Why do South Africans get offended when they get called a "Kaffa", and what was one?

Question

I'm not being racist, I just want to understand why South Africans get offended by it.

Thank you

Answer 1

Kaffir, or kafir, which once was a blanket term for black southern Africans (see South Africa Kaffir people), is now used exclusively as an ethnic or racial slur. The original meaning of the word was 'heathen'. The term is mostly used in South Africa (where it is also spelled kaffer) and in the Caribbean, especially in Jamaica (where it is also spelled kaphar, kaphir, or kafari), by Jamaicans of Indian nationality or ancestry to refer to Jamaicans of African ancestry. In South Africa the term is used to refer to black people and is regarded as highly offensive (in a similar way to the word "nig ger"). Use of the word has been actionable in a South African court since at least 1976 (Ciliza -v- Minister of Police and Another 1976 (4) SA 243) under the offence of crimen injuria: "the unlawful, intentional and serious violation of the dignity of another" (W.A. Joubert, 1981; The Law of South Africa, VI, p251-254).

The etymology of the word is from the Arabic word "kafir", a derogatory term for "infidel" or "unbeliever". This was the word the Arab slavers and traders used to describe the Africans who were not Muslim. When the Boers heard the word, they adopted it for their own and started to use it pejoratively, unknowingly stating a fact when using it; Africans were generally animists, and not Muslim.

Answer 2

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RE:
Why do South Africans get offended when they get called a "Kaffa", and what was one?
I'm not being racist, I just want to understand why South Africans get offended by it.

Thank you

Answer 3

Al the respondents are assuming a connection with "N". Firstly, Kaffa is wrong; it's KAFFIR. Anyone from the City would know that Kaffirs are South African mining shares. However, it was used derogatorily when referring to certain indigenous South Africans. If you put these two items together you will see that those engaged as virtual slaves in the mining industry and whose lives would have little value with high casuality rates down the mines picked up the name as "kaffirs", and to word it carefully because of the sensitive Yahoo Team, they would not have been white South Africans. The white element would have been Dutch and who invested heavily in the gold mines to reap the huge profits. Hope you understand this; it's difficult to explain in non sensitive terms particularly when you are Non Racialist like me.

Answer 4

The word is Kaffir...like "infidel" only used about people of colour by whites. Like a British person being called a limey...it's meant as an insult, whether there's anything wrong with the word as such, or not.

Answer 5

Death Bunny is right...It is Kaffir and it was used as a racist term by white South Africans against blacks.

It has Islamic roots and, in islam, it means non-believer, or infidel

__It is now illegal to use the term "kaffir" in South Africa__

Cheers
EF

Answer 6

you're mixing up 'Saffa' (generic term, short for South African, usually a white SA - not an insult, a bit like using 'Yank', or 'Pommy') and Kaffir, which is a bit like the N..... word, usually used by Whites against Blacks

Answer 7

It's the same as using the N word to describe a black person

Answer 8

What Does Kaffa Mean

Answer 9

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I don't really care. I prefer to be addressed by my name. African is not the most offensive term in the world. Seriously.

Answer 10

Just cause you don't understand the word does not mean it's not offensive to them