South Africans react to Tony Ehrenreich's call to scrap the term 'coloured'

Former Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich. Picture: Kurt Engel

Former Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich. Picture: Kurt Engel

Published Sep 20, 2018

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Cape Town - Former Cosatu Western Cape leader Tony Ehrenreich's open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa in which he said the term "coloured" as derogatory and called for it to be replaced with Camisa has evoked mixed reactions on social media.

Some people objected to Ehrenreich's statements saying that they don't want to be classified as black or white because they are of mixed race.

I'm not gonna read the article.

Just for the record. @TonyEhrenreich does not speak for me. I speak for myself! I didn't vote or ask Tony to speak on my behalf. I'm sure many Coloureds feel like this. That's right, WE ARE COLOUREDS. We are not black or White. https://t.co/tD6mvjoKOk

— Lorenzo White (@Official_LWhite) September 19, 2018

But we aren't "black"! We are mixed-race. We have the right to associate ourselves with whomever we want but we aren't and will never be black or white.

— Lorenzo White (@Official_LWhite) September 20, 2018

It is unbelievably arrogant of Tony Ehrenreich to think he speaks for an entire community, and gives them a new name without even consulting said community. https://t.co/jTMswTNVP5

— Jonathan Vincent (@South_Asia_Risk) September 20, 2018

Tony Ehrenreich assumes himself to be speaking for all of SA's coloured people. The man has delusions of grandeur.

— Lee (@LeeP247) September 20, 2018

@TonyEhrenreich: You don't need to write open letters to @CyrilRamaphosa, the last time I checked he was your fellow comrade. Lastly, majority of your community still openly identify themselves as coloureds. I am not sure when have you since change this...Stop being a hypocrite.

— Muli Malong (@muli_malong) September 20, 2018

Others, like the ANC's Western Cape provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs, were supportive of Ehrenreich's letter.

Like you @TonyEhrenreich I find it indictment on system that, a quarter of a century after universal suffrage, I need to contemplate a change in race classification, in SA where equal rights can be more equal than another, depending on ethnic genetics of distant ancestors. https://t.co/7ETvXQJBwN

— Graham Robert Evans (@cliviagraham) September 20, 2018

@rdm_za @TonyEhrenreich @ThuliMadonsela3 #ProudlySouthAfrican #unityindiversity pic.twitter.com/92dmR1PQPP

— JUSTIN MAANS (@JAGXUS) September 20, 2018

Former #COSATU Western Cape leader #TonyEhrenreich has written an open letter to #PresidentRamaphosa saying the racial word coloured people is derogatory. This is what some young people had to do to say about the word

This is @MLJames10 sports reporter @vowfm #witsradioacademy pic.twitter.com/wtfKOyWbtH

— Thabo Tshabalala (@thabo_tsh) September 20, 2018

IOL

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