“Proud of My Ancestors”: Coloured Woman Breaks Down 4 Markers in Her Ancestry DNA Results

• Lee-Ché Cloete, a Coloured woman, gave a breakdown of her ancestry DNA test results
• She focused on the top four of 18 markers and shared information about her father's side of the family
• Her revelations sparked a broader online conversation, with many users sharing their own ancestry results

Lee-Ché Cloete, a Coloured woman, shared a breakdown of her ancestry DNA test results, specifically focusing on the top four markers: East African, Central African, South Asian, and Dutch.

On 17 May, 2025, Lee-Ché reflected on the time she had told a TikTok user that she was five generations South African when asked if she had African ancestors. Before uploading the post, she took a DNA test via MyHeritage.com to explore her ancestral background and finally received the results.

She noted that she could confidently answer the TikTok user, adding:

"In all honesty, the question opened a deeper door for me."

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While there are about 18 markers in her results, Lee-Ché delved into the following:

• East African: 29.9% - Countries in the region: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
• Central Africa: 17.2% - Countries in the region: The Congo, Angola
• South Asian: 16.1% - Countries in the region: Sri Lanka, India
• Dutch: 7.6%

Embracing her African roots, the young woman said:

"I'm very proud of my ancestors, whoever they may have been, and it turns out they are very much African, and I'm quite proud of that."

Lee-Ché showed pictures of her father and paternal grandmother, sharing that the results reminded her of the latter.

"If my father's side is pure African, I think I might know the reason why they ended up in southern Africa under the term Coloured. My grandmother fell under the term 'Coloured' and that wasn't by choice. It was probably something she was forced to do. The apartheid government had something called an incentive."

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Regarding incentives, some people who were previously classified as non-Whites were asked or told to change their race to benefit the apartheid government and oftentimes received benefits for themselves.

Woman's ancestry DNA results spark conversation

Several South African internet users flocked to Lee-Ché's comment section to express their opinions about the breakdown she gave of her ancestral background. Other people shared their own interesting ancestry DNA results, too.

@ozyb786 told the public:

"From what I've learnt from senior members of the family, I am a mixture of mainly Zulu, Swati, Dutch, and Irish. My great-grandma was a Swati princess."

@msdoraexplora shared with the online community:

"I am glad more are doing their DNA tests. It's such an amazing feeling. I have 17 markers. My DNA is split differently, 1/3 of each main group, African, European and Asian ethnicity."

@jefos.the.force stated in the comment section:

"Sometimes I want to reserve my opinion. We are not a tribe by blood, but through generations of association or of being part of those people and assimilation. I'm a Black Namibian with roots in southern Angola and central north Namibia. But my lineage is vast from Khoi, North Africa, the Great Lakes, and partially Europe."

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@lrcconsulting said to Lee-Ché:

"This is so interesting. Apartheid did a number on many people and their families."

An impressed @deanoswell commented:

"Wow, you have presented your (now) known ancestry so calmly and with such finesse. Thank you for sharing. May it motivate others."

Watch the TikTok video on Lee-Ché's account below:

3 More ancestry DNA test results stories

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a Zimbabwean woman shared her ancestry DNA results, revealing surprising links across different African regions.
• A Cape Town Coloured woman showcased the intriguing results of her ancestry DNA test. Online users loved her diverse ethnic background and shared a breakdown of their ancestral backgrounds.
• Local content-creating twin sisters bought Mediclinic's Precise Ancestry test and revealed if their ethnic backgrounds were identical.

Source: Briefly News