Black, White and Coloured: Some Stuff About South Africa

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Coldfire and I went to South Africa on holiday, and I found it a truly amazing place. I would love to go back and was actually a little sad about leaving. What a beautiful, (mostly) friendly place. Tons to see, tons to do, gorgeous land, people and food.

However, one of the things that seemed to bring up a lot of discussion was skin colour. If you have a white and a black parent, you are coloured. And while the blacks generally got along with the white, they pretty much ignored the coloured. And the coloured generally got along with the whites, but seemed to disdain the blacks. Dating brings it to a whole new level of discussion. Very, very rarely, you would see a coloured or black girl with a white guy but never a black guy with a white girl.

Last night, my sister-in-law and I got into a discussion about what I would find offensive or not as a black American. Since I’m not black and now almost a Dutch citizen, the thought made me grin. But seriously, after South Africa, I kind of like the term “coloured.” I’m of mixed heritage and I like the term that sounds like I’m a rainbow collection of hues. It’s a bit on the offensive side to call someone “coloured” in America, but is perfectly normal in S.A. and doesn’t even mean the same thing.

Another interesting thing I found out was that it’s getting harder and harder for white people to get jobs in S.A. After talking with some of the white South Africans, the opinion I got is, with the current government and climate, unless you’re already established in a position or have a business of your own, forget it. The basic hiring rule is: blacks first, then coloured, then Indians and lastly whites. While it certainly isn’t Zimbabwe, I can see it turning that way if things don’t change. Not that I’m an expert on South Africa, nor can I say that this comes from any hard research, it just seems to be a growing opinion from the white South Africans I spoke with. If any South Africans read this, I’d be interested in getting your opinion, opposing or not.

Anyway, I found it an amazing, fascinating country and can’t wait to go back.

2

Coloured isn’t just “mixed” race in the one parent of each race sense. It’s anyone with mixed heritage which can mean going back several generations. Some Coloured people are also descended from the Cape Malay- the Malaysian cooks brought over by the Dutch-or the San people (Kalahari Bushmen).

As an aside, my mother is a white Zimbabwean.
My maternal grandfather was Jewish and his children inherited his dark skin and frizzy hair from him (yep, lovely jewfros). My mother found it difficult at university there in the 1970s, the coloured students thought she was a coloured girl trying to “pass” and were quite mean to her and some of the white students wouldn’t accept her either. She was denied service in restaurants and cafes sometimes because she was perceived as coloured.

3

True enough, irishgirl. I oversimplified. I’m not even straight black/white, but was trying to keep it easy. Thanks for the correction.

4

Ages ago, I met a South African white couple visiting Berlin.
They proudly noted that although whites earned most, and mulattoes earned more than blacks, blacks could now legally hold a job in white establishments.
I told them I thought they were about the most blatantly racist couple I had ever met in my life.
They were somewhat shocked that I would say that.
“You just don’t understand”, the husband said, “those animals should be happy we allow them into our community, let alone work for us.”

5

I’m a Coloured South African. A child of a White and a Black would not be Coloured IMO. “Mixed Race” yes, Coloured, no. It’s a culture (more strictly, a set of cultures), not just a skin colour descriptor.

Where in SA did you visit? What was the best bit? Did you make it to Cape Town?

Depending on where you go, you’ll see different proportions and kinds of multi-racial couples. I live in the hippest suburb in Cape Town, and Black guy/White girl couples are not unusual here. But elsewhere, yes, pretty rare. I think this’ll change a bit as the new generation (the “Born Frees” as they are called), raised in mixed schools, gets out there into the dating pool.

Most of my friends are White, and all of them have no problems getting work. Most of my friends are in IT, science or academia. I can understand this would be different for say bank tellers etc. I still see lots of White girls in retail. I think it’s a little harder for men, but not as bad as you think. Most of it is false expectation built up from previous generations that excessively privileged White men.

6

MrDibble, we started out in Cape Town, stayed for a few days and trekked through the country. We hit Mossel Bay, Durban, Kruger Park, Grahamstown, Pretoria, etc. and flew out of Jo’burg. We stayed (strayed) all over. I think my least favorite was Sun City, although I did get to see a crocodile chomp a live bird while we were there. I adored Mossel Bay and Phalaborwa. Cape Town was a lot of fun and gorgeous. The shanty towns depressed me, but in spite of the a lot of the ugly we saw, there was a lot more beauty.

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Yeah, close to the Mossel Bay area is where I always like to take my holidays(Wilderness/Knysna area, actually). And with you on Sun City, too. Tacky.