Chinese Request To Be Racially Reclassified 8
If there’s one thing I wish the ANC government had not done when it came into power was to persist the system of racial classification, even if they had good intentions in order to redress imbalances in our society. If they did so we wouldn’t have stories like this:
Chinese fight to be blackAfter years of waging a low-key campaign to be recognised as black under South Africa’s laws of redress, local Chinese are squaring up to the government in the High Court.
The Chinese Association of South Africa (Casa) wants to seek a declaratory order for South African Chinese to be treated as coloured and benefit from the Employment Equity Act and the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act.
Failing that, they will ask the court to declare the definition of “black” in the two laws unconstitutional because it excludes local Chinese.
The government has been deeply reluctant to clarify whether the Chinese are included in the definition of “black”- African, coloured and Indian -under the legislation.
I hope they win, as a victory on their part will do quite a bit to weaken the current laws about racial classifcation and economic empowerment.
“Weaken” the current laws? How so?
Well if Chinese are reclassified as black then I think it’ll be a bit of a slippery slope and every single ethnic group who might have been discriminated against by the Apartheid era government will be flooding the courts with applications to be reclassified.
are we all just one race… human?
Please do not comment unless you have experienced what it was like to live in South Africa years back, and you were Chinese. We could not vote, attend white government schools, live in white areas, marry white people etc etc….so please, if you don;t know the truth, educate yourself, learn the truth and then add your comments.
Well, I for one have experienced what it was like to live in South Africa years back, as a white immigrant kid. I could not vote, had to attend a white government school (JHB Girls High, which didn’t even offer maths for matric), lived in a white area that was very far removed from the “leafy suburbs”, and couldn’t marry a Chinese person. Coming from Germany, I found the South African whites I met an oppressed, un-free lot, who had to be careful what they did and said. The truly “advantaged” were a select few. Just like nowadays.
Meet the new Baas , same as old Baas :(
White baas, Black baas, English baas, Boer baas, work baas, bank baas… all thieving, self seeking baastards in my view.
Good one Hex.
My experience as an immigrant to SA was that my professional qualifications were not recognised, which meant being paid at the lowest possible salar. I could not get a permanent job until I passed Afrikaans lower, promotion until I passed Afrikaans higher, or vote until I applied for SA citizenship – which also required fluency in Afrikaans and a lengthy residence. Top posts were reserved for Afrikaans speaking nats.
However, unlike Null, I could live where I could afford to buy, and – plus of plusses! – marry a Boeremeisie.
Null – I understand where you are coming from, but suggest that you be careful of what you wish for. I think there is a lesson to be learned from the sad position of most of our Coloured citizens – too black under the Nats and too white under the ANC.
Furthermore, I doubt whether being reclassified will result in Chinese people getting a landslide of BEE opportunities.
Remember job reservation? It is still around, and more elitist than ever before.