Out with race classification – we’re from SA

The leader of People Against Race Classification has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to scrap all race classification criteria in South Africa, especially on government forms and application forms for state jobs.

Glen Snyman led a protest in Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo at the weekend to highlight his concerns about race classification and to get support for his campaign.

Snyman, a teacher, said race classification should end in South Africa. He was of the view that those living in South Africa should be classified as African. “It should not just be about the colour of your skin,” he said.

In his letter to the president, he demanded that all race classification criteria be removed from government forms, as well as the Z83 form which people are required to complete when applying for government jobs.

Last year, the Western Cape education department accused Snyman of fraud when he identified himself as African in a job application. The charges were later withdrawn.

Education department spokeswoman Bronagh Hammond said: “The affirmative action measures are still applicable as per the employment equity plan of the department, which is aligned to the Employment Equity Act.”

The changes made to the e-recruitment online CV are in compliance with this notice.

She added that should an applicant choose “other”, they would be excluded from preferential treatment in terms of affirmative action measures.

Department of public service and administration spokesman Kamogelo Mogotsi said the reasoning behind “other” was that the South African public service does appoint foreign nationals in line with the above regulation.

Snyman said specifying race in job applications did not matter unless people were foreigners.

We are not coloured, black, Indian or whites, we are South Africans,” he said. –