chaar ou, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

chaar ou n.

also char ou

[? Hind. chaar admi, people in general + Afk. ou, a person]

(S.Afr.) an Indian.

1978		A. Axhalwaya in Rand Daily Mail 10 July 7: Our main ou, who is also a ‘chaar ou’ (Indian), has friends of all races [DSAE].
1986		L.A. Barnes in Eng. Usage in Southern Africa XVII:2 4: Different ethnic groups are referred to by terms such as char ous, ‘Indians’, gora, ‘White man’, and roti ou ‘Hindi speaking person’ [DSAE].
2003		IOL News Western Cape) 3 July 🌐 A rip-roaring take on the chaar-ous of Durban.
2010		IOL News Western Cape) 9 Feb. 🌐 Okay, so I’m not a chaar-ou or a bruin-ou.