The 'Republic of South Africa' is the country at the southern tip of
Africa. It borders the
Atlantic and
Indian oceans and
Namibia,
Botswana,
Zimbabwe,
Mozambique,
Swaziland, and
Lesotho, an independent
enclave surrounded by South African territory. South Africa is a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations, and is widely regarded as the most socially and economically developed country on the
continent.
South Africa has experienced a different history from other nations in Africa because of early
immigration from
Europe and the strategic importance of the
Cape Sea Route. European immigration began shortly after the
Dutch East India Company, in 1652, founded a station at what would become Cape Town. The closure of the
Suez Canal during the
Six-Day War exemplifies its significance. The country's relatively developed infrastructure made its mineral wealth available and important to
Western interests, particularly throughout the late nineteenth century and, with international competition and rivalry, during the
Cold War. South Africa is ethnically diverse, with the largest
white,
Indian, and
racially mixed communities in Africa.
Black South Africans, who speak nine officially recognised languages and many more dialects, account for slightly less than 80% of the population.
Racial strife between the white minority and the black majority has played a large part in South African
history and
politics, culminating in
''apartheid'', which was instituted in 1948 by the
National Party (although
segregation existed before then). The laws that defined apartheid began to be repealed or abolished by the National Party in 1990, after a long and sometimes violent struggle (including
economic sanctions from the
international community) by the Black majority as well as many White, Coloured, and Indian South Africans.
Several philosophies and ideologies have developed in South Africa, including
''ubuntu'' (the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity) and
Jan Smuts's
holism.
Regular
elections have been held for almost a century; but the majority of South Africans were not
enfranchised until 1994. The
economy of South Africa is the largest and best-developed on the continent, with modern
infrastructure common throughout the country.
South Africa is often called the "
Rainbow Nation", a term coined by
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later adopted by then
President Nelson Mandela. Mandela used the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor to describe the country's newly developing multicultural diversity after segregationist apartheid ideology. The country's socially progressive policies are rare in Africa. By 2007, the country had joined
Belgium, the
Netherlands,
Canada,
Spain, and parts of the
United States in legalising
same-sex marriage.
History
Main articles: History of South Africa
South Africa contains some of the oldest and most beautiful archaeological sites in
Africa. Extensive
fossil remains at the
Sterkfontein,
Kromdraai and Makapansgat caves suggest that various
australopithecines existed in South Africa from about three million years ago. These were succeeded by various species of ''Homo'', including ''
Homo habilis'', ''
Homo erectus'' and modern man, ''
Homo sapiens''.
Bantu-speaking
peoples,
iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen, moved south of the
Limpopo River into modern-day South Africa by the fourth or fifth century (the
Bantu expansion) displacing the original Khoi and San speakers. They slowly moved south and the earliest ironworks in modern-day
KwaZulu-Natal Province are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost group was the
Xhosa people, whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier Khoi and San people, reaching the
Fish River, in today's
Eastern Cape Province. These
Iron Age populations displaced earlier
hunter-gatherer peoples as they migrated.
Painting of an account of the arrival of
Jan van Riebeeck, the first European to settle in South Africa, with
Devil's Peak in the background.
The written history of South Africa begins with the accounts of European navigators passing South Africa on the
East Indies trade routes. The first European navigator to achieve circumnavigation of the Cape was the
Portuguese explorer
Bartolomeu Dias in
1488.
When
Bartolomeu Dias returned to Lisbon he carried news of this discovery he called "Cabo das Tormentas" (cape of storms). But for his sponsor,
Henry the Navigator, chose a different name, "Cabo da Boa Esperança"
Cape of Good Hope for it promised a sea route to the riches of India, which was eagerly anticipated in
Portugal.
Along with the accounts of the early navigators, the accounts of shipwreck survivors provide the earliest written accounts of Southern Africa. In the two centuries following
1488, a number of small fishing settlements were made along the coast by Portuguese sailors, but no written account of these settlements survives. In
1652 a victualling station was established at the
Cape of Good Hope by
Jan van Riebeeck on behalf of the
Dutch East India Company. For most of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the slowly-expanding settlement was a
Dutch possession. The Dutch settlers eventually met the south-westerly expanding
Xhosa people in the region of the
Fish River. A series of wars, called
Cape Frontier Wars, ensued, mainly caused by conflicting land and livestock interests.
