Johannesburg — Every child knows what Santa Claus "familiarly known as Father Christmas " looks like. White, with a long white beard, wearing a red-and-white suit and sporting a large, round stomach.

The Santa Claus at Southgate Mall does wear a red-and-white suit, but otherwise he's tall, young, thin, beardless" and white. The children clustering around and paying R20 for their photographs with him are all black " not surprising as the mall services Soweto. Since it opened a decade ago Southgate has never had a black Father Christmas.

When Bing Crosby famously sang that he was "dreaming of a white Christmas" he might as well have been dreaming of South Africa, judging from the pigmentation of the local Father Christmases.

In a survey of 10 shopping malls this week the Mail & Guardian discovered only one black Santa, no females and enough reactionary justification to give a constitutional judge apoplexy, whatever their sexual or racial orientation.

Although some shops in Southgate Mall claim they have unsuccessfully tried to find a black Santa, a management representative, Phili Mtshali, confesses that the mall has never considered a black or female Santa. Father Christmases are usually recruited from old age homes.

"Christmas is a white notion and blacks cannot claim ownership of everything," says Mtshali, adding that children do not see colour and are comfortable with a white, male Santa. "We cannot instill blackness in everything and Santa is a father figure for kids."

A glance at the black fathers shopping in the malls reveals a definite absence of long, white beards, white skin and red-and-white suits.

But Mtshali's sentiments are shared by Jonathan Ndebele, a manager at Sandton City, who says: "A black Father Christmas would not be as attractive as the white one."

Ndebele says a female Santa would not have the beard, and children associate Santa with the beard.

Partly agreeing with her colleague, Nikki Nel, marketing manager of Sandton City, admits: "When I think of Santa, the first thing that comes to my mind is an old, white, loving and caring man with a big beard."

But Nel disagrees that children will reject a black or female Santa. "Anyone who has love and care for kids can make a good Santa, and I would definitely hire such a person, regardless of their colour or sex."

A Sandton City shopper, William Kgopane, says he would like to see more black and female Santas to emphasise the family spirit that should surround the festive season. "Christmas is a time for sharing, it is a time for the family to come together."

Kgopane suggested that it would be best if malls had two Santas, of different race groups and sexes, "to represent a family".

Most of the children spotted being photographed with Father Christmas in his different incarnations appeared to be crying rather than enjoying the experience.

Robert Ngobeni, a 76-year-old man from Diepkloof, who is working at Wimpy in Park Station, Johannesburg, said: "I don't have any problems with the kids, they are afraid of my beard, but I give them sweets and they become happy."

He says children do not know if Santa is black or white " "all they know is that he gives them sweets and presents".