Race classification at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: purposes, sites and practices

Classification into race groups did not end when the Population Registration Act, the foundation of apartheid policy, was abolished in 1991. Formal requirements for allocation of the South African population into ‘races’ continue in a democratic society, and individuals employed in institutions ranging from schools to businesses are tasked with such processes of sorting people out. We present the results of a study done at a university on the sites of, reasons for, and practices employed in race classification to illustrate decisions that confront classifiers when ensuring race categorisation.