It worked because most Malays of that time
had what my good friend Toyer referred to as 'a koesiester
mentality’ and being classified as Cape Malay
affirmed their belief that they were a little bit better
than blacks, Bushmen and Hottentots, or Khoi San to be peecee.
The classification
did not give them any special privileges.
Except if you were Indian.
Indians were not allowed to live in or own businesses in
coloured areas, so many Indians, using false affidavits
and petitions, had themselves reclassified as Cape Malays.
Technically Cape Malays were still coloured
in terms of the law, but that did not matter. They felt
better. They felt privileged.
The Indians on the other hand felt like
traitors, but they had better privileges and could make
more money. And that in turn made them feel better.
The problem for me was, probably because
of the 25% Scottish blood in my genes, I am fair-skinned
with green eyes and light brown hair.
The other 75% of my blood of course meant that I was definitely
not white, but it was impossible to convince blacks that
I wasn’t.
Other Coloureds, and by that I don’t mean other coloureds,
I mean Other Coloureds - did you know that there was
actually a group classified as Other Coloureds –
also seemed confused about my race.
They thought that I was white, and when I explained that
I was Cape Malay, they thought I was ‘from overseas.’
So I have had my fair share of being subjected
to racism from all angles.
White, Black, Indian, Coloured, Other Coloured and Cape
Malay. Although the latter was more of a religious issue.
I am still subjected to it.
If I complain that the black neighbour’s children
are unruly and noisy, I am racist.
If I ask the drunk white guy at the function to tone down
his abusive behaviour, I am racist.
And if I ask the coloured teenagers at the pool to stop
playing soccer over my body, I am racist or trying to be
white.
It’s a lose lose situation for me.
I should probably learn from the official
who stopped and fined John Dobson when he decided to ride
his mountain bike where he was not supposed to.
John was encouraged when he saw that there were three other
cyclists riding in front of him on the same path.
But the official did not stop them.
Instead, he let the first three cyclists pass and then stopped
John.
John is white and the official is white.
The first three cyclists were not white.
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When
pressed, the official explained ‘If I had
stopped and fined them they would have accused me
of being racist. I’ve had enough of that.’
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