View source for Cape Coloureds

{{Short description|Ethnic group in South Africa}}
{{about|the ethnic group originating in the Cape|the broader group of mixed-race people in South Africa|Coloureds}}
{{Use South African English|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Cape Coloureds
| native_name      = ''Kaapse Kleurlinge'' ([[Afrikaans]])
| native_name_lang = af
| image            = South_Africa_2011_Coloured_population_proportion_map.svg
| image_caption    = Proportion of Coloured South Africans in each municipality according to the census
| pop              = {{increase}} '''5,052,349''' ([[2022 South African census|2022 census]])<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=10 October 2023 |title=Census 2022: Statistical Release |url=https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf |access-date=12 October 2023 |website=statssa.gov.za |page=6}}</ref><br />{{increase}} 8.15% of South Africa's population
| popplace         = Mainly in the [[Western Cape]], [[Northern Cape]] and to a lesser extent in the [[Eastern Cape]]
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| rels             = [[Christianity in South Africa|Christian]] (80%, largely [[Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa|Dutch Reformed]], [[Anglican Church of Southern Africa|Anglican]], [[Catholic Church in South Africa|Roman Catholic]]), [[Islam in South Africa|Muslim]] (5%, largely [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mixedfolks.com/africa.htm |title=The Coloureds of Southern Africa |publisher=MixedFolks.com |access-date=2009-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517044216/http://www.mixedfolks.com/africa.htm |archive-date=17 May 2008 }}</ref>
| langs            = Majority: [[Afrikaans]]<br />Minority: [[South African English|English]]
| related          = [[Afrikaners]], [[Khoisan]], [[Basters]], [[Oorlam]], [[Griqua people]], [[Cape Malays]], [[Bantu peoples of South Africa]], [[Indian South Africans]], [[Malagasy people]]
}}

'''Cape Coloureds''' ({{Langx|af|Kaapse Kleurlinge}}) are a [[South Africans|South African]] group of [[Coloureds|Coloured people]] who are from the Cape region in South Africa which consists of the [[Western Cape]], [[Northern Cape]] and the [[Eastern Cape]]. Their ancestry comes from the interracial mixing between the [[White South Africans|European]], the [[Khoisan|indigenous Khoi and San]], the [[Xhosa people|Xhosa]] plus other [[Bantu peoples|Bantu people]], indentured labourers imported from the [[British Raj]], slaves imported from the [[Dutch East Indies]], immigrants from the [[Levant]] or [[Yemen]] (or a combination of all).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2011/06/the-cape-coloureds-are-a-mix-of-everything/ |title=The Cape Coloureds are a mix of everything |publisher=Discover Magazine |date=16 June 2011 |access-date=2013-01-26 |first=Razib |last=Khan |archive-date=28 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128004817/http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2011/06/the-cape-coloureds-are-a-mix-of-everything/ }}</ref> Eventually, all these ethnic and racial groups intermixed with each other, forming a group of mixed-race people that became known as the "Cape Coloureds".
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== Demographics ==
Although [[Coloureds]] represent only 8.15% of people within [[South Africa]], they make up 42.1% of the population in the [[Western Cape]], representing a plurality of the population of the province.<ref>{{Cite web |title=STATISTICAL RELEASE P0301.4 Census 2022 |url=https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf |website=census.statssa.gov.za}}</ref>  (according to the [[2022 South African census]])
[[File:Colin speaks Afrikaans.webm|thumb|A Coloured man from Cape Town speaking Afrikaans]]

They are generally bilingual, speaking [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]] and [[English language|English]], though some speak only one of these. Some Cape Coloureds may [[code-switching|code switch]],<ref name="Stell2010">{{cite journal|last1=Stell|first1=Gerald|title=Ethnicity in linguistic variation|journal=Pragmatics|volume=20|issue=3|year=2010|pages=425–447|issn=1018-2101|doi=10.1075/prag.20.3.06ste|doi-access=free}}</ref> speaking a [[patois]] of Afrikaans and English called [[Kaaps|Afrikaaps]], also known as Cape Slang (Capy) or {{lang|af|Kombuis Afrikaans}}, meaning Kitchen Afrikaans. Cape Coloureds were classified under [[apartheid]] as a subset of the larger [[Coloureds|Coloured]] race group.

[[File:Barplots of ancestry proportions South African Coloured population estimated using genome-wide data.png|250px|thumb|A genetic clustering of South African Coloured and five source populations.<ref name="CalafellDaya2013">{{cite journal|last1=Calafell|first1=Francesc|last2=Daya|first2=Michelle|last3=van der Merwe|first3=Lize|last4=Galal|first4=Ushma|last5=Möller|first5=Marlo|last6=Salie|first6=Muneeb|last7=Chimusa|first7=Emile R.|last8=Galanter|first8=Joshua M.|last9=van Helden|first9=Paul D.|last10=Henn|first10=Brenna M.|last11=Gignoux|first11=Chris R.|last12=Hoal|first12=Eileen|title=A Panel of Ancestry Informative Markers for the Complex Five-Way Admixed South African Coloured Population|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=8|issue=12|year=2013|article-number=e82224|issn=1932-6203|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0082224|pmid=24376522|pmc=3869660|bibcode=2013PLoSO...882224D|doi-access=free}}</ref> Each vertical bar represents individual.]]

Recent studies of Cape Coloureds using genetic testing have found ancestry to vary by region. Khoe-San ancestry is higher in inland regions and towards the north into the present-day Northern Cape.<ref>{{cite web | doi=10.1101/2024.06.13.598620 | title=Wide-scale Geographical Analysis of Genetic Ancestry in the South African Coloured Population | date=2024 | last1=Lankheet | first1=Imke | last2=Hammarén | first2=Rickard | last3=Caballero | first3=Lucía Ximena Alva | last4=Larena | first4=Maximilian | last5=Malmström | first5=Helena | last6=Jolly | first6=Cecile | last7=Soodyall | first7=Himla | last8=De Jongh | first8=Michael | last9=Schlebusch | first9=Carina }}</ref> Although it is prevalent throughout the Cape, the partial Bantu-speaking ancestry (most predominantly [[Xhosa people|Xhosa]]) increases going eastwards into present-day Eastern Cape. The European-related ancestry is highest along the coast. In Cape Town and the rest of the Western Cape province, the partial Asian ancestry is high and diverse due to the arrival of Asian and African slaves that mixed with Europeans (colonists, immigrants, tourists) and existing mixed race (Khoisan-European) which formed the modern-day Cape Coloureds and Cape Malay due to the creolisation of all those populations.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/How-the-Asian-Slave-Trade-Influenced-DNA-in-South-Africa?language=en_US | title=AncestrySupport }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Books/Books-Author-highlights-Asian-slavery-at-Cape-of-Good-Hope# | title=Books: Author highlights Asian slavery at Cape of Good Hope }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://camissamuseum.co.za/index.php/7-tributaries/2-african-asian-enslaved-peoples/anna-van-bengale | title=Anna van Bengale - Camissa Museum }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.camissamuseum.co.za/index.php/7-tributaries/2-african-asian-enslaved-peoples | title=2: African & Asian Enslaved Peoples - Camissa Museum }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.academia.edu/7855963 | title=The Passenger Indian as Worker: Indian Immigrants in Cape Town in the Early Twentieth Century | work=African Studies | date=2009 | volume=68 | issue=1 | page=111 | last1=Dhupelia-Mesthrie | first1=Uma }}</ref> At least 4 genetic studies indicate that the average Cape Coloured has an ancestry consisting of the following, with large variation between individuals:<ref>{{Citation |last1=Carter |first1=R. Colin |title=Genetic admixture predictors of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in the South African Cape Coloured population |date=2024-04-01 |url=https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.03.31.24305130v2 |access-date=2024-12-16 |language=en |doi=10.1101/2024.03.31.24305130 |pmc=11023663 |pmid=38633769 |last2=Yang |first2=Zikun |last3=Akkaya-Hocagil |first3=Tugba |last4=Jacobson |first4=Sandra W. |last5=Jacobson |first5=Joseph L. |last6=Dodge |first6=Neil C. |last7=Hoyme |first7=H. Eugene |last8=Zeisel |first8=Steven H. |last9=Meintjes |first9=Ernesta M.|work=medRxiv }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pfennig |first1=Aaron |last2=Petersen |first2=Lindsay N |last3=Kachambwa |first3=Paidamoyo |last4=Lachance |first4=Joseph |date=2023-04-06 |editor-last=Eyre-Walker |editor-first=Adam |title=Evolutionary Genetics and Admixture in African Populations |journal=Genome Biology and Evolution |language=en |volume=15 |issue=4 |article-number=evad054 |doi=10.1093/gbe/evad054 |issn=1759-6653 |pmc=10118306 |pmid=36987563}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Lankheet |first1=Imke |title=Wide-scale Geographical Analysis of Genetic Ancestry in the South African Coloured Population |date=2024-06-14 |url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.06.13.598620v1 |access-date=2024-12-16 |language=en |doi=10.1101/2024.06.13.598620 |last2=Hammarén |first2=Rickard |last3=Caballero |first3=Lucía Ximena Alva |last4=Larena |first4=Maximilian |last5=Malmström |first5=Helena |last6=Jolly |first6=Cecile |last7=Soodyall |first7=Himla |last8=Jongh |first8=Michael de |last9=Schlebusch |first9=Carina|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Petersen |first1=Desiree C. |last2=Libiger |first2=Ondrej |last3=Tindall |first3=Elizabeth A. |last4=Hardie |first4=Rae-Anne |last5=Hannick |first5=Linda I. |last6=Glashoff |first6=Richard H. |last7=Mukerji |first7=Mitali |last8=Indian Genome Variation Consortium |last9=Fernandez |first9=Pedro |last10=Haacke |first10=Wilfrid |last11=Schork |first11=Nicholas J. |last12=Hayes |first12=Vanessa M. |date=2013-03-14 |editor-last=Williams |editor-first=Scott M. |title=Complex Patterns of Genomic Admixture within Southern Africa |journal=PLOS Genetics |language=en |volume=9 |issue=3 |article-number=e1003309 |doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.1003309 |doi-access=free |pmid=23516368 |pmc=3597481 |issn=1553-7404}}</ref>
* [[Khoisan languages|Khoisan-speaking Africans]]: ~25.3%
* [[Bantu peoples|Bantu-speaking Africans]]: ~15.5%
* [[Demographics of Europe|Ethnic groups in Europe]]: ~39.3%
* [[Asian people]]s: ~19.9%

Below are the approximate ranges for each ancestral component based on genetic studies and historical accounts:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who are the Cape Coloureds of South Africa? |url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/who-are-the-cape-coloureds-of-south-africa |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Discover Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

* '''[[African people|African Ancestry]]:''' Range: ~ 30-68%
* '''[[Demographics of Europe|European Ancestry]]:''' Range: ~ 20-70%
* '''[[Asian people|Asian Ancestry]]:''' Range: ~ 20-40%
* '''[[Middle Eastern|Middle Eastern Ancestry]]:''' Range: ~ 5-15%

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and individual results may vary. The ancestry of Cape Coloureds can be diverse and complex.

