Asians in South Africa constitute 2 per cent of South Africa's population, and most are of Indian origin, although there is also a small Chinese community. They are descended from indentured labourers who were brought by the British in the 19th century, mostly to work in what is known as the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The province's largest city, Durban, has the largest Asian population in sub-Saharan Africa, and the Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi worked as a lawyer in the city in the 1920s.
Most are either Hindu or Muslim, and many still speak Telugu and Gujarati, which have constitutional protection.
The much smaller Chinese community is mostly descended from migrant workers who came to work in the gold mines around Johannesburg in the late 19th century, although many were repatriated. More recently, there have been immigrants from Taiwan, with which South Africa maintained diplomatic relations. This cause difficulties for the apartheid regime, as Chinese South Africans were classified as 'Asian' and hence 'non-white', whereas Taiwanese Chinese, along with Japanese, were considered 'honorary white'. Many Chinese South Africans dislike the label 'Asian', which they associate with being Indian or South Asian, and many have also emigrated to Canada, especially to Vancouver.
