Persepsies oor etnisiteit onder polities-gedomineerde groepe in Suid - Afrika

Abstract

Perceptions about ethnicity among politically dominated groups in South Africa. Since 1948 the concepts race and ethnicity have come to play a decisive role in the ideological justification of government policy and, consequently, in the structuring of our socio-political system. A prime example in this respect is provided b y The Population Registration Act 30 of 1950, a cornerstone of South Africa ’s socio-political system. The impact of these concepts on the political perceptions of those not classified as white, is the subject of this article. It is argued that statutorily prescribed racial and ethnic differentiation in South Africa is one of the root causes of the legitimacy crisis in which the South African political system finds itself. Ethnicity came to be regarded as a justification of white domination by those not classified as white, giving rise to the counter-political idea of a non-racial democracy and the emergence of extra-parliamentary movements such as the UDF.