The genetic reference cluster term "Khoisan" itself refers to a colonially admixed population cluster, hence the concatenation, and is not a straightforward reference to ancient African pastoralist and hunter ancestry, which is often demarcated by the L0 haplogroup ancestry common in the general South African native population, which is also integral part of other aboriginal genetic reference cluster terms like "South-East African Bantu".<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barbieri |first1=Chiara |last2=Vicente |first2=Mário |last3=Rocha |first3=Jorge |last4=Mpoloka |first4=Sununguko W. |last5=Stoneking |first5=Mark |last6=Pakendorf |first6=Brigitte |date=2013-02-07 |title=Ancient Substructure in Early mtDNA Lineages of Southern Africa |journal=American Journal of Human Genetics |volume=92 |issue=2 |pages=285–292 |doi=10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.12.010 |issn=0002-9297 |pmc=3567273 |pmid=23332919}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
A separate Dutch Reformed Church, the ''Dutch Reformed Mission Church'' (DRMC), was formed in 1881 to serve the Cape Coloured Calvinist population separately from the [[Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK)]]. It was merged in 1994 with the ''[[Dutch Reformed Church in Africa]]'' (DRCA, formed 1963) to form the [[Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Success in the spread of Catholicism among Afrikaans speakers, including Coloured communities, remained minimal until the death throes of [[Apartheid]] during the mid to late 1980s. As Catholic texts began to be translated into Afrikaans, sympathetic [[Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa|Dutch Reformed]] pastors, who were defying the traditional [[anti-Catholicism]] of their Church, assisted in correcting linguistic errors. By 1996, the majority of Afrikaans-speaking Catholics came from the [[Coloured]] community, with a smaller number of [[Afrikaner]] converts, most of whom were from professional backgrounds.<ref>[https://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=2943 Afrikaans-Speaking Catholics in the Rainbow Republic], [[Catholic World News]], 14 November 1996.</ref>

[[Sunni Islam]] remains in practice among [[Cape Malays]], who were generally regarded as a separate ethnoreligious group under apartheid.

==Origin and history==

The first and the largest phase of [[interracial marriages]]/[[miscegenation]] in South Africa happened in the [[Dutch Cape Colony]] which began from the 17th century, shortly after the arrival of Dutch settlers, who were led by [[Jan van Riebeeck]].<ref>{{cite journal | jstor=4390778 | title=Miscegenation in South Africa | last1=Van Den Berghe | first1=Pierre L. | journal=Cahiers d'Études Africaines | date=1960 | volume=1 | issue=4 | pages=68–84 | doi=10.3406/cea.1960.3680 }}</ref> When the Dutch settled in the Cape in 1652, they met the [[Khoi Khoi]] who were the natives of the area.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/mind/who-are-the-cape-coloureds-of-south-africa | title=Who are the Cape Coloureds of South Africa? }}</ref> After settling in the Cape, the Dutch established farms that required intensive labour, therefore they enforced [[Slavery in South Africa|slavery in the Cape]]. Some of the [[Khoi Khoi]] became labourers for the Dutch farmers in the Cape. Despite this, there was resistance by the Khoi Khoi, which led to the [[Khoikhoi-Dutch Wars]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.africarebirth.com/how-indigenous-south-africans-resisted-the-first-european-intruders/ | title=How Indigenous South Africans Resisted the First European Intruders | date=24 October 2023 }}</ref>

As a result, the Dutch imported slaves from other parts of the world, especially the [[Malay people]] from present-day Indonesia and the [[Bantu peoples|Bantu people]] from various parts of [[Southern Africa]].<ref name="The Early Cape Slave Trade {{pipe}} S">{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/early-cape-slave-trade | title=The Early Cape Slave Trade {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> To a certain extent, slaves were also imported from Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh (also known as Bengal), Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Madagascar, Mauritius and the rest of Africa.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Groenewald | first1=Gerald | title=Slaves and Free Blacks in VOC Cape Town, 1652–1795 | journal=History Compass | date=2010 | volume=8 | issue=9 | pages=964–983 | doi=10.1111/J.1478-0542.2010.00724.X | url=https://www.academia.edu/8018427 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Skies | first1=Infinite | title=CAMISSA HERITAGE - Origin and History of South African Cape Coloured People | date=10 March 2019 | url=https://www.academia.edu/38523613 }}</ref> Because of this, the Cape had the most diverse slave population in the world.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Groenewald | first1=Gerald | title=Slaves and Free Blacks in VOC Cape Town, 1652–1795 | journal=History Compass | date=2010 | volume=8 | issue=9 | pages=964–983 | doi=10.1111/J.1478-0542.2010.00724.X | url=https://www.academia.edu/8018427 }}</ref> The slaves were almost invariably given Christian names but their places of origin were indicated in the records of sales and other documents, so that it is possible to estimate the ratio of slaves from different regions.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/first-slaves-cape | title=The First Slaves at the Cape {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> Usually, slaves were given their masters' surnames, surnames that referred to the characters in the bible (e.g. Adams, Jephta, Thomas, Esau, Solomons, Jacobs, Matthews, Peters, Daniels), surnames that reflected the month when they arrived in the Cape (e.g. September, March/Maart, January/Januarie, April), surnames that referred to Greek and Roman mythology (e.g. Cupido, Adonis, Titus, Hannibal) or surnames that referred to the geographical location where they came from (e.g. Afrika from different parts of mainland Africa, Balie from [[Bali]] in Indonesia and Malgas which referred to the [[Malagasy people]] from Madagascar).<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Groenewald | first1=Gerald | title=Slaves and Free Blacks in VOC Cape Town, 1652–1795 | journal=History Compass | date=2010 | volume=8 | issue=9 | pages=964–983 | doi=10.1111/J.1478-0542.2010.00724.X | url=https://www.academia.edu/8018427 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=The slave experience – Slavery in South Africa | url=https://slavery.iziko.org.za/slaveexperience/#:~:text=Examples%20of%20such%20names%20are%3A%20Fortuijn%20%28English%20%3D,surnames%20such%20as%20January%2C%20February%2C%20September%20o }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bPuGewLPUE | title=I'm Not Black, I'm Coloured - South Africa (2009) | website=[[YouTube]] | date=6 April 2024 }}</ref> These slaves were, however, dispersed and lost their cultural identity over the course of time.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-slavery-and-early-colonisation-south-africa | title=History of slavery and early colonisation in South Africa {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref>

Even in the early years of colonialism, the area that became known as [[Cape Town]] became of international interest because it was the perfect halfway point for the trade route between Europe and Asia, which made Cape Town a vital trading station.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Arrival of the Dutch: VOC, Cape Colony, and Early Settlers | date=27 February 2025 | url=https://historyrise.com/the-arrival-of-the-dutch-voc-cape-colony-and-the-early-settler-era/ }}</ref> This is the main reason why the Cape was colonised by the Dutch so that the VOC could control and benefit from the Cape-Sea Route. This is also the main reason why the Dutch Cape Colony (especially in Cape Town) became a melting pot of people who came from different parts of the world.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cape Melting Pot the Role and Status of the Mixed Population at the Cape 1652-1795 | url=https://docslib.org/doc/7111625/cape-melting-pot-the-role-and-status-of-the-mixed-population-at-the-cape-1652-1795 }}</ref> The majority of the early Europeans who settled in the Cape were men because they were mostly traders, sailors, soldiers, explorers, farmers and politicians who rarely brought their families with them; therefore, they created new families in the Cape.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cape Melting Pot the Role and Status of the Mixed Population at the Cape 1652-1795 | url=https://docslib.org/doc/7111625/cape-melting-pot-the-role-and-status-of-the-mixed-population-at-the-cape-1652-1795 }}</ref>

