I spent a summer in South Africa some years ago. I knew people who were black and people who were coloured. I thought it was strange that the latter category still existed, since it was created by the apartheid regime as part of their caste system. But there may be more to it than skin color. The coloured people I met also often spoke Afrikaans, whereas blacks spoke English and their native language, usually Xhosa in the Western Cape where I was living.

I would be interested to know if the woman you mentioned in the article speaks Afrikaans, as that might also be part of why she identifies as coloured.