Kaffir Boy Characters

Mark's journey from childhood to the beginning of college is a journey from fear and suffering to self-confidence and determination. When Kaffir Boy begins, Mark is three or four years old and live...

Mama is a fighter. No matter how hard life beats her down, she keeps working hard to give her children a better life. Though she is consistently undermined by her husband, she finds whatever jobs s...

Papa is the polar opposite of Mark, and in many ways these two characters can be considered foils of each other. Papa is committed to tradition and tribal ways of life. Although he resents aparthei...

Granny is a source of constant comfort and encouragement for Mark. When things get bad at home, her house is a refuge. She believes Mark has what it takes to succeed in the world, and her belief in...

Scaramouche is a mixed-race tennis player who becomes Mark's first tennis mentor and encourages him through the trials and tribulations of a secondary school tennis career.

Wilfred Horn is a German expatriate living in South Africa. He runs the Barretts Tennis Ranch. He welcomes Mark at the ranch and encourages Mark in his dreams of being a tennis star.

Andre is a white South African who went to college in the United States on a tennis scholarship and now runs a sports shop in South Africa.

Stan Smith is an American tennis player who helps Mark receive a tennis scholarship to a college in the U.S.