Because most of the Dutch settlers in the Cape were men, many of them married and fathered the first group of mixed-race children with the local Khoi Khoi women.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cape Melting Pot the Role and Status of the Mixed Population at the Cape 1652-1795 | url=https://docslib.org/doc/7111625/cape-melting-pot-the-role-and-status-of-the-mixed-population-at-the-cape-1652-1795 }}</ref> Soon after the arrival of slaves, the Dutch men also married and fathered mixed-race children with the [[Malay Indonesians|Malay]] from Indonesia, the Southern African Bantu, Indians and other enslaved ethnic groups in the Cape.<ref name="study.com">https://study.com/academy/lesson/cape-coloureds-origins-culture.html?msockid=31e14f9a4e30671f2e725b284f306666 {{Bare URL inline|date=July 2025}}</ref> To a certain extent, the slaves in the Cape also had interracial unions with each other and mixed-race children were also conceived from these unions as well because the slaves were of different races ([[Demographics of Africa|African]] and [[Asian people|Asian]]).<ref>{{cite web | title=History of Camissa People | date=21 June 2019 | url=https://camissapeople.wordpress.com/history-of-camissa-people/ }}</ref> Some of these slaves also intermixed with the local Khoi Khoi workers and another group of children were born with diverse heritage.<ref>{{cite web | title=History of Camissa People | date=21 June 2019 | url=https://camissapeople.wordpress.com/history-of-camissa-people/ }}</ref> Unlike the [[One-drop rule]] in the US, the Dutch settlers in the Cape did not view mixed-race children as "white enough to be white", "black enough to be black" nor "Asian enough to be Asian", therefore, mixed race children from all these interracial unions in the Cape grew up, came together and married amongst themselves, forming their own community that would later be known as the [[Cape Coloured]] (a term that was given by the Apartheid regime during the 20th century).<ref name="aaregistry.org">{{cite web | url=https://aaregistry.org/story/the-coloured-communities-of-southern-africa-a-story/ | title=The Coloured Communities of Southern Africa, a story }}</ref>

[[File:Krotoa.webp|thumb|[[Krotoa]], a Khoi Khoi woman who was the first indigenous person in South Africa to have an official interracial marriage]]

The first interracial marriage in the Cape was between [[Krotoa]] (a Khoi Khoi woman who was a servant, a translator and a crucial negotiator between the Dutch and the Khoi Khoi. Her Dutch name was Eva Van Meerhof) and [[Peter Havgard]] (a Danish surgeon whom the Dutch renamed Pieter Van Meerhof).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/krotoa-eva | title=Krotoa (Eva) {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> Having conceived 3 mixed-race children, Krotoa was also known as the mother that gave birth to the Coloured community in South Africa.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://humanities.uct.ac.za/apc/love-time-imperialism-krotoa-eva-van-meerhof | title=Love in the time of imperialism: Krotoa 'Eva' van Meerhof {{pipe}} University of Cape Town }}</ref>

Eventually, more Dutch people settled in the Cape until the Cape fell under British rule in the early 19th century.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Arrival of the Dutch: VOC, Cape Colony, and Early Settlers | date=27 February 2025 | url=https://historyrise.com/the-arrival-of-the-dutch-voc-cape-colony-and-the-early-settler-era/ }}</ref> Amongst them were the Van Wijk family (whose descendants became Van Wyk) who arrived in the Cape in 1686, and the Erasmus family who arrived in 1689.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sahistory.org.za/article/dutch-settlement | title=The Dutch Settlement {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref><ref>https://www.candlewoodsvenue.co.za/images/CandlewoodsHistory.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://familyvanwyk.blogspot.com/2007/04/history-of-van-wyk-family-name.html | title=Van Wyk Family: History of the van Wyk Family Name | date=24 April 2007 }}</ref> The arrival of more Dutch people in the Cape led to the recruitment of more Khoi Khoi labourers and the importation of more slaves from different parts of Asia and Africa.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Worden | first1=Nigel | last2=Malan | first2=Antonia | title=17 Constructing and Contesting Histories of Slavery at the Cape, South Africa | date=19 January 2017 | url=https://www.academia.edu/30997994 }}</ref> From the mid-17th century until the 19th century and the 20th century, all the Dutch surnames in the Cape region and the rest of South Africa evolved into Afrikaans surnames which are the most common surnames amongst White South Africans and Coloured South Africans e.g. Van Niekerk, Strydom (from 'Strijdom'), De Waal, Pietersen, Van Rooyen, Van Tonder, Hanekom, Steenhuisen, De Jongh (from De Jong), Van Wyk, Van Der Walt, Van Der Merwe, Koekemoer, Meintjies, Beukes, Van Der Bijl, Uys, Oosthuizen, Theunissen, Pieterse, Willemse and Nieuwoudt.

The [[Huguenots]] (also known as 'French Huguenots') were French Protestants who escaped from the banishment and persecution of Protestants in France, and many of them immigrated to the Dutch Cape Colony to seek refuge amongst the existing Dutch community during the late 1600s and early 1700s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://huguenotsociety.org.za/history-of-the-huguenots/ | title=The Huguenot History }}</ref><ref>https://huguenotsociety.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/HUGUENOT_SOCIETY-SA_History.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=July 2025}}</ref> Despite being refugees, they played a huge role on the history of the current [[Afrikaans|Afrikaans-speaking community]], the Cape region as a whole and the rest of South Africa. Coming from a country with a history of wine production, these [[Huguenots in South Africa|French refugees]] pioneered the vineyards of the Cape Winelands, turning it into one of the biggest wine producers in the world.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://southafrica.co.za/french-huguenots.html | title=The French Huguenots - Franschhoek, South Africa }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/biggest-wine-producers-by-country/ | title=Ranked: World's Biggest Wine Producers by Country | date=18 August 2023 }}</ref> Although many Huguenots who arrived in the Cape were already married, their children and descendants were soon absorbed into the entire Cape society and after few generations, they spoke [[Dutch language|Dutch]], not [[French language|French]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/first-large-group-french-huguenots-arrive-cape | title=The first large group of French Huguenots arrive at the Cape {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> Just like many White Afrikaans speakers, many Coloured Afrikaans speakers (especially those from the current Western Cape, Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape) also have some ancestry from France due to the Huguenots who integrated with the Dutch and other ethnic groups in the Cape region.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite journal |last=Romero |first=Patricia |date=2004-01-01 |title=Encounter at the Cape: French Huguenots, the Khoi and Other People of Color |url=https://www.academia.edu/109760433 |journal=Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History |doi=10.1353/CCH.2004.0038}}</ref> Through the impact of the Huguenots in the Cape, French names became very popular within the Afrikaans-speaking community (both White and Coloured) e.g. Jacques, Cheryl, Elaine, André, Michelle, Louis, Chantel/Chantelle, Leon, François, Jaden, Rozanne, Leroy, Monique, René and Lionel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top 1,000 French Names (Male and Female) |url=https://listophile.com/names/nationality/french/ |access-date=2025-08-22 |website=Listophile |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="ReferenceB"/> Due to integration with the Dutch and other ethnic groups in the Cape, there are many Afrikaans surnames of French origin e.g. [[Delport]], [[Nel (name)|Nel]], [[Du Preez]], [[Leroux (surname)|Le Roux]], [[De Villiers]], [[Joubert]], [[Marais (surname)|Marais]], [[Du Plessis]], [[Visagie]], [[Pienaar]], De Klerk(from 'Le Clerc'), [[Fourie]], Theron, [[Cronje]], [[Viljoen]] (from 'Villion'), [[Du Toit]], [[Reyneke]], Malan, [[Naude]], [[Terblanche]], [[De Lille]], Fouche, [[Minnaar]], [[Blignaut]], [[Retief]], [[Boshoff]], [[Rossouw]], [[Olivier (surname)|Olivier]] and [[Cilliers]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oocities.org/hugenoteblad/surname.htm?202523 | title=Huguenot surnames which exist in South Africa }}</ref>

During the 1600s and the 1700s, Germany was the Netherlands' biggest trading partner in Europe and due to their good relations, more than 100,000 Germans were recruited by the [[Dutch East India Company|VOC]], making Germans the largest group of foreign Europeans in the Dutch empire.<ref name="ghil.hypotheses.org">{{Cite web |author=Olga Witmer |date=2020-09-15 |title=Germans, the Dutch East India Company, and Early Colonial South Africa |website=German Historical Institute London Blog |url=https://ghil.hypotheses.org/23 |doi=10.58079/P1PG |doi-access=free}}</ref> Throughout Dutch rule, the VOC sent nearly 15,000 Germans to the Dutch Cape Colony to work as officials, sailors, administrators and soldiers.<ref name="ghil.hypotheses.org"/> Just like the French Huguenots, the Germans in the Dutch Cape Colony were also assimilated into the existing Dutch community and they also learnt Dutch which replaced [[German language|German]].<ref>https://www.cdbooks-r-us.com/supportdocs/personaliapreface.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=July 2025}}</ref> Eventually, Germans in the Cape became farmers, teachers, traders and ministers.<ref name="ghil.hypotheses.org"/> Almost all Germans who settled in the Cape throughout the Dutch rule were men and therefore, almost all German men in the Cape married women outside their culture (including African and Asian women).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://safrika.org/Personalia_en.html | title=German Immigrants to the Cape Colony under the Dutch 1652-1806 }}</ref><ref name="ghil.hypotheses.org"/> Due to integration with the Dutch and other ethnic groups in the Cape, there are many Afrikaans surnames of German origin e.g. Klaasen, [[Ackerman (surname)|Ackerman]], [[Vosloo]], [[Hertzog (disambiguation)|Hertzog]], [[Botha]], [[Grobler]], [[Hartzenberg]], [[Pretorius]], [[Booysen]], [[Steenkamp]], [[Kruger]] (from '[[Krüger]]'), [[Louw]], [[Venter]], [[Cloete (surname)|Cloete]], [[Schoeman]], [[Mulder]], [[Kriel]], [[Meyer (surname)|Meyer]], [[Breytenbach]], [[Engelbrecht]], [[Potgieter]], [[Muller]], Maritz, [[Liebenberg]], [[Hoffman]], [[Fleischmann (surname)|Fleischman]], [[Weimers]], and [[Schuster]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://afrikanerway.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/german-influence-on-boer-afrikaner-people/#:~:text=Some%20of%20the%20most%20common%20Afrikaner%20surnames%20are,Muller%20%28M%C3%BCller%29%2C%20Meyer%2C%20Potgieter%2C%20Schoeman%20%28Schuman%29%20or%20Liebenberg | title=German influence on Boer-Afrikaner people | date=17 November 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://venere.it/en/the-meaning-and-history-of-the-last-name-grobler | title=The meaning and history of the last name Grobler | date=31 July 2024 }}</ref> 

