Lebanese people in South Africa have a population exceeding 5,100 and other estimates report a total of 20,000 Lebanese in South Africa. In addition, an increasing number of Lebanese students seeking education and career opportunities opted for the country in light of its relatively reputable institutions across the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. Most of the Lebanese people in South Africa live mainly in the cities of
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
and
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
.
History
The history of the Lebanese community goes back to the late 19th century, when the first immigrants arrived in Johannesburg, the biggest city in the
Transvaal (province)
The Province of the Transvaal ( af, Provinsie van Transvaal), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Trans ...
coming from
Sebhel
Sebhel (also Sib'il, Sebaail, Sebeel, ) is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, ...
,
Mesyara,
Becharre
Bsharri ( ar, بشرّي ''Bšarrī''; syr, ܒܫܪܝ; also Romanized ''Becharre'', ''Bcharre'', ''Bsharre'', (''Bcharre El Arez بشرّي الارز'') is a town at an altitude of about to . It is located in the Bsharri District of the Nor ...
,
Hadath El-Joube,
Maghdoushe and other places. It is recorded that in 1896 the first
Maronite
The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...
and Lebanese immigrants arrived in Durban, Cape Town, and Mozambique, and congregated around their local Catholic churches. The majority of the Lebanese immigrants were Maronite and being concerned about keeping their Maronite faith alive in a new country, they wrote to the Maronite Patriarch, insisting on the need for a Maronite priest to come to South Africa to continue their tradition and the Maronite rite. In 1905, Patriarch
Elias Peter Hoayek
Elias Peter Hoayek ( ar, الياس بطرس الحويّك; 4 December 1843 – 24 December 1931; also spelled Hoyek, Hwayek, Huayek, Juayek, Hawayek, Houwayek) was the 72nd Patriarch of Antioch for the Maronites, the largest Christian Catholic ...
sent Father Emmanuel El-Fadle to South Africa from Kfarhata–Elzawye, North Lebanon. Father El-Fadle converted a building in Johannesburg into a church and residence.
In 1910, Father Ashkar arrived to build a church and a home for the priests. The Patriarch, then sent another priest to assist – Father Wakim Estphan. Fr. Ashkar returned to Lebanon and retired in 1928. The mission was then handed over to the Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries. Father Yousef Juan, who was appointed as a temporary visitor, received instruction from the Patriarch and the General Superior for Father Yousef Moubarak to succeed him in serving the South African Maronite community. The Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries have since served in South Africa among other countries and continue in their mission in serving and assisting in the Maronite rite.
Apartheid
Lebanese people living during the
apartheid era
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
were only classified as white from 1914. They were originally not considered as such, instead being classified as
Asian South African
Indian South Africans are South Africans who descend from indentured labourers and free migrants who arrived from British India during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The majority live in and around the city of Durban, making it one of the l ...
. The white status of the Lebanese community was first affirmed in 1914, when Moses Gandur, a
Maronite
The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...
from
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, sued the South African government, as he was initially denied the right to purchase land in Johannesburg due to being classified as non-white. Gandur's lawyers successfully argued that the Lebanese and Syrians originated from the
Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
, the birth place of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
and
Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
, and that the laws didn't target
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, who were also part of the Semitic race. Therefore, if other people from the
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
were being subjected to those laws, then so should the Jews.
From this point on, Lebanese people in South Africa were classified as white, and this status was maintained after the
Population Registration Act came into force in 1950, although immigration from Lebanon and Syria was restricted.
Through this time period, Lebanese South Africans generally enjoyed the same high living standards as other white South Africans. However, the Lebanese community maintained a silent (if not timid) opposition to apartheid and the
National Party.
Lebanese people in South Africa
*
Fulton Allem
Fulton Peter Allem (born 15 September 1957) is a South African professional golfer.
Allem was born in Kroonstad, Orange Free State, South Africa, the middle child of five children and the grandson of a Lebanese trader; he had a privileged upb ...
, professional golfer
*
A. C. Chemaly, general officer in the
South African Army
The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...
*
Ken Costa, London-based South African banker and Christian philanthropist
*
Al Debbo
Al (Alec) Debbo (22 June 1924 – 13 July 2011) was a South African comedian, singer and actor. As one of the most famous artists of his generation he made an enormous contribution to Afrikaner music and culture.
Early life
Alec Debbo, the so ...
, actor and comedian
*
Pierre Issa, professional football (soccer) player
*Azar Jammine, political economist
*
Joseph Rahme, professional tennis player
*John Shalala, businessman and CEO of Jetline group of companies.
*
Michael Sutherland
Michael William Sutherland (born 23 October 1954) is an Australian politician who was the Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. He was a Liberal Party of Australia (West ...
, South African-born Australian politician
*
Allan Thomas, professional footballer
*
Vic Toweel, professional boxer
*
Willie Toweel
Willie Michael Toweel (6 April 1934 – 25 December 2017) was a Boxing, boxer from South Africa, who won the bronze medal in the flyweight division (– 51 kg) at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, FInland.
Personal life
Willi ...
, professional boxer
*
Leanne Manas, media personality
See also
*
Arab diaspora
Arab diaspora (also known as MENA diaspora, as a short version for the Middle East and North Africa diaspora) refers to descendants of the Arab people, Arab Emigration, emigrants who, voluntarily or as refugees, emigrated from their native lands ...
*
Lebanese diaspora
*
Lebanese people in Ivory Coast
There is a large population of Lebanese people in Côte d'Ivoire, whose numbers are variously estimated in the tens or hundreds of thousands. They are the largest Lebanese diaspora community in West Africa. An estimated 1% of all people living i ...
*
Lebanese people in Senegal
There is a significant community of Lebanese people in Senegal.
Migration history
The first trader from Ottoman Lebanon arrived in French Senegal in the 1860s. However, early migration was slow; by 1900, there were only about one hundred Lebanes ...
*
Lebanese people in Sierra Leone
There is a significant population of Lebanese people in Sierra Leone.
Migration history
Lebanese diaspora, Lebanese immigrants first came to West Africa in the mid-19th century when a silk-worm crisis struck their homeland, then part of the Ot ...
References
External links
*
{{Ethnic groups in South Africa
Ethnic groups in South Africa
Lebanese expatriates in South Africa
Lebanon–South Africa relations
South African people of Lebanese descent
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
White South African people