Black Diamond (racial term)

Black Diamond is a term used pejoratively in South Africa to refer to a member of the new black middle class. The term was not originally derogatory. It was coined by TNS Research Surveys (Pty) Ltd[1] and the UCT Unilever Institute to refer to members of South Africa's fast-growing, affluent and influential black community.[2] However, the term evolved negative connotations and is now used almost exclusively as a pejorative term.[3]

Black Diamond is similar to the concept of the WaBenzi.[4]

  1. ^ Black Diamond Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, tnsresearchsurveys. Retrieved June 2011
  2. ^ Black Diamonds, forbes.com. Retrieved June 2011
  3. ^ Kitis, E. Dimitris; Milani, Tommaso M.; Levon, Erez (2018). "'Black diamonds', 'clever blacks' and other metaphors: Constructing the black middle class in contemporary South African print media". Discourse & Communication. 12 (2): 149–170. doi:10.1177/1750481317745750. S2CID 149249573.
  4. ^ Eliseev, Alex, Its a Wabenzi Frenzi June 2009, IOL News. Retrieved June 2011