Another group of Europeans who settled in the Dutch Cape Colony came from Northern Europe, specifically [[Scandinavia]]. In fact, they were among the earliest Europeans who settled in the Cape Colony, along with the Dutch and the Germans. Most Scandinavians in the Cape were VOC workers, while others were independent traders who also needed the Cape as a halfway point to Asia and vice versa.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Winquist | first1=Alan | title=Scandinavians and South Africa | journal=Ayres Special Collection | date=January 1978 | url=https://pillars.taylor.edu/ayres-collection-books/12/ }}</ref> The Scandinavians in the Cape mostly came from Sweden and Denmark, while some also came from Norway and Finland.<ref>https://pillars.taylor.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=ayres-collection-books</ref> As the VOC struggled to find Dutch volunteers to become workers, it turned to the Scandinavians. Scandinavians in the Cape were mostly missionaries, soldiers, administrators, traders, teachers, nurses, doctors and public servants.<ref>https://pillars.taylor.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=ayres-collection-books</ref> One of the earliest Scandinavians to settle in the Cape was the Danish husband of [[Krotoa]], [[Peter Havgard]], whose Dutch name was '[[Pieter Van Meerhof]]'.<ref>https://pillars.taylor.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=ayres-collection-books</ref> One of the most prominent Scandinavians in the Cape was the Swedish explorer and VOC official [[Olof Bergh]] (whose wife, Anna De Konnning, was mixed-race).<ref>https://pillars.taylor.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=ayres-collection-books</ref> Just like many White Afrikaans speakers, many Cape Coloureds also have some ancestry from Northern Europe (especially Sweden and Denmark) because of these Scandinavians who integrated with the Dutch and other ethnic groups in the Cape region.<ref>https://pillars.taylor.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=ayres-collection-books</ref> The popular Afrikaans surname 'Trichardt'/'Triegaardt' originates from the Swedish surname '[[Trädgård]]'.<ref>https://pillars.taylor.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=ayres-collection-books</ref> Other surnames of Scandinavian origin also became part of the Afrikaans-speaking community e.g. [[Zeederberg]], [[Knoetze]], [[Blomerus]], [[Wentzel]], [[Lindeque]]/[[Lindeques]] (from the Swedish surname '[[Lindequast]]').<ref>https://pillars.taylor.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=ayres-collection-books</ref> 

Some Portuguese people also settled in the Cape and were integrated into Cape society, which is how the Portuguese surname [[Ferreira (surname)|Ferreira]] ended up being an Afrikaans surname as well.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.baviaans.net/articles/the_ferreira_family_in_sa | title=The Ferreira Family in SA }}</ref> Overtime, the white community of the Cape evolved into an ethnic group of [[White South Africans]] who are now known as [[Boers]]/[[Afrikaners]].

With the arrival of more Europeans (as mentioned above), more African and Asian slaves and the recruitment of more Khoi Khoi labourers in the Cape Colony, there were more interracial unions resulting in mixed-race children who were absorbed into the Cape Coloured community.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/the-cape-coloureds-are-a-mix-of-everything | title=The Cape Coloureds are a mix of everything }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://safrika.org/Personalia_en.html | title=German Immigrants to the Cape Colony under the Dutch 1652-1806 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://museeprotestant.org/en/notice/the-huguenots-in-south-africa/ | title=The Huguenots in South Africa }}</ref> The recruitment of Khoi Khoi labourers and the importation of African and Asian slaves continued until the Cape fell under British rule in the early 1800s and eventually, these slaves and labourers were absorbed into the Cape Coloured community.<ref name="The Early Cape Slave Trade {{pipe}} S"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.studocu.com/en-za/document/university-of-johannesburg/historical-studies-1b/khoikhoi-dutch-relations/62351724 | title=Khoikhoi -Dutch relations - Aboriginal Khoikhoi Servants and Their Masters in Colonial Swellendam, - Studocu }}</ref>

The most notorious ethnic group of Asian slaves in the Cape were the [[Malay race|Malays]] who came from Indonesia, while some also came from [[Malaysian Malays|Malaysia]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://henristeenkamp.org/south-africas-forgotten-minority-cape-malays/ | title=South Africa's Forgotten Minority: The Cape Malays - Henri Steenkamp | date=10 February 2017 }}</ref> Because Indonesia and Malaysia are both predominantly Muslim states, the slaves who were taken from these 2 countries introduced Islam in the Dutch Cape Colony, which became the 2nd largest religion amongst Cape Coloureds, after Christianity.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/history-muslims-south-africa-1700-1799-ebrahim-mahomed-mahida | title=History of Muslims in South Africa: 1700 - 1799 by Ebrahim Mahomed Mahida {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> Just like the Christians, these Muslims also spread Islam through missionary work, hence it became the 2nd largest religion amongst Cape Coloureds.<ref>https://naqshbandi.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/PAGES-FROM-CAPE-MUSLIM-HISTORY-V3.pdf</ref> Muslim Malays were also known as 'Mardyckers'.<ref>https://www.kapsztad.com/galeria/coloured.pdf</ref> However, many Malays were also non-Muslims, therefore they also converted to Christianity. Many Malays were also sent to the Dutch Cape Colony as exiled prisoners who ended up as slaves as a punishment for rebelling against Dutch rule in Indonesia (which was then called the [[Dutch East Indies]]).<ref name="The Cape Malay {{pipe}} South African">{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/cape-malay | title=The Cape Malay {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> These Malays had the largest none-European influence in the Cape Colony under Dutch rule.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Cape Malay {{pipe}} PDF | url=https://www.scribd.com/document/799458895/The-Cape-Malay }}</ref> The main reason behind this influence was that, unlike other enslaved ethnic groups in the Cape, Malay slaves were also royals, clerks, former politicians and former religious leaders who were initially brought as exiled prisoners; therefore, they used their influence and power to become prominent figures amongst the oppressed and enslaved people of the Cape.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Cape Malay {{pipe}} PDF | url=https://www.scribd.com/document/799458895/The-Cape-Malay }}</ref> These exiled prisoners include [[Tuan Guru]] (an exiled Indonesian prince who founded the first mosque in South Africa which is located in the [[Bo-kaap]], Cape Town) and [[Sheikh Yusuf]] (an Indonesian Muslim who was exiled to the Cape. The town of [[Macassar, Western Cape|Macassar]] near Cape Town was named after his hometown, [[Makassar]] in Indonesia).<ref>{{cite web | title=The Cape Malay {{pipe}} PDF | url=https://www.scribd.com/document/799458895/The-Cape-Malay }}</ref> Through the influence of these Malays, Islam also became a home of refuge for the other slaves and the Khoi Khoi labourers.<ref>https://repository.up.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/32132c3b-2dca-4cc1-ab53-bb4f64d5c0ec/content</ref>

Although the majority of Malays in the Cape were interracially mixed into the Cape Coloured community, a small minority of them preserved their own community in order to keep their culture and influence alive, therefore, they became known as the '[[Cape Malays]]' (also known as the 'Cape Muslims').<ref>{{cite web | title=The Preservation of Cape Malay Culture in Cape Town — plak.co.za | date=27 March 2025 | url=https://plak.co.za/the-preservation-of-cape-malay-culture-in-cape-town/ }}</ref> Because of their massive influence, other Muslims in the Cape (especially Indian slaves, East African slaves and the latter immigrants and indentured labourers from the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, India, Indonesia and Zanzibar who settled when the Cape Colony was under British rule during the 1800s and the early 1900s) were eventually absorbed into the Cape Malay community, therefore the Cape Malays were also creolised.<ref>https://naqshbandi.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/PAGES-FROM-CAPE-MUSLIM-HISTORY-V3.pdf</ref> To a smaller extent, even Khoi Khoi people, Coloured people and White people who converted to Islam were also assimilated into the Cape Malay community.<ref>https://taalmuseum.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Cape-Malay-a-South-African-Muslim-identity-borne-out-of-colonialism-aug-2021.pdf</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Da Costa | first1=Yusuf | title=Assimilatory processes amongst the Cape Muslims in South Africa during the 19th century | journal=South African Journal of Sociology | date=1992 | volume=23 | pages=5–11 | doi=10.1080/02580144.1992.10520103 | url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/02580144.1992.10520103?needAccess=true | url-access=subscription }}</ref> Due to many similarities between the Cape Coloureds and the Cape Malays, the two communities became intertwined, especially in Cape Town.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Cape Malay {{pipe}} PDF | url=https://www.scribd.com/document/799458895/The-Cape-Malay }}</ref> With the expansion of the Cape Territory, the spreading of Islam and other factors, many Cape Malays migrated to different parts of the Cape region; with some going as far as Port Elizabeth to the East while others went as far as Kimberly to the North.<ref>{{cite web | title=Conflict of Identities: The Case of South Africa's Cape Malays | url=https://uun-halimah.blogspot.com/2008/11/conflict-of-identities-case-of-south.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Malays Create a Niche | date=17 March 2017 | url=https://thecasualobserver.co.za/port-elizabeth-yore-malay-population-port-elizabeth/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=History of Muslims in South Africa: 1652 - 1699 by Ebrahim Mahomed Mahida {{pipe}} South African History Online | url=https://sahistory.org.za/archive/history-muslims-south-africa-1652-1699-ebrahim-mahomed-mahida }}</ref><ref>https://www.spu.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/03MalayCamp/AfricanaLibrary/03Newspaper_Documents/n.d.-Historical-view-of-the-Malay-Camp-p1-6.pdf</ref> Some Cape Malays even went beyond the Cape region and migrated into the interior of South Africa, especially after the discovery of gold in Johannesburg in 1886.<ref>{{cite web | title=Conflict of Identities: The Case of South Africa's Cape Malays | url=https://uun-halimah.blogspot.com/2008/11/conflict-of-identities-case-of-south.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Research Portal | url=https://ujcontent.uj.ac.za/esploro/outputs/graduate/The-Malay-community-of-Gauteng-syncretism/9913888607691 }}</ref> However, during [[Apartheid]], the Cape Malays were classified as a sub-group of 'Coloureds' due to similar ancestry with the Cape Coloureds and because South Africa's population was grouped into four races under the [[Population Registration Act, 1950]]: [[Bantu peoples of South Africa|Black]], [[White South Africans|White]], Coloured and [[Indian South Africans|Indian]].<ref name="journals.co.za">{{cite journal | hdl = 10520/AJA10231757_695 | title = The Quest for 'Malay' identity in Apartheid South Africa | first = Goolam | last = Vahed | journal = Alternation | volume = 11 | year = 2004 | url = https://journals.co.za/doi/pdf/10.10520/AJA10231757_695 }}</ref> Therefore, many Cape Malays were forced to live in Coloured communities under the [[Group Areas Act]] during Apartheid.<ref>{{cite web | title=Conflict of Identities: The Case of South Africa's Cape Malays | url=https://uun-halimah.blogspot.com/2008/11/conflict-of-identities-case-of-south.html }}</ref>

