Unisa student wins fight to change race classification

AFTER a personal journey of discovery, Aurora Krotoa Moses, 21, successfully took on the University of South Africa (Unisa) when they refused to change her race classification from “Coloured” to “African”.

Moses, a psychology and criminology student, said that while she started identifying as Khoisan in 2019 after a journey of personal discovery and research, it was a therapy session with her social worker in 2020 that sparked her will to stand up for herself and her identity.

“It's been a journey, there was this module I did at Unisa, a political module about critical reasoning. It helped me to ask questions critically, why do I have this label? I did my research and went into history, my heritage.”

The label “coloured” did not sit well with her she said, as she felt it robbed her of her African identity as an indigenous person.

“It was a process to get the university to change my race classification. They initially just disregarded my request and told me to go and change my race at the department of Home Affairs. I also know of the Population Registration Repeal Act of 1991.”

Moses did not give up and was even prepared to take the university to Equality Court, and they eventually fulfilled the request.

Unisa said: “Like with other students who normally approach Unisa with requests to update their details for statistical purposes or other reasons, e.g. marital status, correction of names, etc, the University confirms that it has processed the request from the student in question in respect of her self-identification/determination profile.”

Moses has now joined the People Against Racial Classification (PARC) organisation to help others too.

PARC founder, Glen Snyman said: “It is a human rights violation, parliament is going to have to make an adjustment in law to remove the term coloured. The history of the term coloured is negative. The name was used as an umbrella name to describe a group of people like for example the Griqua, Nama, Gorana, who all had their own clan names. It's problematic because it doesnt stem from a cultural identity.”

Following a petition by PARC, the National Council of Provinces resolved that there should be a national debate “in fast tracking recognition of South African native communities and their identities”.