What is "goffal"

Goffal or Goffels is a term applied to Coloureds, or persons of mixed race claiming both European and African descent, in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The community includes many diverse constituents of Shona, Northern Ndebele, Bemba, Chewa, British, Afrikaner, and occasionally Indian descent.

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. The nation with the largest Goffal population is Zimbabwe, where approximately 18,000 still reside. Their precise numbers are difficult to ascertain, due to the fact that some identify exclusively as members of other ethnic groups.