Before the Malays, the first Asian slaves who were brought to the Cape were the Indians, followed by Sri Lankans and the Bangladeshis (also known as 'Bengali'). Due to its spices and other goods, India was a vital trading partner for the Netherlands, hence the Dutch East India Company. Within the same era that the Cape was colonised, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were colonised by the Dutch.<ref>{{cite web | title=Indian Slaves in South Africa: Notes for monograph, 26 June 1995 {{pipe}} South African History Online | url=https://sahistory.org.za/archive/indian-slaves-south-africa-notes-monograph-26-june-1995#:~:text=Indians%20were%20taken%20into%20slavery%20in%20South%20Africa,Indians%20were%20taken%20into%20slavery%20in%20the%20Cape }}</ref> From the beginning of slavery until the Cape fell under British rule, many Indians, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis were brought to the Cape as slaves. These South Asian slaves were mostly farmworkers, carpenters, craftsmen, domestic workers and cooks. One of the earliest and most prominent Indian slaves in the Cape was [[Angela Van Bengale]] (who hailed from the region of [[Bengal]]), who had a marriage and relationships with different white men and conceived 10 mixed-race children. At one stage, Indians were the largest group of Asian slaves until the numbers dropped during the 18th century due to the restricted importation of Asian slaves.<ref>{{cite web | title=Indian Slaves in South Africa: Notes for monograph, 26 June 1995 {{pipe}} South African History Online | url=https://sahistory.org.za/archive/indian-slaves-south-africa-notes-monograph-26-june-1995#:~:text=Indians%20were%20taken%20into%20slavery%20in%20South%20Africa,Indians%20were%20taken%20into%20slavery%20in%20the%20Cape }}</ref> Due to the miscegenation that occurred on a large scale, the majority of Indian slaves, Sri Lankan slaves and Bangladeshi slaves in the Cape were interracially mixed into the Cape Coloured community while the minority of these South Asian slaves (who were Muslims) were assimilated into the Cape Malay community.<ref>https://oxfordre.com/africanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277734-e-1541</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Indian Slaves in South Africa: Notes for monograph, 26 June 1995 {{pipe}} South African History Online | url=https://sahistory.org.za/archive/indian-slaves-south-africa-notes-monograph-26-june-1995#:~:text=Indians%20were%20taken%20into%20slavery%20in%20South%20Africa,Indians%20were%20taken%20into%20slavery%20in%20the%20Cape }}</ref> These Indians also influenced Cape Malay cuisine (with dishes such as butter chicken, roti, samosas, chicken ahni, biryani, fish curry, chicken curry, other curries and the use of many spices), which, in turn, influenced the traditional dishes of the Cape Coloured community especially in the current Western Cape.<ref>{{cite web | title=Cape Malay Cuisine | url=https://southafrica.com/culture/food-recipes/cape-malay-cuisine/#:~:text=Cape%20Malay%20cuisine%20is%20one%20of%20South%20Africa%E2%80%99s,brought%20by%20Dutch%20colonizers%20in%20the%2017th%E2%80%9318th%20centuries }}</ref>

The predominant African slaves in the Cape were the Southern African Bantu (who mostly came from Mozambique and Angola) and the Malagasy people from Madagascar.<ref>{{cite web | title=Slave Routes to the Cape – Slavery in South Africa | url=https://slavery.iziko.org.za/slaveroutestothecape/#:~:text=Slaves%20were%20brought%20from%20Madagascar%2C%20Mozambique%20and%20the,1658%20on%20board%20the%20Dutch%20ship%2C%20the%20Amersfoort }}</ref> African slaves were also imported from Central Africa, West Africa, East Africa and Mauritius.<ref>{{cite web | title=2: African & Asian Enslaved Peoples - Camissa Museum | url=https://camissamuseum.co.za/index.php/7-tributaries/2-african-asian-enslaved-peoples }}</ref> The very first slave ship to arrive in the Cape was the Amersfoort, which carried slaves from Angola.<ref>{{cite web | title=Slave Routes to Cape Town – Slavery in South Africa | url=https://slavery.iziko.org.za/slave_routes_to_cape_town/ }}</ref> The second large group of slaves also came from West Africa.<ref>{{cite web | title=Slave Routes to Cape Town – Slavery in South Africa | url=https://slavery.iziko.org.za/slave_routes_to_cape_town/ }}</ref> In fact, African slaves formed the majority of the slave population in the Dutch Cape Colony.<ref>{{cite web | title=2: African & Asian Enslaved Peoples - Camissa Museum | url=https://www.camissamuseum.co.za/index.php/7-tributaries/2-african-asian-enslaved-peoples }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last1=Skies | first1=Infinite | title=CAMISSA HERITAGE - Origin and History of South African Cape Coloured People | date=10 March 2019 | url=https://www.academia.edu/38523613 }}</ref> The slaves from Mozambique and its surroundings were locally known as 'Masbiekers', which was a Cape Dutch term that referred to Mozambicans.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Skies | first1=Infinite | title=CAMISSA HERITAGE - Origin and History of South African Cape Coloured People | date=10 March 2019 | url=https://www.academia.edu/38523613 }}</ref> To a certain extent, even slaves from East Africa were also known as 'Masbiekers' because most of them sailed passed the [[Island of Mozambique]] before they arrived in the Cape. The [[Masbiekers Valley]] in [[Swellendam]] (also known as '[[Masbiekers Kloof]]') was named as a refuge for the freed Masbieker slaves who had nowhere to go after slavery was abolished.<ref>{{cite web | title=History of Masbiekers Valley | date=20 January 2019 | url=https://masbiekersvalleyprojectorg.wordpress.com/2019/01/20/history-of-masbiekers-valley/ }}</ref> The Bantu slaves (from different parts of Southern Africa, Central Africa and East Africa) also introduced the [[ngoma drum]], which became an instrument used during the [[Kaapse Klopse]].<ref>{{cite web | title=The Cultural Significance of South African Ghoema Music: History, Instruments, and Social Role | date=26 August 2024 | url=https://www.momentslog.com/culture/the-cultural-significance-of-south-african-ghoema-music-history-instruments-and-social-role }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Lydia Williams (Masbiekers) - Camissa Museum | url=https://camissamuseum.co.za/index.php/7-tributaries/2-african-asian-enslaved-peoples/lydia-williams-masbiekers }}</ref> The word 'Ngoma' refers to a drum in most Bantu languages while it also refers to a song in some Bantu languages. Due to the Dutch influence and the massive creolisation, the word 'Ngoma' was creolised into 'Gomma' and it evolved into the term '[[Ghoema]]'.<ref>{{cite web | title=Lydia Williams (Masbiekers) - Camissa Museum | url=https://camissamuseum.co.za/index.php/7-tributaries/2-african-asian-enslaved-peoples/lydia-williams-masbiekers }}</ref> Due to the large-scale miscegenation, the majority of African slaves in the Cape were interracially mixed into the Cape Coloured community.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Skies | first1=Infinite | title=CAMISSA HERITAGE - Origin and History of South African Cape Coloured People | date=10 March 2019 | url=https://www.academia.edu/38523613 }}</ref> African slaves who were Muslims (especially from East Africa, West Africa and Madagascar) were also assimilated into the Cape Malay community.<ref>https://naqshbandi.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/PAGES-FROM-CAPE-MUSLIM-HISTORY-V3.pdf</ref>

