Proudly Brown

By Cleo Karrim

Proudly Brown tells the stories of Coloured people in KwaZulu-Natal, which are largely untold stories. Whilst there may be several stories written about Coloured people many of these stories are set in the Western Cape. The history of Coloured people in South Africa is rich and it is important for us to understand the richness that exists within the province of KwaZulu-Natal as well. Proudly Brown, takes a glimpse into the lives of 13 people who define themselves as Coloured in South Africa. Their stories provide a historical overview of the lives of Coloured people pre-apartheid, and during the apartheid era, it shows how they have negotiated their identity in the current social, economic and political context of South Africa.

 

About the author

Dr Cleo Karrim (Firmin), is from a small farming community on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. She is an educator by profession and currently works in Private Higher Education. She believes in transforming the minds of all young people to inspire them to reach greater heights. Seizing all opportunities provided for them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cleo Karrim
• Release date: May 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223906087

Book preview

Proudly_Brown_-_eCOVER.jpg

Copyright © 2023 Cleo Karrim

First edition 2023

Published by Cleo Karrim at Draft2Digital

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder.

The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Cleo Karrim

[e-mail]

Acknowledgements

All glory to our Heavenly Father for making this book possible. May YOUR will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!

Contributors

A great thanks to all the Contributors for your willingness to share many sensitive parts of your lives. You have contributed to the many untold South African stories; for this, you are truly appreciated.

Part I – Providing Historical Context

1. Aubrey Snyman

2. Desmond D’Sa

3. David Bloem

4. Jean Choudree

Part II – Stories from Phenomenal Women

5. Veronica Firmin

6. Monica Brown

7. Ruth Harold

8. Germaine Firmin

Part III - Stories from Powerful Men

9. Justin Titus

10. Ulric Bloem

11. Marvin Muller

12. Andrew Hughes

13. Kurt Holmes

Technical Editor

Mervin Ogle

Typist

Iman Karrim

Proof-reader

Shereen Karrim

A tribute to my Father

Stanley Leon Firmin

02.04.1950 – 23.12.2021

A Successful Man

By Bessie Anderson Stanley

That man is a success –

who has lived well, laughed often and loved much;

who has gained the respect of intelligent men

and the love of his children;

who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

who leaves the world better than he found it;

who has never lacked appreciation of earth’s beauty

or failed to express it;

who looked for the best in others

and gave the best he had.

Purpose of the book: Proudly Brown

South Africa is a country of over 59 million people. When described in terms of the apartheid era racial groups, 79 per cent of the South African population is considered Black; 9 per cent White; 9 per cent of Coloured and 3 per cent, Indian. The population is predominantly female (52 per cent) and youthful with one-third aged below the age of fifteen (Morrell, Jewkes, Lindegger, 2012).

The purpose of this book is to highlight some historically important events and developments within Durban’s Coloured communities in KwaZulu-Natal. It seeks to create awareness of, and a dialogue on the triumphs and tribulations of this minority group in KZN, South Africa. This book responds to a gap in the narratives of the Coloured population in KwaZulu-Natal.

The term Coloured in this context means people of mixed descent (mixed race). As a result, in many so-called Coloured communities, we find people of Black, White, Indian, and Mauritian descent all living together - placed or rather displaced - according to the cruel apartheid system which used crude measures such as the pencil test identifying hair texture to determine one’s racial group and area of residence and consequently one’s overall status in society. Quite often families were uprooted from well-established neighbourhoods and forced to live amongst people with whom they had very little in common but this decision was based on the phenotypic hair texture and lacked genetic theory.

The book aims to address stereotypes that inhibit Coloured people from economic growth in South Africa. Coloured people were considered drunkards (alcoholics). This stereotype was strategic and was used to keep Coloured people out of the economic sector. Historically, Cape Coloured workers who slaved in vineyards for their White bosses were paid in immature wine. Many farm workers did not receive monetary payment, nor were they able to sell their wine, as they would become competitors to their bosses. Instead, their immature bottles of wine could only be consumed, leading to the stereotype of Coloured people as the drunkards of South Africa. With the overconsumption of alcohol comes violence, sexual promiscuity, high natality rates and many generations of children suffering from foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). These stereotypes have their roots in apartheid but continue to exist in our communities today. For this reason, Proudly Brown addresses the gaps in the literature pertaining to Coloured people in KwaZulu-Natal.

