In South Africa, Chinese Is the New Black
A high court in South Africa ruled on Wednesday that Chinese-South Africans will be reclassified as “black,” a term that includes black Africans, Indians and others who were subject to discrimination under apartheid. As a result of this ruling, ethnically Chinese citizens will be able to benefit from government affirmative action policies aimed at undoing the effects of apartheid.
In 2006, the Chinese Association of South Africa sued the government, claiming that its members were being discriminated against because they were being treated as whites and thus failed to qualify for business contracts and job promotions reserved for victims of apartheid. The association successfully argued that, since Chinese-South Africans had been treated unequally under apartheid, they should be reclassified in order to redress wrongs of the past.
{snip}
After apartheid ended in the early 1990s, the legal status of Chinese has remained in a gray area, though they’ve generally been lumped together with whites and denied the post-apartheid benefits available to other non-white groups.
South Africa has seen waves of immigrants and investment from China since 1994, and today there are as many as 300,000 Chinese living in the South Africa. But the new court decision is unlikely to benefit most of them or trigger another mass migration—it applies only to those Chinese who were South African citizens before 1994 (and their descendants), a much smaller number of around 10,000 to 12,000.
(Posted on June 19, 2008)
Comments
South Africa has seen waves of immigrants and investment from China since 1994, and today there are as many as 300,000 Chinese living in the South Africa. But the new court decision is unlikely to benefit most of them or trigger another mass migration—it applies only to those Chinese who were South African citizens before 1994 (and their descendants), a much smaller number of around 10,000 to 12,000.
Thus the headline is pretty much totally contradicted by the body of the story.
Posted by Svigor at 6:19 PM on June 19
This decision by the black government of South Africa will be a disaster for them in the long run.Chinese will dominate every sector of thr buisness community after their numbers increase beyond a certian level. And the South African government will not have the option of expelling the Chinese the way Idi Amin did with the Indians.
Posted by Peejay in Frisco at 6:21 PM on June 19
“In 2006, the Chinese Association of South Africa sued the government, claiming that its members were being discriminated against because they were being treated as whites…”
So doesn’t this imply that South African Whites are being discriminated against? The Chinese in SA want to be treated as blacks to get the government goodies for which Whites don’t qualify? Still sounds like apartheid to me - only thing that’s changed is the colour. What grievous nonsense comes from that banana republic! See what happens when blacks are let to run things?
Posted by Muriel at 6:29 PM on June 19
South African blacks better watch out. Those crafty Chinese, who we know have a higher IQ than blacks, are going to invade Africa without even firing a shot.
Posted by at 7:00 PM on June 19
I’m impressed. According to their own logic, they’re being consistent. However I wonder if blacks who arrived in SA after apartheid are eligible for affirmative action. Since Chinese immigrants are not - neither should black immigrants. I suspect that this limitation does not apply to black immigrants though.
Posted by jewamongyou at 7:42 PM on June 19
It goes both ways, some countries classify people as white regardless, if they are not of European ancestry in the case of Egypt.
SA was the country that instituted the infamous Aparteid system, the White minority controlled and ruled the Black majority in the way it saw fit during that time, now the Blacks are the majority, let them classify and rule the way they see fit. I don’t have a problem with it, it’s their country and they have the right to govern any way they want.
Posted by at 8:23 PM on June 19
Do you think this will mean that the Chinese in the San Gabriel Valley will allow blacks to move into their neighborhood?
Posted by pinchegabacho at 8:41 PM on June 19
Wow. Race really IS a social construct.
People will always scrabble over cash and benefits — which in this day and age means they want to be anything but white.
It is clear that being white is now officially undesirable and that whites are being racially discriminated against.
When do we start writing protest songs and marching?
Posted by at 9:02 PM on June 19
Beware of those who preach equality for therein lies the seeds of revenge.
Posted by at 9:40 PM on June 19
South Africa is heading toward a Zimbabwe-like situation, so, in the last analysis, what difference does it make for anything the foolish black incompetents might do? And, if the global community is headed for an economic down turn of its own, the blacks won’t get much help from anyone.
100 million rand for a loaf of bread anybody?
Posted by at 10:07 PM on June 19
Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of the People’s Republic of China and about 19 percent of the entire global human population.
Of about 40 million overseas Chinese worldwide, nearly 30 million live in Southeast Asia. Discounting Taiwan, Singapore has the largest majority overseas Chinese population, with about 2.7 million Chinese forming over 75% of the population. (Though Taiwan is much larger than Singapore in terms of land area and Chinese population, it has limited recognition as a country). Large Chinese populations also live in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Elsewhere in the world, 3 million people of Chinese descent live in the United States where they constitute about 1% of the population, over 1 million in Canada (3.7%), and over 600,000 in Australia (3.5%).
So South Africa really has had quite a large number of Chinese immigrants as you can see in a very short period of time.
Posted by Unemployed WASP at 10:44 PM on June 19
The streets are a lot safer in Beijing, Hong Kong, or Shanghai, than in Johannesburg, Capetown, or Harlem. I hope I am brave enough to visit South Africa, because there are still things worth going there to see. However, China, Japan, Botswana, and Tanzania are still much safer for tourists than South Africa.
Here in the USA, the “China Town” section of any major American city is filled with whites patronizing the restuarants and other businesses, because it is safe for whites to be there. Unlike in black sections of any city. When I visited San Francisco, in 1999, the city had trash and street beggars throughout most of the city, except in the Chinatown section. Across border of the Chinatown section there were no beggars and the streets where much cleaner. This is because Asian people have a strong work-ethic that does not tolerate beggars or uncleanliness.