During the 17th century (in this case, from 1652 to 1700), the Dutch Cape Colony consisted only of present-day [[Cape Town]] with its surrounding areas (such as [[Paarl]], [[Stellenbosch]] and [[Franschhoek]]).<ref>{{cite journal | jstor=23232400 | title=The Making of Two Frontier Communities: Cape Colony in the Eighteenth Century | last1=Guelke | first1=Leonard | journal=Historical Reflections / Réflexions Historiques | date=1985 | volume=12 | issue=3 | pages=419–448 }}</ref> From the 18th century until the formation of the [[Union of South Africa]] in 1910, the territory of the Cape expanded gradually to the north and east.<ref name="sahistory.org.za">{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/cape-northern-frontier | title=The Cape Northern Frontier {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> The expansion of the Dutch Cape Colony was mainly caused by the dry and infertile nature of its immediate interior, therefore farmers needed fertile land because farms could only be settled where there were springs to provide permanent water.<ref name="sahistory.org.za"/> However, the expansion was also influenced by emigration of the [[Trekboers]], who left the Dutch Cape Colony and migrated into the [[Karoo]] during the 18th century and due to British rule during the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Territorial Expansion of the Cape Colony Eastward Between 1808–1836 |url=https://open.uct.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/6237124e-c438-4a5f-9990-3c611efae274/content |website=open.uct.ac.za}}</ref> By the 1750s, the territory of the Dutch Cape Colony had reached present-day [[Swellendam]] and by the end of the Dutch rule (after British annexation in 1814), the territory of the Cape had already reached certain parts of present-day [[Eastern Cape]] and the [[Northern Cape]], leading to the arrival of Afrikaners/Boers with their multiracial slaves in different parts of the Cape.<ref name="auto">{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/political-changes-1750-1820 | title=Political changes from 1750 to 1820 {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> When the Cape fell under British rule during the 19th century, it continued to expand until it reached the border with other colonies and with the [[Boer republics]]. With the gradual expansion of the Cape, the migration of the trekboer, the migration of Afrikaners/Boers with their multiracial slaves and the additional arrival of various European nationalities (such as the British, Irish etc.), there were more interracial unions throughout the [[Cape Colony|Cape]]: this time between the white and the [[Khoisan]]s in present-day [[Northern Cape]], and between the white and the [[Xhosa people|Xhosa]] in present-day [[Eastern Cape]], with more mixed race children being conceived, who also became part of the Cape Coloureds.<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Southern-Africa/European-and-African-interaction-in-the-19th-century | title=Southern Africa - European and African interaction in the 19th century {{pipe}} Britannica }}</ref>

Miscegenation in the eastern part of the Cape (now the [[Eastern Cape]]) dates to the late 1600s as a result of various shipwrecks.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://camissapeople.wordpress.com/7-steps-of-cape-identity/ | title=Cape Identity | date=19 May 2013 }}</ref> The [[Wild Coast Region, Eastern Cape|Wild Coast Region]] of the Eastern Cape (which stretches from the provincial border with Natal to [[East London, South Africa|East London]] and [[Port Alfred]]) is named after its wilderness and the stormy seas that caused thousands of shipwrecks, especially during the 1700s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wildcoast.co.za/ships-wrecked | title=Ships wrecked {{pipe}} Wild Coast }}</ref> Survivors of the shipwrecks (most of whom were Europeans, with some Asians) settled on the Wild Coast. Having no means to return home, most survivors remained permanently in the Eastern Cape and mixed with the Xhosa.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://scrolla.africa/bessie-the-white-queen-of-the-mpondo-of-the-eastern-cape/ | title=Bessie, the white queen of the Mpondo of the Eastern Cape | date=18 August 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://aiart.africa/index.php/component/content/article/abelungu-a-xhosa-clan-that-raised-a-shipwrecked-white-child-into-a-xhosa-leader?catid=9&Itemid=259 | title=Abelungu - A Xhosa clan that raised a shipwrecked white child into a Xhosa leader }}</ref> Within the same period, many escaped slaves from the Dutch Cape Colony found refuge amongst the Xhosa, then they were assimilated into Xhosa society, and then they were soon followed by the [[Trekboers]] who were on their way to the [[Karoo]], while some of them settled in the Eastern Cape where they mixed with the Xhosa and the Khoi Khoi. The most notorious Trekboer to do so was [[Coenraad de Buys|Coenraad De Buys]], who fathered many mixed-race children with his many African wives (who were Khoi Khoi and Xhosa) and one of them was Chief Ngqika's mother, Yese, wife of Mlawu kaRarabe.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://debuys.blogspot.com/2011/02/who-was-coenraad-de-buys.html | title=De Buys Genealogy: Who was Coenraad de Buys? | date=3 February 2011 }}</ref> During the last years of Dutch rule, the territory of the Dutch Cape Colony had reached the Western portion of the Eastern Cape, especially in the [[Graaff-Reinet]] region, leading to the arrival of Boers/Afrikaners with their multiracial slaves.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/graaff-reinet | title=Graaff-Reinet {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> Miscegenation in the Eastern Cape continued during the 1800s until the early 1900s with the arrival of British, Irish and German settlers, many of whom mixed with the Xhosa and eventually multiracial people in the Eastern Cape also became part of the Cape Coloured.<ref name="britannica.com"/>

In the northern region of the Cape (which is now the [[Northern Cape]]), miscegenation began in the 1700s, shortly after the arrival of the [[Trekboers]] that left the Dutch Cape Colony (fleeing from autocratic rule) and many settled in the [[Karoo]] while some settled in [[Namaqualand]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://southafrica.co.za/trekboers-richtersveld.html | title=Trekboers of the Richtersveld }}</ref> Some Trekboers even went as far as the [[Orange River]] and beyond to the Southern part of the [[Kalahari]] and in all these areas, they met the [[Khoisan]]s(the [[San people|San]] and the [[Khoekhoe|Khoi Khoi]]).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.weskusontheline.co.za/2024/10/04/the-forgotten-highway-ancestral-journeys/ | title=The Forgotten Highway – Ancestral Journeys – First with the News | date=4 October 2024 }}</ref> To survive in this hot and dry region, the Trekboers adopted the nomadic lifestyle of the Khoisan, and some even intermixed with the Khoisan.<ref>{{cite web | title=Trekboers: Chapter 1 of 'The Great Trek' | url=https://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/ransford/chap1.htm }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=South Africa - Emergence of a Settler Society | url=https://countrystudies.us/south-africa/6.htm }}</ref> During the last years of Dutch rule, the territory of the Dutch Cape Colony had reached the southern portion of the Northern Cape, leading to the arrival of Boers/Afrikaners with their multiracial slaves.<ref name="sahistory.org.za"/> In the early 1800s, the [[Griqua people]] left the Dutch Cape Colony and half of them migrated to the north of the Karoo where they established a Griqua state called [[Griqualand West]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/griqualand-west | title=Griqualand West {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> The [[Basters]], [[Oorlam people|Oorlams]] and some Cape Coloureds migrated to the north as well, and some of them even went as far as present-day [[Namibia]].<ref name="camissamuseum.co.za">{{cite web | url=https://camissamuseum.co.za/index.php/7-tributaries/5-maroons-orlam-drosters | title=5: Maroons, Orlam & Drosters - Camissa Museum }}</ref> In the latter half of the 1800s, large sums of diamond, uranium, copper and iron ore were discovered in the Northern Cape which attracted many Europeans, many of whom mixed with the San, Khoi Khoi and Tswana in the north-east and the Xhosa in the south-east; multiracial people in the Northern Cape also became part of the Cape Coloured.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/republic-griqualand-west-or-diggers-republic | title=Republic of Griqualand West or the Digger's Republic {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://pure.uj.ac.za/en/publications/history-of-the-okiep-copper-district-namaqualand-northern-cape-pr | title=History of the Okiep copper district, Namaqualand, Northern Cape Province, South Africa | journal=Mineralogical Record | date=July 2004 | volume=35 | issue=4 | pages=289–317 | last1=Cairncross | first1=Bruce }}</ref><ref name="camissamuseum.co.za"/>

After British annexation in 1814, slavery was abolished in the Cape in 1834, which led to the [[Great Trek]] when the [[Boers]] left the Cape as [[Voortrekkers]] and migrated into the interior of South Africa to form the [[Boer republics]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/slavery-abolished-cape#:~:text=On%201%20December%201834%2C%20slavery%20came%20to%20an,of%20Commons%20and%20by%20the%20House%20of%20Lords | title=Slavery is abolished at the Cape {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref> Most of the freed slaves (who became Cape Coloureds) remained behind. Many freed slaves moved to an area in Cape Town that became known as [[District Six]]. Throughout the 1800s (especially after the abolition of slavery in 1834) and the early 1900s, the Cape received an influx of refugees, immigrants and indentured labourers from Britain, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, St Helena, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, the Middle East, West Africa, North Africa and East Africa. The majority of all these groups were absorbed into the Cape Coloured community.<ref name="academia.edu">{{cite web | url=https://www.academia.edu/38523613 | title=CAMISSA HERITAGE - Origin and History of South African Cape Coloured People | last1=Skies | first1=Infinite | date=10 March 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vilnews.com/2011-01-south-africa|title=Lithuanian footsteps in South Africa|access-date=25 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357167610|title=History of the German Settlers in the Eastern Cape|access-date=25 June 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Felix_Florez.jpg|thumb|Felix Florez, a Filipino man in Kalk Bay in 1863]]

In the 1800s, the Philippines, at the time a Spanish colony, experienced a harsh rebellion against Spanish colonial rule, so many Filipinos fled to different parts of the world. In the late 1830s, the first Filipinos to arrive in the Cape settled in [[Kalk Bay|Kalk Bay, Cape Town]], where they fished for a living, making Kalk Bay their new home.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theheritageportal.co.za/notice/history-filipino-community-recognized-kalk-bay | title=History of Filipino community recognized in Kalk Bay! {{pipe}} the Heritage Portal }}</ref> When word reached the Philippines, many more Filipinos flocked to Kalk Bay, and they were soon scattered throughout Cape Town and other parts of the region that is now the [[Western Cape]], where most of them were eventually absorbed into the Cape Coloured community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kalk Bay Historical Association Bulletin no. 1, March 1997 |url=https://www.kbha.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Bulletin-Number-1.pdf |website=www.kbha.co.za}}</ref> As a result, many Cape Coloureds can trace some of their roots to the Philippines due to the Filipinos of Kalk Bay.<ref name="academia.edu"/> Many Filipinos who settled in the Cape were also [[Filipino Mestizos|mixed]] with some Spanish ancestry as a result of the Spaniards who mixed with the indigenous people of the Philippines, while some were simply [[Spanish Filipinos]] of Spanish descent, therefore, some Cape Coloureds can also trace some of their roots to Spain.<ref name="academia.edu"/> Within the Cape Coloured community, surnames from the Filipinos of Kalk Bay (mostly Spanish surnames) are Gomez, Pascal, Torrez, De La Cruz, Fernandez, Florez (also spelt as 'Floris'), Manuel and Garcia.<ref name="academia.edu"/>

