{"id":96521,"date":"2025-03-26T10:40:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T08:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=96521"},"modified":"2025-03-26T10:45:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T08:45:15","slug":"calls-for-clarity-irr-pushes-parliament-to-abolish-race-based-classification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/calls-for-clarity-irr-pushes-parliament-to-abolish-race-based-classification\/","title":{"rendered":"Calls for Clarity: IRR Pushes Parliament to Abolish Race-Based Classification"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read
\n26 March 2025 | 10:30 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

Do race-based policies mock SA\u2019s democracy? \ud83d\udce2 The #NoMoreRaceLaws campaign challenges racial classification in law, calling for a truly non-racial society. (Source – IRR)<\/p><\/div>\n

A growing debate on racial classification in South Africa has intensified following a campaign led by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). The organization is advocating for the No More Race Laws Bill, urging Parliament to either abolish race-based laws entirely or formally reintroduce racial classification under the Population Registration Act.<\/p>\n

IRR\u2019s head of Strategic Initiatives, Herman Pretorius, emphasized the significance of this bill in addressing the contradictions in South African legislation. Speaking to Radio Islam International<\/a> on the matter, Pretorius noted, \u201cSince the Population Registration Act was repealed in 1991, the government has had no legal authority to classify individuals by race. Yet, we continue to see policies and laws built on the very premise that was outlawed.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the IRR, the bill challenges Parliament to take a decisive stance on whether racial classification should remain part of the legal framework or be abolished entirely. Pretorius argues that the current system still echoes apartheid-era policies, creating divisions despite the nation\u2019s commitment to non-racialism. \u201cWe must choose: either we move forward without racial classification or we admit we are still operating under its influence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Supporters of the bill argue that existing race-based policies perpetuate divisions rather than promote equality. Pretorius pointed out that affirmative action and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws continue to rely on racial classification, despite no legal foundation for doing so. He stressed, \u201cIt is time for honesty. If we reject apartheid-era racial classification, we cannot selectively uphold it when convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opponents, however, argue that race-based policies remain necessary to address historical inequalities. Some fear that removing racial classification entirely may weaken efforts to uplift disadvantaged communities. \u201cThis bill is not about denying historical injustices but about ensuring that our legal system aligns with our constitutional values,\u201d Pretorius clarified.<\/p>\n

As the debate unfolds, the IRR is calling on South Africans to mobilise and hold Parliament accountable. Pretorius believes public pressure is key to driving legislative change. \u201cPoliticians are clinging to racial classification; ordinary South Africans are ready to move beyond it,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

The No More Race Laws Bill presents a crucial turning point in South Africa\u2019s legal and political landscape, with Parliament now facing the challenge of defining the country\u2019s future approach to race and equality.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on Your World Today with Annisa Essack and Herman Pretorious here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 26 March 2025 | 10:30 CAT A growing debate on racial classification in South Africa has intensified following a campaign led by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR). The organization is advocating for the No More Race Laws Bill, urging Parliament to either abolish race-based laws entirely or formally […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":96522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/large.png?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-p6N","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-16 02:53:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}