ABSTRACT
In order to approach the subject of ethnicity among the South African "coloured" population, both in relation to other ethnic groups and among themselves, it is necessary to discuss the racial classifications used. South Africa is legally divided into four primary racial categories: Africans, white, Asian, and "coloured." The "coloureds," at slightly less than 10 percent, form the third largest group. Of the coloureds in the republic, according to O'Toole, 25 percent live in greater Cape Town. Over the years several major statutes have drawn even finer the line between coloureds and whites. The Nationalist Party, which came to power in 1948, has implemented these statutes: 1949–Mixed Marriages Act. A coloured university professor remains a coloured. On the other hand, even though a minority of whites live in a culture of poverty, a poor white remains a white.
