Sandra Laing
Encyclopedia
Sandra Laing
is a woman who was born to white parents but reclassified as Coloured
during the apartheid era in South Africa
as she has dark skin. She is the subject of the 2008 biographical film Skin
and is the feature of the documentaries Sandra Laing: A Spiritual Journey (2000) and Skin Deep: The Story of Sandra Laing (2009).
, a small conservative town in apartheid South Africa. Both Sandra's parents and all her grandparents were white. Her eldest brother was also white but Sandra and her younger brother had African features. Sandra's parents were both members of the National Party
and supporters of the Apartheid system.
During apartheid, schools were segregated; however, since both her parents were white, she was sent to an all white school. Her parents hoped that as she got older she would get lighter; however, instead she grew darker and her hair became more tightly coiled. At boarding school she was shunned by the other school children because of her skin color.
Sandra and she was escorted by two police officers from the school. Her parents fought several legal battles to have her declared white. Her father underwent a blood typing test for paternity in the 1960s. The results showed that he could be her biological father, but did not prove it conclusively.
. She was jailed for three months for illegal border-crossing. Her father threatened to kill her and broke off contact with her. They never met again and she remained estranged from her family. She did, however, manage to track down her mother in a nursing home shortly before her mother died in 2001. Her mother unfortunately had lost her memory after a succession of strokes. A book called When She Was White by Judith Stone reports that Sandra's mother, Sannie Laing, did remember Sandra and was happy to see her. Sandra's brothers, both of whom are still alive, had no contact with Sandra at the time the book was written.
is a woman who was born to white parents but reclassified as Coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
during the apartheid era in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as she has dark skin. She is the subject of the 2008 biographical film Skin
Skin (2009 film)
Skin is a British-South African 2008 biographical film directed by Anthony Fabian, about Sandra Laing, a South African woman born to white parents who was classified as "coloured" during the apartheid era. Skin premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2008. The film was...
and is the feature of the documentaries Sandra Laing: A Spiritual Journey (2000) and Skin Deep: The Story of Sandra Laing (2009).
Early life
Sandra was born in Piet RetiefPiet Retief, Mpumalanga
Piet Retief is a town situated in a timber growing region in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. Its is the seat of the Mkhondo Local Municipality. It is located not far from the Swaziland border...
, a small conservative town in apartheid South Africa. Both Sandra's parents and all her grandparents were white. Her eldest brother was also white but Sandra and her younger brother had African features. Sandra's parents were both members of the National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
and supporters of the Apartheid system.
During apartheid, schools were segregated; however, since both her parents were white, she was sent to an all white school. Her parents hoped that as she got older she would get lighter; however, instead she grew darker and her hair became more tightly coiled. At boarding school she was shunned by the other school children because of her skin color.
Legal battles
When she was 10 years old, the school authorities expelledExpulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
Sandra and she was escorted by two police officers from the school. Her parents fought several legal battles to have her declared white. Her father underwent a blood typing test for paternity in the 1960s. The results showed that he could be her biological father, but did not prove it conclusively.
Later years
Since she was shunned by the white community, Sandra's only friends were the children of black employees. At age 15, she eloped with a black South African to SwazilandSwaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
. She was jailed for three months for illegal border-crossing. Her father threatened to kill her and broke off contact with her. They never met again and she remained estranged from her family. She did, however, manage to track down her mother in a nursing home shortly before her mother died in 2001. Her mother unfortunately had lost her memory after a succession of strokes. A book called When She Was White by Judith Stone reports that Sandra's mother, Sannie Laing, did remember Sandra and was happy to see her. Sandra's brothers, both of whom are still alive, had no contact with Sandra at the time the book was written.