Goffal

Goffals or Coloured Zimbabweans are persons of mixed race, predominately those claiming both European and African descent, in Malawi, Zambia, and, particularly Zimbabwe. They are generally known as Coloureds, though the term Goffal is used by some in the Coloured community to refer to themselves, though this does not refer to the mixed-race community in nearby South Africa. The community includes many diverse constituents of Shona, Northern Ndebele, Bemba, Fengu, British, Afrikaner, Cape Coloured, Cape Malay and less commonly Portuguese, Greek, Goan, and Indian descent. Similar mixed-race communities exist throughout Southern Africa, notably the Cape Coloureds of South Africa.

It is not clear when the term Goffal first entered common usage, but among Coloureds themselves it had surfaced by the mid- to late 1970s.[1][2] Their precise numbers are difficult to ascertain, due to the fact that some identify exclusively as members of other ethnic groups.[3]

  1. ^ Chris Cocks (3 April 2002). Fireforce: One Man's War in the Rhodesian Light Infantry (1 July 2001 ed.). Covos Day. pp. 31–141. ISBN 1-919874-32-1.
  2. ^ "Zimbabwe Population Census 2012" (PDF). Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT). October 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. ^ Nelson, Harold. Area Handbook for Southern Rhodesia (1975 ed.). American University. pp. 66–89. ASIN B002V93K7S.