In 1888, Oromo slave children from Ethiopia (who were headed for Arabia) were rescued and freed by British troops.<ref name="theconversation.com">{{cite web | last1=Morton | first1=Fred | editor-first1=Thabo | editor-last1=Leshilo | url=https://theconversation.com/the-story-of-oromo-slaves-bound-for-arabia-who-were-brought-to-south-africa-116607 | title=The story of Oromo slaves bound for Arabia who were brought to South Africa | date=9 May 2019 | doi=10.64628/AAJ.ts9kw33ck }}</ref> In 1890, the British troops brought these freed Oromo slaves to [[Lovedale Mission]] in present-day Eastern Cape where many of them became part of the Cape Coloured.<ref name="theconversation.com"/> The late [[Neville Alexander|Dr Neville Alexander's]] grandmother, Bisho Jarsa, was a freed Oromo slave from Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/dr-neville-edward-alexander | title=Dr. Neville Edward Alexander {{pipe}} South African History Online }}</ref>

By the turn of the 20th century, District Six became more established and cosmopolitan. Although its population was predominantly Cape Coloured, District Six (just like many places in the Cape) was diverse with different ethnicities, races and nationalities living there (this includes Blacks, Whites, Jews, Cape Malays and Asian immigrants such as the Indians, Chinese and Japanese)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://martinplaut.com/2021/02/14/why-cape-towns-district-six-devastated-so-many-years-ago-is-still-vital/ | title=Why Cape Town's District Six – devastated so many years ago – is still vital | date=14 February 2021 }}</ref> Many of these groups were absorbed into the Cape Coloured community.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bokaap.org/district-six-exploring-the-rich-history-of-cape-towns-iconic-neighbourhood/ | title=District Six: Exploring the Rich History of Cape Town's Iconic Neighbourhood | date=12 April 2023 }}</ref> The whole Cape Colony (including the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape) also attracted many European immigrants of various nationalities (including Scandinavians, Portuguese, Greeks and Italians), many of whom married into the Cape Coloured community while some mixed with other ethnic groups, whose children were absorbed into the Cape Coloured community, further diversifying the ancestry of Cape Coloureds.<ref name="study.com"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://italyincapetown.co.za/italians-in-south-africa-1800/ | title=Italians in South Africa 1800 - Italy in Cape Town | date=12 November 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://greekreporter.com/2023/06/08/the-turbulent-story-of-greeks-in-south-africa/|title=The Turbulent Story of Greeks in South Africa|first=Philip|last=Chrysopoulos|date=8 June 2023}}</ref>

During the 20th century (under British rule from 1910 to 1948 and the Apartheid regime from 1948 to 1994), many [[Khoisan]] living in the [[Cape Province]] were assimilated into the Cape Coloured community, especially in the north of the Cape (now the [[Northern Cape]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/khoisan-identity|title=Khoisan Identity {{pipe}} South African History Online|website=www.sahistory.org.za}}</ref> As a result, many Cape Coloureds, especially from the Northern Cape, share close ties with the San and the Khoi Khoi, especially those living in the Namaqualand region, around the Orange river and the Kalahari region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncesc.com/geographic-faq/are-there-still-khoisan-people-in-south-africa/|title=Are there still Khoisan people in South Africa?|first=Carol|last=Richmond|date=20 January 2025}}</ref>

As a result, the Cape Coloureds ended up having the most diverse ancestry in the world, with a blend of many different cultures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44618878|title=Genome-wide analysis of the South African Coloured population in the Western Cape|website=ResearchGate|access-date=25 June 2025}}</ref>

==Cape Coloureds in the media==
[[Image:Cape-Coloured-School-Children.jpg|right|thumb|Cape Coloured school children in [[Mitchells Plain]]]]
[[Image:cape-coloured-children.jpg|right|thumb|Cape Coloured children in [[Bonteheuwel]] township (Cape Town, South Africa)]]
[[Image:Christmas-bands-cape-town.jpg|right|thumb|The Christmas Bands are a popular Cape Coloured cultural tradition in Cape Town.]]

A group of Cape Coloureds were interviewed in the documentary series ''[[Ross Kemp on Gangs]]''. One of the gang members who participated in the interview mentioned that black South Africans have been the main beneficiaries of South African social promotion initiatives while the Cape Coloureds have been further marginalised.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

The 2009 film ''I'm Not Black, I'm Coloured – Identity Crisis at the Cape of Good Hope'' (Monde World Films, US release) is one of the first historical documentary films to explore the legacy of Apartheid through the viewpoint of the Cape Coloured community, including interviews with elders, pastors, members of Parliament, students and everyday people struggling to find their identity in the new South Africa. The film's 2016 sequel ''Word of Honour: Reclaiming Mandela's Promise'' (Monde World Films, US release) <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gotothecrow.com/2011/04/millions-will-watch/ |title=Millions Will Watch |work=The Bloomington Crow |date=3 April 2011 |access-date=2013-01-26|first= Gina |last=Szafraniec|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110427170434/http://www.gotothecrow.com/2011/04/millions-will-watch/|archive-date=2011-04-27}}</ref>

Various books have covered the subject matter of Coloured identity and heritage.{{Who|date=March 2024}}

Patric Tariq Mellet, heritage activist and author of 'The Camissa Embrace' and co-creator of The Camissa Museum, has composed a vast online blog archive ('Camissa People') of heritage information concerning Coloured ancestry tracing to the Indigenous San and Khoe and Malagasy, East African, Indonesian, Indian, Bengal and Sri Lankan slaves.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

==Terminology==
The term "[[coloureds]]" is currently treated as a neutral description in Southern Africa, classifying people of mixed race ancestry. "Coloured" may be seen as offensive in some other western countries, such as Britain and the United States of America.<ref name="news_BBCN">{{Cite web |title=Is the word 'coloured' offensive? |work=BBC News |date=9 November 2006 |access-date=5 June 2019 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6132672.stm }}</ref>

The most used racial slurs against Cape Coloureds are [[Hottentot (racial term)|Hottentot]] or ''hotnot'' and [[Kaffir (racial term)|Kaffir]]. The term "hotnot" is a derogatory term used to refer to [[Khoisan people]] and coloureds in South Africa. The term originated from the Dutch language, where "Hottentot" was used to describe a language spoken by the Khoisan people. It later came to be used as a derogatory term for the people themselves, based on European perceptions of their physical appearance and culture. The term is often used to demean and dehumanize Khoisan and coloured people, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and discrimination against them.<ref name="Adhikari2005">{{cite book |last1=Adhikari |first1=Mohamed |title=Not White Enough, Not Black Enough: Racial Identity in the South African Coloured Community |date=17 November 2005 |publisher=Ohio University Press |isbn=978-0-89680-442-5 |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qLw8KzRbRdQC&pg=PA28 |language=en}}</ref> The term "Kaffir" is a racial slur used to refer to coloured people and black people in South Africa. It originated from Arabic and was used to refer to non-Muslims. Later, it was used by European-descended South Africans to refer to black and coloured people during the apartheid era, and the term became associated with racism and oppression. While it is still used against Coloured people, it is not as prevalent as it is against black people.<ref>Adhikari, Mohamed, editor. Burdened by Race: Coloured Identities in Southern Africa. UCT Press, 2013, pp. 69, 124, 203 {{ISBN|978-1-92051-660-4}} https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/c0a95c41-a983-49fc-ac1f-7720d607340d/628130.pdf.</ref><ref>Mathabane, M. (1986). Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa. Simon & Schuster. (Chapter 2)</ref>

== People==
===Politicians===
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦---> 
* [[Midi Achmat]], South African writer and [[LGBT rights activist]]
* [[Zackie Achmat]], South African HIV/AIDS activist and filmmaker
* [[Neville Alexander]], Political activist, educationalist and lecturer.
* [[Allan Boesak]], Political activist and cleric.
* [[Patricia de Lille]], former [[Pan Africanist Congress of Azania|PAC]], then [[Independent Democrats]] leader, then [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]] mayor of [[Cape Town]], now leader of Good Party
* [[Tony Ehrenreich]], South African [[trades union]]ist.
* [[Zainunnisa Gool]], South African Political activist and representative on the [[Cape Town City Council]].
* [[Alex La Guma]], South African novelist and leader of the South African Coloured People's Organisation.
* [[Trevor Manuel]], former Finance Minister, currently Head of the [[National Planning Commission of South Africa]].
* [[Peter Marais]], former Unicity Mayor of Cape Town and Former Premier of the Western Cape
* [[Gerald Morkel]], former mayor of [[Cape Town]]
* [[Dan Plato]], Western Cape Community Safety Minister.
* [[Dulcie September]], political activist.
* [[Adam Small (writer)|Adam Small]], political activist, poet and writer.
* [[Percy Sonn]], former president of the [[International Cricket Council]].
* [[Simon van der Stel]], last commander and first Governor of the [[Dutch Cape Colony]].
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===Artists and writers===
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* [[Peter Abrahams]], writer
* [[Tyrone Appollis]], academic
* [[Willie Bester]]
* [[Dennis Brutus]], journalist, poet, activist
* [[Peter Clarke (artist)|Peter Clarke]]
* [[Phillippa Yaa de Villiers]], writer and performance artist
* [[Garth Erasmus]], artist
* [[Diana Ferrus]], poet, writer and performance artist
* [[Oliver Hermanus]], writer, director
* [[Rozena Maart]], writer
* [[Mustafa Maluka]]
* Dr. [[Don Mattera]]
* [[James Matthews (writer)|James Matthews]], writer
* [[Selwyn Milborrow]], poet, writer, journalist
* [[Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh]]
* [[Arthur Nortje]], poet
* [[Robin Rhode]]
* [[Richard Moore Rive]], writer
* [[Tracey Rose]]
* [[Adam Small (writer)|Adam Small]], writer
* [[Zoë Wicomb]], writer
* [[Athol Williams]], poet, writer, scholar, [[social philosopher]]
{{Div col end}}
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===Actors and actresses===
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
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* [[Quanita Adams]], actress
* [[Natalie Becker]], actress
* [[Lesley-Ann Brandt]], actress 
* [[Meryl Cassie]], actress
* [[Vincent Ebrahim]], actor
* [[Vinette Ebrahim]], actress
* [[Kim Engelbrecht]], actress
* [[Jarrid Geduld]], actor
* [[Shannon Kook]], actor
* [[Kandyse McClure]], actress
* [[Shamilla Miller]], actress 
* [[Blossom Tainton-Lindquist]]
{{Div col end}}

