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03 April 2018 Photo Valentino Ndaba
Stanley Trapido seminar interrogates being Chinese in SA
Miyanda Simabwachi (PhD student), Prof Karen Harris (guest speaker), Eleanor Born-Swart (PhD student), and Prof Neil Roos of the International Studies Group at the Stanley Trapido seminar.
Speaking at the Stanley Trapido seminar hosted by the International Studies Group, Prof Karen Harris from the University of Pretoria’s Department of Historical and Heritage, underscored how South Africa-born Chinese (SABCs) have historically been relegated to the periphery of South African society as far as access to opportunities is concerned. She presented a paper titled: “BEE-ing Chinese in South Africa: Black not White?” at the second seminar in the annual series on Monday 19 March 2018 at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS).

“Chinese are not black enough under the new government and were not white enough under the old government,” said Prof Harris who specialises in the field of overseas Chinese studies as well as heritage tourism. Her paper focused on how this miniscule population group suffered discrimination under segregation and apartheid, and has continued to experience systematic discrimination in relation to education, employment, ownership of property, trading business and voting rights, separate amenities, freedom of movement and marriage, over a period of three centuries.

Prof Harris argued that the manner in which Chinese were treated pre-1994 is similar in the democratic dispensation. “They still have no rights and no place in the broader South African society.”

To drive her point home, Prof Harris made reference to legislations, namely the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment and the Employment Equity acts. These laws were an attempt to promote equity and fairness in the labour market and trade, to give members of society who were discriminated against access to employment opportunities across the board post-apartheid. However, the discord ensued when the Chinese discovered that they were not accommodated in this deal, despite being categorised as previously disadvantaged.

Passive resistance towards these injustices reached an apex during a 2008 High Court case which led to 18 June being declared Dignity Day by SABCs. Prof Harris recounts this history as follows: “On 18 June we have the Chinese locals being declared black by Judge Cynthia Pretorius. It was claimed that according to the decision the Chinese fell in the definition of black people in the constitution, allowing them to now enjoy the full benefits of black economic empowerment.”

These prestigious annual seminars serve to honour the life and work of Stanley Trapido – a leading South African historian and Oxford University lecturer. Trapido’s personal library was donated to UFS on his death.

News Archive

Student organisation tackles difficult questions in debate
2012-05-12

 

At the debate were, from the left: Danie Jacobs, Head of the Centre for Business Dynamics, Mhlanganisi Madlongolwana, Nombuso Ndlovu and Prof. JP Landman.
Photo: Leatitia Pienaar

 

“South Africa is consumed by a monster, namely the lack of critical thinking and dialogue with regard to our problems. Now is the time to make radical changes.” This is according to Nombuso Ndlovu, who spoke at the first debate in a series of Commercio and the UFS Business School.

“Young people are more interested in social gatherings than applying their minds to the problems of South Africa,” she said. Nombuso is the CEO of Commercio.

Commercio is the student organisation in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Two teams, one positive and one negative, debated the topic: Is South Africa’s current economic direction viable?

What emerged from the debate was that our students are well-aware of what is going on in our economy and that people cannot just sit back and expect government to deliver. Every individual has a responsibility. South Africa has a “democratic deficit” society, a “corruption-stricken economy” and “economic activism” is necessary to get the economy on the right path.

Prof. JP Landman, Visiting Professor at the Business School, economic advisor, analyst, columnist and also managing director of the Aardklop Arts Festival, was the expert panel member. He said the critical issue in South Africa is “how do you distribute wealth while keeping things going?”

“It is fantastic that South Africans have developed a collective repulsiveness for corruption.” People must know what underpins society and where aggression comes from.
– Leatitia Pienaar.

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