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Kafirs or Kaffirs[both: kaf´urz] Pronunciation Key [Arab.,=infidel], name applied by European settlers to the Xhosa branch of the Bantu-speaking people of S Africa. Originally used only for the inhabitants of the Transkeian Territories (then called Kaffraria), the name came to be commonly employed as a derogatory term for all black Africans. The South African government encouraged use of the term Bantu rather than Kafir or native.
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