To ease Cape labour shortages
slaves were brought from
Indonesia,
Madagascar, and
India. Furthermore, troublesome leaders, often of royal descent, were banished from Dutch colonies to South Africa. This group of slaves eventually gave rise to a population that now identifies themselves as "
Cape Malays".
Cape Malays have traditionally been accorded a higher social status by the European colonists — many became wealthy landowners, but became increasingly dispossessed as
apartheid developed. Cape Malay mosques in
District Six were spared, and now serve as monuments for the destruction that occurred around them.
Most of the descendants of these slaves, who often married with Dutch settlers, were later classified together with the remnants of the
Khoikhoi (aka Khoisan) as
Cape Coloureds. Further intermingling within the
Cape Coloured population itself, as well as with
Xhosa and other South African people, now means that they constitute roughly 50% of the population in the
Western Cape Province.
Great Britain seized the
Cape of Good Hope area in
1795 ostensibly to stop it falling into the hands of the French, but also seeking to use
Cape Town in particular as a stop on the route to Australia and India. It was returned to the Dutch in
1803, but soon afterwards the
Dutch East India Company declared bankruptcy, and the British annexed the Cape Colony in
1806. The British continued the frontier wars against the Xhosa, pushing the eastern frontier eastward through a line of forts established along the Fish River and consolidating it by encouraging
British settlement. Due to pressure of
abolitionist societies in Britain, the British parliament first stopped its global
slave trade in
1806, then abolished slavery in all its colonies in
1833.
The discovery of
diamonds in
1867 and
gold in
1886 encouraged economic growth and immigration, intensifying the subjugation of the natives. The
Boers successfully resisted British encroachments during the
First Boer War (1880–1881) using
guerrilla warfare tactics, much better suited to local conditions. However, the British returned in greater numbers without their red jackets in the
Second Boer War (1899–1902). The Boers' attempt to ally themselves with
German South-West Africa provided the British with yet another excuse to take control of the Boer Republics.
The Boers resisted fiercely, but the British eventually overwhelmed the Boer forces, using their superior numbers, improved tactics and external supply chains. Also during this war, the British used controversial
concentration camps and
scorched earth tactics. The
Treaty of Vereeniging specified full British sovereignty over the South African republics, and the British government agreed to assume the
£3 000 000 war debt owed by the Afrikaner governments. One of the main provisions of the treaty ending the war was that 'Blacks' would not be allowed to vote, except in the Cape Colony.
After four years of negotiations, the
Union of South Africa was created from the
Cape and
Natal colonies, as well as the republics of
Orange Free State and
Transvaal, on
May 31,
1910, exactly eight years after the end of the Second Boer War. The newly-created Union of South Africa was a
dominion. In
1934, the
South African Party and
National Party merged to form the
United Party, seeking reconciliation between Afrikaners and
English-speaking 'Whites', but split in
1939 over the Union's entry into
World War II as an ally of the
United Kingdom, a move which the National Party strongly opposed.
In 1948 the
National Party was elected to power, and began
implementing a series of harsh segregationist laws that would become known collectively as
apartheid. Not surprisingly, this segregation also applied to the wealth acquired during rapid industrialisation of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. While the White minority enjoyed the highest
standard of living in all of Africa, often comparable to "
First World" western nations, the Black majority remained disadvantaged by almost every standard, including income, education, housing, and life expectancy. However, the average income and life expectancy of a black, 'Indian' or 'coloured' South African compared favourably to many other African states, such as
Ghana and
Tanzania.
Apartheid became increasingly controversial, leading to widespread
sanctions and
divestment abroad and growing unrest and oppression within South Africa. (See also the article on the
History of South Africa in the apartheid era.) A long period of harsh suppression by the government, and at times violent resistance,
strikes, marches, protests, and
sabotage, by various anti-apartheid movements, most notably the
African National Congress (ANC), followed. In the late 1970s, South Africa began a program of
nuclear weapons, and in the following decade it produced six deliverable nuclear weapons. The rationale for the nuclear arsenal is disputed, but it is believed that
Vorster and
P.W. Botha wanted to be able to catalyse
American intervention in the event of a war between South Africa and the
Cuban-supported
MPLA government of
Angola.
In
1990 the National Party government took the first step towards negotiating itself out of power when it lifted the ban on the African National Congress and other
left-wing political organisations, and released
Nelson Mandela from prison after twenty-seven years' incarceration on a
sabotage sentence. Apartheid legislation was gradually removed from the statute books, and South Africa also destroyed its nuclear arsenal and acceded to the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The first
multi-racial elections were held in
1994, which the ANC won by an overwhelming majority. It has been in power ever since.
