I was scared to tell people that I’m Zambian: Muvhango’s Vusi opens up on Xenophobia in South Africa

Raphael Griffiths who popularly known as Vusi, a role he played for five years on Muvhango has revealed that he was afraid to speak about his heritage because he was petrified of xenophobic South Africans.

” Yes, I am half Zambian. My dad is Zambian. He is from Kitwe. Some of my family is still there in Zambia. Some have married guys from Botswana, some are married to Namibians, and some are married to Zimbabweans, others to Malawians.

My great-grandma from my father side was originally Portuguese. She had a bit of Angolan descent. They moved to Zambia, and that’s how my grandma came about. She married a Zambian man, and that’s how my Dad came about. My Dad married a Zulu woman and that’s how I came about. I am an African. It’s a nice mix.”

Despite being proud of his ancestry and heritage, the multi-talented actor said that he was scared to tell people that he is half-Zambian because he did not feel comfortable with how some xenophobic South Africans treated foreigners.

Speaking in an interview with Kiki Nembhard Raphael said that he was unsure that he would still be welcomed and loved if he revealed that his father is Zambian. Vusi was afraid that xenophobic South Africans would say that he is one of the foreigners taking over the jobs meant for South Africans.