These and many other vile and

unfounded beliefs have evoked interest to mobilize for

the protection and provisioning of services for people

with albinism. Testifying during the event was Mrs Maditaba Thabethe

from ASSA, said, “We are also human like any other

person and we deserve to live. When you kill me due to

the myths society have that killing a person like me you

get extra powers you are destroying the world, my

family loves me. The only difference is my skin, people

should know that I have an ability to do anything that any

person can do. I was born like any other person. Please

love us and we will do the same. I will appreciate when

people call me by my name not the colour of my skin

because I am Maditaba not pinky”.