Despite the end of apartheid, millions of South Africans, mostly black, continue to live in
poverty. This is partly attributed to the legacy of the apartheid system and, increasingly, what many see as the failure of the current government to tackle social issues, coupled with the monetary and fiscal discipline of the current government to ensure both redistribution of wealth and economic growth. In the ten years since the ANC government took power, South Africa's
United Nations Human Development Index has fallen dramatically, while it was steadily rising until the mid-1990s.
[1] Much of this could be attributed to the
AIDS pandemic and the government's failure to take steps to address it.
[2] However, the ANC's social housing policy has produced some improvement in living conditions in many areas by redirecting fiscal spending and improving the efficiency of the tax collection system.
Government and politics
Main articles: Politics of South Africa
The central area of
Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa
South Africa is the only nation in the world with three capital cities:
Cape Town, the largest of the three, is the legislative capital;
Pretoria is the administrative capital; and
Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. South Africa has a
bicameral parliament: the ninety members of the
National Council of Provinces (the
upper house); and the four hundred members of the
National Assembly (the
lower house). Members of the lower house are elected on a population basis by
proportional representation: half of the members are elected from national lists and half are elected from provincial lists. Ten members are elected to represent each province in the National Council of Provinces, regardless of the population of the province. Elections for both chambers are held every five years. The government is formed in the upper house, and the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly is the
President.
Current South African politics are dominated by the
African National Congress (ANC), which received 69.7% of the vote during the last
2004 general election and 66.3% of the vote in the
2006 municipal election. The main challenger to the ANC's rule is the
Democratic Alliance party, which received 12.4% of the vote in the 2004 election and 14.8% in the 2006 election. The leader of this party is
Helen Zille (elected May 6 2007). The previous leader of the party was Tony Leon. The formerly dominant
New National Party, which introduced apartheid through its predecessor, the
National Party, suffered increasing humiliation at election polls since 1994, and finally voted to disband. It chose to merge with the ANC on
9 April 2005. Other major political parties represented in Parliament are the
Inkatha Freedom Party, which mainly represents
Zulu voters, and the
Independent Democrats, who took 6.97% and 1.7% of the vote respectively, in the 2004 election.
However since 2004 the country has suffered many thousands of popular protests, some violent, making it, according to one academic, the "most protest rich country in the world."
[3]. Many of these protests have been organised from the growing
shanty towns that surround South African cities.
Law
Main articles: Law of South Africa
The primary sources of South Africa law were Roman-Dutch mercantile law and personal law with English Common law, as imports of Dutch settlements and British colonialism. The first European based law in South Africa was brought by the
Dutch East India Company and is called
Roman-Dutch law. It was imported before the codification of European law into the
Napoleonic Code and is comparable in many ways to
Scottish law. This was followed in the 19th Century by
British law both
common and
statutory. Starting in 1910 with unification, South Africa had its own
parliament which passed laws specific for South Africa, building on those previously passed for the individual member colonies.
Provinces, districts and municipalities
Main articles: Provinces of South Africa,
Districts of South Africa,
Municipalities of South Africa
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When apartheid ended in 1994, the South African government had to integrate the formerly independent and semi-independent
Bantustans into the political structure of South Africa. To this end, it abolished the four former provinces of South Africa (
Cape Province,
Natal,
Orange Free State, and
Transvaal) and replaced them with nine fully integrated provinces. The new provinces are usually much smaller than the former provinces, which theoretically gives local governments more resources to distribute over smaller areas.
The nine provinces are further subdivided into
52 districts:
6 metropolitan and
46 district municipalities. The 46 district municipalities are further subdivided into
231 local municipalities. The district municipalities also contain 20 district management areas (mostly game parks) that are directly governed by the district municipalities. The six metropolitan municipalities perform the functions of both district and local municipalities. The new provinces are:
Geography
Main articles: Geography of South Africa
Map of South Africa
Satellite picture of South Africa
South Africa is located at the southern most region of Africa, with a long
coastline that stretches more than 2500
kilometres (1 550
mi) and across two
oceans (the
Atlantic and the
Indian). At 470 979
mi² (1 219 912
km²),
[4] South Africa is the world's 25th-largest country (after
Mali). It is comparable in size to
Colombia.
Njesuthi in the
Drakensberg at 3 408 m (11,424 ft) is the highest peak in South Africa.