Understanding these Personal Short Stories

Proudly Brown tells the largely untold stories of Coloured people in KwaZulu-Natal. Whilst there may be several stories written about Coloured people, many of these stories are set in the Western Cape. The history of Coloured people in South Africa is rich and it is important for us to understand the richness that exists within the province of KwaZulu-Natal as well. Proudly Brown takes a glimpse into the lives of 13 people who have been defined as Coloured in South Africa. Their stories provide a historical overview of the lives of Coloured people pre-apartheid, and during the apartheid era and post-apartheid. These stories show how they have negotiated their identity in the current social, economic, and political context of South Africa.

In these short stories, we see how the pain of apartheid still dwells in the memories of many Coloured people in KwaZulu-Natal. The stories provide a detailed explanation of a variety of spaces where racism was evident. These include racism around employment, sport, and education, where opportunities were very limited for these people during the apartheid era. Despite their struggles, the 13 contributors who have shared their experiences, have all provided evidence of how they negotiated the harsh context in which they lived. Their resilience and determination to succeed and to improve their own lifestyles as well as the lifestyles of their children is evident in their stories. Their personal stories are not intended to provide a definitive representation of Coloured people but to fill a gap in the literature on Coloured people and their experiences in South Africa.

Disclaimer

The contributors have shared these stories in their own personal capacity. These are their own personal opinions and the positions that they have taken are based on their own personal experiences. None of the contributors have written or told their stories as generalisations of the Coloured community at large. They have told their stories as their own truth and do not speak on behalf of anyone else. These accounts are reflective of how they understand the events that have taken place in the South African context. Their opinions are limited to their personal experiences.

Preface: Cleo Karrim (Née: Firmin)

My Background

I was born during the apartheid era¹ and grew up on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal in a small town called Darnall (a sugar cane farming community). My parents were born and brought up in Durban and, before moving to Darnall, they had resided as a family of five, in Wentworth, forming part of its working-class community. My father (Mr Stanley Firmin) was born in South Africa in 1950. He grew up in Clairwood, (a predominantly ‘Indian’ area south of Durban at that time) and his birth certificate states that he is Mauritian. However, in 1966, his racial classification was forcefully amended under the apartheid law which was instituted in 1948. At the age of 16, when my father applied for his identity document at the Department of Coloured ² Affairs’, he was reclassified as Coloured, a status he stills struggles to accept. He was not the only person of Mauritian descent to be reclassified. The Mauritian community in South Africa except for those who were designated as ‘White Mauritian’ or ‘French Mauritian’ were subjected to a loss of identity and lineage. Up until 2021 my father still had his original birth certificate, which he held onto with pride. During the oppressive apartheid era, my father’s family and several other Coloured families in the Clairwood community were uprooted and relocated to Wentworth, under the Group Areas Act of 1950. Wentworth had been reserved as an army barracks to serve in times of war and it was reserved exclusively, for White soldiers. Residents were relocated from Mayville, Cato Manor, the Eastern Cape, and Northern KwaZulu-Natal. There were families who saw this relocation as a positive move because many families were living in backyards of ‘Indian’ families’ homes in Mayville, Cato Manor, and Clairwood. Amongst some of these families (the backyard dwellers), there was a great sense of excitement at now having their own homes. For others, however, who owned their own homes, the relocation was a loss.

My mother’s family³ hailed from Kimberley and was of St Helenian descent. She was born in 1954 and was raised in central Durban in the Melbourne Road flats, commonly referred to as ‘the chocolate box⁴’. Although my mother had been born into an Afrikaans-speaking family, growing up in Durban she spoke English more frequently. She admits that growing up in Melbourne Road was a humbling experience because of the simplicity of life there, and she continues to hold a deep appreciation for her lifestyle as a ‘flat cat’. Although they were not wealthy, there was the richness of family and a strong community culture within the flats.

