Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kaffir derives from the Arabic word kāfir, meaning "disbeliever" or "non-believer". It was originally a theological term applied to non-Muslims of any background, before being adopted by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century and later becoming a racial slur in Southern Africa.
The word had become a pejorative by the mid-20th century. Its use as a racial instrument was visible at least as early as the 1948 South African general election, when apartheid supporters campaigned under the slogan "Die kaffer op sy plek" ("The kaffir in his place").
Yes. South Africa's Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, enacted in 2000, prohibits hate speech including use of the term. Courts have convicted individuals for crimen injuria for using the slur; in 2018, Vicki Momberg was convicted for using it over 40 times in reference to police officers.
The K-word is a euphemism for kaffir, used in South African English to avoid stating the slur directly. It functions similarly to how "the N-word" is used in English to represent nigger.
Arthur Mafokate is a black Johannesburg Kwaito artist who released a hit song titled "Kaffir" in 1995, with lyrics stating "don't call me a kaffir". The song is considered one of the first major hits of the Kwaito genre and is credited with setting a precedent for post-apartheid freedom of expression in South African dance music.
In July 2024, the International Botanical Congress voted to replace more than 300 scientific names containing kaffir-related terms such as caffer, caffra, and caffrum with afer, afra, and afrum. For example, Erythrina caffra was renamed Erythrina afra, reflecting the present offensive connotations of the word.