If the white people of South Africa are unable to reclaim their country, then maybe having the Chinese take over the country, would be the next best thing to happen for South Africa!
At least under Chinese control of South Africa, the electric power would be running again, crime would decrease, and it would even be safer for South African whites.
Posted by Ross at 11:17 PM on June 19
On a related matter…
How the Africans and Chinese get along in Africa is going to be very interesting to follow.
Two extremes of IQ; extremes in a wide variety of ways.
At what point are the Africans going to realize what a profound mistake they made in forging a partnership with China? At what point are the Chinese going to publicly admit Africans aren’t their equals? At what point are the Chinese going to assert themselves over the Africans? What will the Chinese be willing to do to secure their investment in Africa?
So many possibilities. So many unanswerable questions.
Posted by sbuffalonative at 11:41 PM on June 19
The same holds true for the many of the big cities where whites reside. If you think they will dominate SA, couldn’t the same be said for LA, SF, Manhattan, Duesseldorf and many other big cities. So whites need to be just as careful because the Chinese will displace anyone that is not Chinese, yes, even whites.
Posted by at 2:19 AM on June 20
I cannot believe comments like”it is their country and they can govern the way they want to”.I am a white South African citizen.My ancestors came to this country in 1670.We helped build this country to what it is today.We fought wars against the British and Communist countries to help the West during their cold war.This is my country and i am being victimised and taken out of the economic sector because i am white.A foreigner from Lesotho,Zimbabwe or China gets a job because he is classified as being a black person.The ANC declared in Kliptown when they wrote there Manifest in the 50’s that there will never be any racial discrimination at all when they come to power.This was the biggest lie that they ever told.The world is so scared and political correct that nobody ever attacks these lies.There are to many people from the USA and Europe trying to justify the way things are being done by African Governments for eg Zimbabwe but they have no experience of living in these countries.There is sometimes no logic to decisions made by these Governments.The reason for this is mostly corruption and nepotism.We as white South Africans(and a lot of out black brothers)have a very good sense of humour because this is the only way to survive these ignorant laws and rules.
Posted by Latie at 3:19 AM on June 20
“Thus the headline is pretty much totally contradicted by the body of the story.”
Posted by Svigor at 6:19 PM on June 19
I noticed this too, or that the part at the end sort of contradicted the rest of the story. Reality was different than the immpression the story was trying to give. I couldn’t think of a way to put it into words however.
“If you think they (Chinese) will dominate SA, couldn’t the same be said for LA, SF, Manhattan, Duesseldorf and many other big cities.”
I met a Greek immigrant, still with a thick accent, who had lived in NYC. I was really surprised to find that he was anti-asian. In fact Asian’s/Chinese? in NYC were the Only group he seemed to have reservations about. They were kind of strong reservations too. He was saying just that they would more or less take over, and then refuse to hire non-asian. It really doesn’t take that much to take over from whites however.
Posted by Dr. Smith at 11:20 AM on June 20
Since the leftists (which apparently includes the Chinese) are so keen on diversity, why not create a new category, and label them as they are,”Chinese” or simply ,”Asian”? If as is pretended, achievement = someone who has recieved an unfair privilege, then the Chinese will have to deal with being deprived of jobs, academic positions, etc at a rate that equates their lot in life to that of everyone else. Time to put your money where your mouth is. If they genuninely believe these leftist ideas, then they should have no problem pushing for this categorization. But of course, like everything else from the left, it is nonsense, lies, and the pretension of noble ideals; leftist generosity actually consists of taking from someone else’s pockets, giving it to your own, and call it being generous.
Posted by Winston at 1:57 PM on June 20
South Africa was the last bastion of the White World. When South Africa fell in the early 1990’s, it signalled the beginning of the end of White Western Civilization.
Every White Western nation on Earth has been in a continuous downward spiral since the fall of White South Africa.
Posted by Mick at 2:31 PM on June 20
South Africa was the last bastion of the White World. When South Africa fell in the early 1990’s, it signalled the beginning of the end of White Western Civilization.
Every White Western nation on Earth has been in a continuous downward spiral since the fall of White South Africa.
Posted by Mick at 2:31 PM on June 20
This shows that affirmative action in South Africa, or anywhere else, is just another spoils system and political racket. Han Chinese are now considered black by the South African government. This is the same government that is on the road to being the next Zimbabwe.
Posted by Sardonicus at 3:29 PM on June 20
The streets are a lot safer in Beijing, Hong Kong, or Shanghai, than in Johannesburg, Capetown, or Harlem. I hope I am brave enough to visit South Africa, because there are still things worth going there to see. However, China, Japan, Botswana, and Tanzania are still much safer for tourists than South Africa.
HELL!!! Anywhere here in Iraq is safer than South Africa, Zim and many of the big cities in the U.S., N.O. and Detroit for example!
Posted by Skip at 9:10 AM on June 21
So how does one sell South Africa short, long-term (10,20,50 years)? Surely there’s a way to make money on the inevitable.
Well, maybe not. I’m economically illiterate but I remember recently I read a reply to a very similar question at Steve Sailer’s blog. It was that the market isn’t so easily fooled, so there’s no real niche to exploit.
Posted by Svigor at 4:53 PM on June 22