My childhood years

After my parents married, they resided in Wentworth ⁵ which was a community reserved for Coloured people. They lived in my grandparent’s outbuilding ⁶ , where they had their first three children. Through discussion with my parents about their experiences as young people during the apartheid era, they would often highlight how the term Coloured caused a great deal of frustration within the community as the term Coloured was used as a common term for a diverse group that differed culturally, historically, physically, and linguistically, depending on the province in which they lived. I am the fourth child in the family, and just before I was born, my father was employed as a boilermaker at the Darnall Hullets Sugar Mill on the North Coast⁷. Being Coloured and considered a skilled worker, his employment contract included occupancy of a relatively large house, access to free water and electricity, access to a swimming pool and all other recreational facilities and, often, free sugar⁸.

Source: Google Images/Maps

N2 Freeway – Darnall offramp, Northern KZN

My childhood was an idyllic one spent climbing fruit trees, swimming all day long, bike riding, eating sugar cane and baking at our neighbour’s houses. It was one of sheer freedom and joy. When I reflect on my childhood, I realise that the Darnall farming community had visible racial divisions. There were three villages, the White village, Indian village, and Coloured village. The Black village was not clearly visible and was referred to as "the Compound ⁹ ". For some reason the Coloured community assumed a position very similar to the White community. Our homes were the same size and some of our yards were bigger than those of the White residents. The White village was positioned at the highest point of Darnall, overlooking a golf course with an elegant club house.

Image of the Darnall Golf Course

‘The Club’, as it was known, was initially reserved for White people and offered a sophisticated dining experience, a restaurant for day visitors who were not club members, a bar and a large function hall. Outside the club were two swimming pools, one for younger children and the other an Olympic-sized pool for adults. Additionally, there was a squash court, tennis court, an outdoor bowling field, soccer fields, parks, a library, clinic, and a Moth Club, which was utilised by the Scouts. The Catholic, Anglican, and Methodist churches are all still situated in what was once known as the White village.

There was also a primary school in the village, reserved for White learners. The Coloured village was lower down the hill, without a view of the golf course and closer to the sugar cane plantation. Each yard had a variety of different fruit trees. High fences, gates and large dogs ensured that we could not see our neighbours easily. Although the property sizes of the White people and Coloured people were the same, it was the communal spaces within the separate villages that revealed the stark differences that existed between the Coloured people’ and White people in this community.

Image of the Darnall Golf Course taken from the Country Club

(From on top of the hill)

Under parental control we were not allowed to leave the Coloured village. However, if we did, we would only be allowed to go to the White village, and even this would be in groups as apartheid rules were still in force. Despite my parents` fears, the Darnall community was heavily protected with armed security guards patrolling the perimeter every hour, (accompanied by German Shepherd guard dogs). Just under 20 Coloured (and Mauritian) families lived in Darnall. On the following page, I will highlight some of the surnames of the families who lived in the Coloured village at the time that I resided there.

Flamboyant Drive

Beyers

Buckley

Community pool and Club house

Le Brasse

Castel

Ogle

Ellis

Dunn

Circle Drive

Williamson

Lue

Pottier

Williams

Firmin (my family)

Beaumont

Hughes

Duval

Bhalia

McNamara

Charles

Source: Image taken by a resident of the Darnall Community at the train station.

The residents of Darnall came from different parts of KwaZulu-Natal, namely Stanger, Pietermaritzburg, Eshowe, Durban, and Richards Bay. The Darnall community was not (an original) home to any of the Coloured residents, although the children all grew up feeling as if they belonged to one big family. There were no schools in Darnall for Coloured children, and we had to travel for 20 minutes by car or bus to Stanger (KwaDukuza), the nearest town, where a Coloured primary school was located. There were no Coloured high schools in Darnall or in Stanger.

Although the Indian village in Darnall was considerably larger in size than the Coloured village, its houses were smaller and semi-detached (with one or two bedrooms), with very small gardens. The Indian village (barracks) was also positioned next to the Sugar Mill and the water and sanitation plant. Thus, its residents were more exposed to pollution fumes and the Black ash that became airborne when sugarcane was burned at the mill. The club in this village also had an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court and a soccer field. In addition, this community also had its own school for Indian children, as well as its own library.