===Beauty queens===
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* [[Tansey Coetzee]], Miss South Africa 2007
* [[Tamaryn Green]], Miss South Africa 2018
* [[Pearl Jansen]], Miss World 1st runner up 1970, competed as Miss Africa South due to Apartheid 
* [[Amy Kleinhans]], former Miss South Africa 1992 and first non-white Miss South Africa.
* [[Liesl Laurie]], Miss South Africa 2015
* [[Jo-Ann Strauss]], Miss South Africa 2000, media personality and business woman.
{{Div col end}}

===Musicians===
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
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* [[AKA (rapper)|AKA]], hip-hop recording artist
* [[Fallon Bowman]], South African-born guitarist, singer, and actor. 
* [[Jonathan Butler]], [[jazz]] musician.
* [[Blondie Chaplin]], singer and guitarist for the Beach Boys. 
* [[Paxton Fielies]], singer
* [[Jean Grae]], hip-hop artist.
* [[Paul Hanmer]], pianist and composer
* [[Abdullah Ibrahim]], jazz pianist
* [[Robbie Jansen]], musician
* [[Trevor Jones (composer)|Trevor Jones]], South African-born film composer.
* [[Taliep Petersen]], musician and director
* [[YoungstaCPT]], rapper
{{Div col end}}

===Others===
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* [[Marc Lottering]], comedian
* [[Jenny Powell]], television presenter.

===Athletics===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Shaun Abrahams]], 800m runner
* [[Cornel Fredericks]], track-and-field sprinter
* [[Paul Gorries]], Sprinter
* [[Leigh Julius]], 2004–08 Olympian
* [[Geraldine Pillay]], 2004 Olympian, Commonwealth medallist
* [[Wayde van Niekerk]], track-and-field sprinter, Olympic and World Champion, and World Record Holder
{{Div col end}}

===Cricket===
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* [[Paul Adams (cricketer)|Paul Adams]]
* [[Vincent Barnes]]
* [[Loots Bosman]]
* [[Henry Davids]]
* [[Basil D'Oliveira]]
* [[Damian D'Oliveira]]
* [[JP Duminy]]
* [[Herschelle Gibbs]]
* [[Beuran Hendricks]]
* [[Reeza Hendricks]]
* [[Omar Henry (cricketer)|Omar Henry]]
* [[Garnett Kruger]]
* [[Charl Langeveldt]]
* [[Wayne Parnell]]
* [[Alviro Petersen]]
* [[Robin Peterson]]
* [[Keegan Petersen]]
* [[Vernon Philander]]
* [[Dane Piedt]]
* [[Ashwell Prince]]
* [[Roger Telemachus]]
* [[Clyde Fortuin]]
{{Div col end}}

===Field hockey===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
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* [[Clyde Abrahams]]
* [[Liesel Dorothy]]
* [[Ignatius Malgraff]]
{{Div col end}}

===Football===
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* [[Keegan Allan]]
* [[Kurt Abrahams]]
* [[Cole Alexander]]
* [[Oswin Appollis]]
* [[Andre Arendse]]
* [[Tyren Arendse]]
* [[Wayne Arendse]]
* [[Bradley August]]
* [[Brendan Augustine]] 
* [[Emile Baron]]
* [[Shaun Bartlett]]
* [[Tyrique Bartlett]]
* [[David Booysen (soccer)|David Booysen]]
* [[Mario Booysen]]
* [[Ethan Brooks (soccer)|Ethan Brooks]]
* [[Delron Buckley]]
* [[Brent Carelse]]
* [[Daylon Claasen]]
* [[Rivaldo Coetzee]]
* [[Keanu Cupido]]
* [[Clayton Daniels]]
* [[Lance Davids]]
* [[Rushine De Reuck]]
* [[Keagan Dolly]]
* [[Kermit Erasmus]]
* [[Jody February]]
* [[Taariq Fielies]]
* [[Quinton Fortune]]
* [[Lyle Foster]]
* [[Bevan Fransman]]
* [[Stanton Fredericks]]
* [[Reeve Frosler]]
* [[Ruzaigh Gamildien]]
* [[Morgan Gould]]
* [[Victor Gomes]], referee
* [[Travis Graham]]
* [[Ashraf Hendricks]]
* [[Rowan Human]]
* [[Rudi Isaacs]]
* [[Willem Jackson]]
* [[Moeneeb Josephs]]
* [[David Kannemeyer]]
* [[Ricardo Katza]]
* [[Daine Klate]]
* [[Lyle Lakay]]
* [[Lee Langeveldt]]
* [[Clinton Larsen]]
* [[Luke Le Roux]]
* [[Stanton Lewis (soccer, born 1987)|Stanton Lewis]]
* [[Benni McCarthy]], [[South Africa national soccer team|South Africa national team]]'s all-time top scorer with 31 goals
* [[Fabian McCarthy (South African soccer)|Fabian McCarthy]]
* [[Leroy Maluka]]
* [[Grant Margeman]]
* [[Bryce Moon]]
* [[Nasief Morris]]
* [[Tashreeq Morris]]
* [[James Musa]]
* [[Andile Ncobo]], referee
* [[Morne Nel]]
* [[András Németh (footballer)|Andras Nemeth]]
* [[Reagan Noble]]
* [[Brad Norman]]
* [[Riyaad Norodien]]
* [[Bernard Parker]]
* [[Genino Palace]]
* [[Peter Petersen (soccer)|Peter Petersen]]
* [[Brandon Peterson (soccer)|Brandon Peterson]]
* [[Steven Pienaar]]
* [[Reyaad Pieterse]]
* [[Wayne Roberts (soccer)|Wayne Roberts]]
* [[Frank Schoeman]]
* [[Ebrahim Seedat]]
* [[Brandon Silent]]
* [[Elrio van Heerden]]
* [[Dino Visser]]
* [[Shu-Aib Walters]]
* [[Mark Williams (South African soccer)|Mark Williams]], scored both goals to win the [[1996 African Cup of Nations]] final
* [[Ronwen Williams]]
* [[Robyn Johannes]]
{{Div col end}}
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<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->

===Rugby===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
* [[Gio Aplon]]
* [[Nizaam Carr]]
* [[Kurt Coleman (rugby union)|Kurt Coleman]], Western Province and Stormers player
* [[Bolla Conradie]]
* [[Juan de Jongh]]
* [[Peter de Villiers]]
* [[Justin Geduld]], Sprinbok 7's
* [[Bryan Habana]]
* [[Cornal Hendricks]]
* [[Adrian Jacobs]]
* [[Conrad Jantjes]]
* [[Elton Jantjies]]
* [[Herschel Jantjies]] 
* [[Ricky Januarie]]
* [[Ashley Johnson (rugby union)|Ashley Johnson]]
* [[Cheslin Kolbe]], Western Province and Stormers player
* [[Dillyn Leyds]], Western Province and Stormers player
* [[Lionel Mapoe]]
* [[Breyton Paulse]]
* [[Earl Rose (rugby union player)|Earl Rose]]
* [[Tian Schoeman]] 
* [[Errol Tobias]]
* [[Jaco van Tonder]]
* [[Ashwin Willemse]]
* [[Chester Williams]]
{{Div col end}}

=== Others ===
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
* [[Christopher Gabriel]] – basketball player
* [[Raven Klaasen]] – tennis player
* [[Devon Petersen]] – darts player
* [[Kenny Solomon]] – South Africa's first chess grandmaster

==See also==
*[[Cape Corps]]
*[[District Six]]
*[[Kaapse Klopse]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{refbegin|}}
*{{cite book|last=Adhikari|first=Mohamed|title=Not White Enough, Not Black Enough: Racial Identity in the South African Coloured Community|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qLw8KzRbRdQC|year=2005|publisher=Ohio University Press|isbn=978-0-89680-442-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Boggenpoel|first=Jesmane|title=My Blood Divides and Unites: Race, Identity, Reconciliation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s4kAwQEACAAJ|year=2018|publisher=Porcupine Press|isbn=978-1-928455-28-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Richards|first=Ruben Robert|title=Bastaards Or Humans: The Unspoken Heritage of Coloured People|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QY7XvgEACAAJ|date=2018|publisher=Indaba|isbn=978-1-947599-06-2}}
*{{cite book|last=Van Wyk|first=Chris|title=Shirley, Goodness & Mercy: A Childhood in Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GWqwRtiA8dgC|year=2006|publisher=Picador|isbn=978-0-330-44483-5}}
{{refend}}

{{Ethnic groups of South Africa}}{{Multiethnicity}}{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cape Coloureds| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in South Africa]]
[[Category:Afrikaner diaspora]]
[[Category:Coloureds]]
[[Category:History of the Dutch East India Company]]