By Gillian Schutte
The proposal to eliminate racial classifications in South Africa, spearheaded by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) and enthusiastically supported by many allies of the Government of National Unity (GNU), is a breathtakingly cynical move that threatens to plunge the nation into a new era of racial injustice.
This agenda, masquerading as a progressive step towards a "non-racial" society, threatens to create an even more dystopian reality for those who are neither white nor wealthy. It is a gross manifestation of the perverse logic that underpins white supremacism. More chilling is the IRR’s presentation of this nefarious proposal as progressive—revealing an insidious plotline akin to the chilling themes explored in Jordan Peele’s social horror film, Get Out.
In this so-called 'new' new dawn of South African politics, the ideological alignment of the GNU’s DA and other smaller parties with entities like the IRR and AfriForum is concerning. It signals a possible endorsement of this regressive call that promises racial equality while strategically aiming to erase the historical and ongoing oppression of black South Africans.
While the proponents of this proposal seek to present the end of racial classification as reasonable, it must be scrutinised and recognised as a deceptive attempt to protect entrenched white privilege under the guise of fostering equality. It is not about building a truly inclusive society; it is about re-inscribing the status quo and ensuring that the beneficiaries of apartheid remain unchallenged.
IRR analyst Marius Roodt argues that ceasing to classify people by race will diminish the salience of race itself. He suggests that since South Africa repealed the Population Registration Act, race is no longer legally defined, and thus, racial classifications should be abandoned altogether. However, this argument is fundamentally flawed and dangerously naive. Race remains a profoundly significant factor in South Africa, not only because of its classification but because of the historical racial hierarchies that continue to shape every aspect of life. In a society still operating on racist values, declassifying race would only benefit whites.
To understand the absurdity of this proposal, imagine a world where gender classifications are eliminated. In such a scenario, policies designed to address the inequalities faced by women—like maternity leave, protections against gender-based violence, and efforts to close the gender pay gap—would vanish. Ignoring gender would fail to address the unique challenges women face, effectively erasing their struggles and needs. This gender-neutral approach would be nothing short of catastrophic, rendering invisible the systemic biases that disadvantage women.
Ignoring gender would fail to address the unique challenges women face, effectively erasing their struggles and needs.
Similarly, in a race-neutral South Africa, the distinct challenges faced by black South Africans would be ignored. The historical and ongoing injustices of apartheid would be rendered invisible, and the policies designed to redress these wrongs would be dismantled. This is not a step towards equality; it is a step backwards into a time when the brutal oppression and enslavement of black bodies was naturalised by invading white settlers.
The IRR’s suggestion to replace Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) with a non-racial Economic Empowerment for the Disadvantaged (EED) programme is particularly insidious. This so-called solution aims to empower people based on economic disadvantage rather than race. While it purports to be fair and inclusive, it would dilute the focus on racial justice, allowing white South Africans to claim the mantle of disadvantage and access resources meant to address historical wrongs. This must be viewed as a calculated move to ensure that white privilege remains unchallenged, even while it masquerades as a commitment to equality.
This proposal also echoes themes of ahistoricism and the erasure of black suffering—issues I have highlighted in previous articles. It aims to turn the historical usurpation of black South Africans by white settlers into a relic of the past, rather than a living reality that must be addressed. By eliminating racial classifications, the IRR and its allies are attempting to rewrite history and deny the ongoing impact of colonialism and apartheid. It is not a step towards a brighter future; it is a deliberate attempt to obscure the past and undermine efforts to build a just society.
In the current climate of resurgent racism and white nationalism, such proposals are not merely misguided; they are deeply dangerous. They threaten to undo the fragile progress made since the end of apartheid and further entrench the very inequalities they purport to dismantle. Their agenda is not to create a fair and equal society; it is about protecting the interests of those who have always benefited from the status quo.
This perverse logic is, as mentioned earlier, reminiscent of 'Get Out', where the veneer of progressiveness hides a deeply sinister reality.
Just as the film’s protagonist discovers that the seemingly liberal family is engaged in horrifying exploitation of black folk, right down to stealing their bodies as new and improved vehicles for decrepit or diseased white billionaires seeking immortality, South Africans must recognise that this IRR proposal is also a façade for maintaining perpetual white dominance.
It is a manipulation of genuine progressive discourse to serve an oppressive agenda—a 21st-century phenomenon where the rhetoric of social justice is co-opted to reinforce the status quo.
* Gillian Schutte is a film-maker, and a well-known social justice and race-justice activist and public intellectual.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.