What Race Are Children Whose Father Is Black and the Mother Is Coloured in South Africa?

As far as the legal and social structures in South Africa are concerned, the question of racial identity for children with a black father and a coloured mother remains a complex, often avoided, topic. Despite the legal relevance of race for employment equity and related policies, the answer to this question is convoluted and often controversial.

Legal Interpretations

Legally, the determination of race in South Africa is still influenced by the norms and classifications established during the apartheid era. According to the Employment Equity Act, individuals are categorized based on the racial categories they would fall under during apartheid. This leads to an interesting scenario where the child of a black father and a coloured mother could be classified as coloured. However, this classification doesn’t align with biological or cultural realities.

Under this interpretation, a child might be of a different race from both parents, which makes biological sense but has no bearing on cultural or societal context. Alternatively, the law could be interpreted practically, where individuals are free to self-identify their race based on self-reporting norms. In this scenario, the individual could either be classified as coloured or black, based on their own preference and self-definition.

I personally favor the latter approach, as it aligns with the idea of race as a cultural and social construct, rather than a rigid, biological categorization. However, this approach also leaves much room for contestation and debate.

Note: To date, there haven’t been any court rulings on this specific issue. This absence of rulings is possibly due to the sensitivity and complexity of the topic, which many prefer to avoid.

Understanding the Coloured Community

The term "coloured" in South Africa is less about ethnicity and more about a descriptive category reflecting a mixed cultural background. This community primarily uses Afrikaans, a language derived from Dutch, as their common language.

Being classified as coloured can be a complex and sometimes fluid concept, influenced by a range of factors. There are instances where relatives have changed their racial identity based on skin tone, hair texture, or eye color during the apartheid era. At that time, the apartheid government often used pseudoscientific methods like the “Pencil Test” to classify races. Those who passed this test would often adopt Afrikaans surnames derived from their original native names. For instance, someone from the Setlhare family might change their surname to Boom (which means tree in Afrikaans).

People who changed their racial classification in this manner often disavowed their heritage in favor of a more socially advantageous identity. This shift was influenced by the socio-political hierarchy of South Africa, where whiteness was at the top, followed by coloured, Indian, and black at the bottom. Consequently, moving from black to coloured could mean moving up the social ladder.

Patriarchal Socio-Cultural Structures

South African society is primarily patriarchal, with lineage and identity often defaulting to the father. This structure also influences the naming and cultural identity of children. Lighter-skinned individuals might be labeled with adjectival names indicating a more 'coloured' identity, such as "Yellow Bones." Conversely, darker-skinned children are simply referred to as black.

These labels not only reflect the cultural and social contexts but also contribute to the complex and often contentious nature of racial classification in South Africa. The fluidity and social construction of racial identity underscore the need for nuanced understanding and dialogue around these issues.