The National Pass for Black people, commonly ‘labelled the ‘dompas’¹⁰ was used strictly within the Darnall community and, as a result, no Black people were allowed on the Darnall roads after 21:00pm. Dompas was a term used under the apartheid law to refer to the old identity documents and is an Afrikaans term that means ‘dumb book’ or ‘stupid book’ (Weiss, 2004), which restricted Black Africans` movement in and out of White areas, and their entry into White areas was purely for employment. Black people in the Darnall community lived within the compound which was close to the Indian village.

My Education

My own schooling began when my parents enrolled me at a crèche in Darnall. It was run by a White woman from the community and within the pre-school were children of all races. At that time, it was a privilege to school with children of all races. At the age of six, however, I attended Stanger Primary Coloured Government School for Grades 1-7 (or Sub A to Standard 5). Here, all my teachers were Coloured and the school was made up of Coloured learners by majority. There were many Black learners in our classes. Many spoke English more than they spoke any other African language and they had a distinct Northern KwaZulu-Natal Coloured accent¹¹. These learners may have identified themselves as Coloured despite their African names and heritage.

The Coloured primary school that I attended, was not well-resourced. The teachers did their best to keep us active on the sports field. This primary school focused primarily on academic success and as a young child there was always intense pressure on me to perform well at this school, as my older sister was the first child whose name was placed on the dux board, located just outside the principal`s office. The expectation of academic success was always evident from my teachers.

Although I attended a government school that offered no extra-mural activities, the Darnall community offered us many opportunities. As a young girl, I attended ballet classes and swimming lessons, and later, my parents sent my sister, brother, and I for piano lessons, which I did for a few years until I started high school. Three of my siblings also went for karate lessons. Darnall had two libraries. One in the Indian Village and one in the White Village. We frequented the library in the White Village. Within our church community, my brothers and I took on the role of altar servers from a young age and my older brother (Leon) became the youth leader at a meeting held for teenagers each Friday evening and we also attended our weekly Catechism classes. Whilst we had a safe upbringing in the Darnall community, as a child I was oblivious to the racial segregation that existed around me.

As there were no Coloured high schools in Darnall or Stanger, I was amongst the more fortunate group of Coloured children, who were able to attend Stanger High School (an ex-model C school), that was previously reserved for White learners. The closest Coloured high school was in Eshowe¹² or Durban¹³. I consider myself fortunate for two reasons: One was my parent’s ability to afford the school fees and the other was the time at which political transformation was taking place in the country thus making schools more accessible to all. My initial experiences however were unpleasant. In the first few weeks of my Grade 8 year, I cried daily. The school operated as dual medium of instruction, meaning that all classes were taught both in English and Afrikaans. I remember sitting in class and the medium of instruction would just change or teachers would explain certain concepts further in Afrikaans. I was totally out of my depth and felt like an outsider despite my mother’s Afrikaans background. During the first few weeks at this school, I remember observing how the children’s accents were different from what I had become accustomed to. Much like the way in which all the children in the Coloured primary school attempted to adopt the KwaZulu-Natal Coloured accent, here too did I realise that many of the non-White children were simulating a (South African) White accent commonly referred to as speaking with a twang. At times I would sit in class and laugh at these children, until I realised that all these children were friends and that they got along very well despite their racial backgrounds and the background that I was conditioned to was different. I realise now that they sought a common ground to stand on, to understand the changing political structure in the country in the 1990’s. There was evidently also a need for them to gain a sense of belonging.

Race remains a major factor in our lives in the South African context. The lens through which we view the world is often tainted to see colour rather than people. Even in 2021, we are still required to tick a box that is labelled: Black, Coloured, Indian (Asian) or White. As my years in high school progressed it became easier as more children of colour enrolled at the school, and I then began to build and feel a sense of my own belonging. While we lived in Darnall, my parents bought land and built a house in the Treasure Beach area (the middle-class part of Wentworth on the hill, known as the Beverley Hills of Wentworth). They rented out their home for several years to gain additional income. After matriculating, I moved to Durban, into this home with my parents and siblings.

