Mathabane's parents, and indeed Mathabane himself, regularly argue

over religion. Mathabane's father strongly adheres to the old tribal

religion, consulting witch doctors as a way of dealing with what he sees
as the curse affecting his family. As for Mathabane's mother, she's a
deeply devout Christian, which naturally puts her at odds with her
husband, due to his attachment to what she sees as barbaric pagan
practices.

As well as all the other struggles he has to undergo on a daily basis,

Mathabane finds himself caught in the middle of this seemingly never-
ending conflict. On the one hand, he cannot and will not participate in the
traditional coming-of-age tribal ritual that is so very important to his
father. On the other, he feels unable to subscribe to his mother's
Christianity, especially not in the face of so much suffering and
repression for black South Africans under apartheid.

In rejecting both his parents' religious worldviews, Mathabane is showing

his impatience with authority of any kind. He wants to strike out on his
own, to do his own thing, and to make his own way in the world free from
what he sees as the rival superstitions of traditional African folk belief
and Christianity.

Mathabane does not want to go to school in part because he has been

exposed to the wild boys running in the streets. They teach him that it is
far better to scrounge for money, food, and other desirable things than to
attend school. He has been influenced by these boys and thinks that the
life of the streets is superior to the life of education.

In addition, Mathabane has been exposed to cruel white authority

figures, such as the police who raid his house and of whom his parents
are frightened. He has seen that these figures can harm him and his
family and have the right to arrest his parents for not having the right
passes. Therefore, Mathabane associates anything official with fear,
humiliation, harm, and prejudice, and he is not likely to trust his teachers
or the administrators of the school. In addition, Mathabane is unfamiliar
with the ways of the school and what education means. He has not been
around many people who have benefited from having a formal
education, so he is not aware of its benefits. He also has not been
exposed to much formal learning, so he is not yet confident in himself as
a student and does not realize how much he will eventually like to learn
and how much his education will help him.

What is the central conflict in Kaffir Boy?

. Predominantly, the main sources of conflict are external, as Mark has

to battle against the ruthless and unyielding poverty that his family face
whilst also at the same time trying to battle with the customs and beliefs
of his father. Note how the desperate poverty that Mark and his family
face is referred to in the book:

Even though Mark's father is abusive and drunken when he is at home,

his presence does mean that he is able to work and satisfy the most
basic needs of his family. Without him, whilst he is in jail, Mark and his
siblings have nothing to do except starve. Thus the biggest conflict that
is present in this novel is the simple struggle for existence. Note however
that this quote also references the conflict that Mark has with his father
that concerns his father's tribal beliefs that he tries to force his son to
carry out. His father is suspicious of anything to do with white South
Africa, whether that is religion or education, and this conflict increases as
the text progresses and Mark becomes more and more focused on
education as a means of escaping his desperate poverty.