On marriage and my own beliefs

At the age of 27, I married Zakki Karrim. Zakki is a Muslim man and we experienced challenges at first (for the both of us) as I had come from a Catholic home. We found it difficult at times to decide a small things and to adjust to change as neither of us had converted and therefore viewed even minor things through a single lens. Being raised as Coloured in the South African context does not automatically mean that one will have a full understanding of all people and accept all people because apartheid segregated us further. Thus within the Coloured race there are (unfortunately) many levels. These range from Coloured, to Cape Coloured, Malay, Mauritian and other Coloured. These are further divided based on one’s skin complexion, strand of hair, category of surname, and all the way up to one’s religious beliefs. Whilst my parents taught me how to be open to all people of all race groups, my marriage has taught me is how to be more open to other religious views. It was a lesson I needed to learn to emerge from mindset whereby one view is the right view. I have since, been able to understand that all people are good in their own way and by being more open to listening we will be able to understand the beauty in the differences that can make us a true Rainbow Nation. This is the message we need to echo!

---

¹ Apartheid was formally instituted as state policy in 1948 but dating from the White settlers’ permanent landing at what is now Cape Town in 1652, racial segregation was formal practice. The townships were racially discriminatory in that ‘Black’ African, Coloured (mixed-race), and Indian people were ordered by the Land Act of 1913 and the Group Areas Act of 1950 to live separately. Even within ‘Black’ townships, ethnic groups were often segregated into separate areas for Zulus, Xhosas, Sotho’s, and others. These laws existed until the early 1990s, and since then there has been only gradual desegregation of formerly ‘White’, Coloured, and Indian areas (Bond, 2000).

² ‘Coloured’ is a contentious racial classification with many variations attached to it and has frequently been described as a very elusive and or indefinable identity (Anderson, 2009). Coloured is contested and accommodated by this group of people, thus the enclosure of the term Coloured in quotation marks.

³ The Visagie family (Afrikaans)

⁴ It was referred to as the ‘chocolate box’ because it comprised Coloured people with different physical features. The variance expressed phenotypically was like the variety of chocolates in a chocolate box.

⁵⁵ A predominantly and former Coloured township community South of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

⁶ An outbuilding is a smaller separate house or building that is positioned on the same property and belongs to owners of the main house.

⁷ The North Coast, Northern KwaZulu-Natal.

⁸ Here it is acknowledged that employees of the Coloured community in Darnall received better employment packages than employees from the Indian and Black communities.

⁹ The compound was a cluster of single storey brick rooms, in an enclosed (fenced) location. The compound was gated, and security controlled with a boom gate at the entrance.

¹⁰ The Pass System used under apartheid law which Black people had to carry. This was a means of regulating entry into certain areas governed by the Group Areas Act of 1950.

¹¹ It was distinct in that it is influenced by English and isiZulu which differs from the Cape Coloured accent that is mostly influenced by Afrikaans. The accent is therefore a result of geographical location (Erasmus, 2001).

¹²¹² North of Darnall

¹³ South of Darnall

PART I

Providing Historical Context

Just Karting Around: Aubrey Snyman

Disclaimer:

The contents of this story do not claim to be true. They are the views and experiences of the storyteller.

I have lived in Wentworth for the past 60 years. I came to Wentworth in 1960 at the age of 7. At that age, we moved from Clairwood to Wentworth because of the Group Areas Act. Coming to Wentworth was an eye opener in the sense that we came from a place where we lived in Clairwood in Indian peoples backyards¹⁴. I was born in 1953. I was born in Houghton Road, and then my parents moved to Archery Road. I met different kinds of Coloured people here. I found it very interesting as a young person. I started Class 1, (Class 1 is equivalent to Grade 1) at Austerville Primary school. It wasn’t actually a school at the time but rather a place where the soldiers were stationed. The part that we moved into was called SANF. The place itself was marked ‘Provision’. When we came to this place, I still remember the word written on the wall and I was very fascinated with this long word. Later on, I found out it was the name of a camp and further down there was Austerville and there was a name written ‘Drake’ and in another section, ‘Nelson’ further down Austerville Drive and we also had ‘Collingwood’. People came to Wentworth from all over, Mayville, Kenville, and the Transkei.

The challenges I was faced with as a youngster was that we did not