South Africa has a generally
temperate climate, due in part to it being surrounded by the
Atlantic and
Indian Oceans on three sides, by its location in the climatically milder
southern hemisphere and due to the average elevation rising steadily towards the north (towards the
equator) and further inland. Due to this varied topography and oceanic influence, a great variety of climatic zones exist.
The climatic zones vary, from the extreme
desert of the southern
Namib in the farthest northwest to the lush
subtropical climate in the east along the
Mozambique border and the
Indian ocean. From the east, the land quickly rises over a
mountainous escarpment towards the interior
plateau known as the
Highveld. Even though South Africa is classified as
semi-arid, there is considerable variation in
climate as well as
topography.
The interior of South Africa is a vast, rather flat, and sparsely populated
scrubland,
Karoo, which is drier towards the northwest along the Namib desert. In contrast, the eastern coastline is lush and well-watered, which produces a climate similar to the tropics. The extreme southwest has a climate remarkably similar to that of the
Mediterranean with wet winters and hot, dry summers, hosting the famous
Fynbos Biome. This area also produces much of South Africa's
wine. This region is also particularly known for its wind, which blows intermittently almost all year. The severity of this wind made passing around the
Cape of Good Hope particularly treacherous for sailors, causing many
shipwrecks. Further east on the country's south coast, rainfall is distributed more evenly throughout the year, producing a green landscape. This area is popularly known as the
Garden Route.
The
Free State is particularly flat due to the fact that it lies centrally on the high plateau. North of the
Vaal River, the Highveld becomes better watered and does not experience subtropical extremes of heat.
Johannesburg, in the centre of the Highveld, is at 1740
metres (5 709
ft) and receives an annual rainfall of 760 millimetres (30
in). Winters in this region are cold, although
snow is rare.
To the north of Johannesburg, the altitude drops beyond the Highveld's escarpment, and turns into the lower lying Bushveld, an area of mixed dry forest and an abundance of wildlife. East of the Highveld, beyond the eastern escarpment, the Lowveld stretches towards the
Indian ocean. It has particularly high temperatures, and is also the location of extended subtropical agriculture. The mountains of the
Barberton Greenstone belt in the lowveld are the oldest mountains on Earth, dating back 3.5 Billion years. The earliest reliable proof of life (dated 3.2–3.5 Billion years old) has been found in these mountains.
The high
Drakensberg mountains, which form the south-eastern escarpment of the Highveld, offer limited
skiing opportunities in winter. Many people think that the coldest place in South Africa is
Sutherland in the western
Roggeveld Mountains, where midwinter temperatures can reach as low as −15 degrees
Celsius (5 °
F). In fact, the coldest place is actually Buffelsfontein, which is in the Molteno district of the Eastern Cape. Buffelsfontein recorded a low of −18.6 degrees
Celsius (-1.5 °
F).
[5] The deep interior has the hottest temperatures: A temperature of 51.7 °C (125 °F) was recorded in 1948 in the
Northern Cape Kalahari near
Upington.
[6]
South Africa also has one possession, the small sub-Antarctic archipelago of the
Prince Edward Islands, consisting of
Marion Island (290 km²/112 mi²) and Prince Edward Island (45 km²/17.3 mi²) (not to be confused with the
Canadian province of the same name).
Flora and fauna
South Africa is one of only 17 countries worldwide considered
Megadiverse. It has more than 20,000 different
plants, or about 10% of all the known
species of plants on
Earth, making it particularly rich in plant biodiversity. South Africa is the third most biodiverse country in the world, after
Brazil and
Indonesia and has greater biodiversity than any country of equal or smaller size (Brazil being roughly seven times South Africa's size, and Indonesia more than 50% larger).
South Africa's most prevalent biome is
grassland, particularly on the
Highveld, where the plant cover is dominated by different
grasses, low
shrubs, and
acacia trees, mainly camel-thorn and whitethorn.
Vegetation becomes even more sparse towards the northwest due to low
rainfall. There are several species of water-storing
succulents like
aloes and euphorbias in the very hot and dry
Namaqualand area. The grass and thorn
savannah turns slowly into a bush savannah towards the north-east of the country, with more dense growth. There are significant numbers of
baobab trees in this area, near the northern end of
Kruger National Park.
[7]
The
Fynbos Biome, which makes up the majority of the area and plant life in the
Cape floristic region, one of the six
floral kingdoms, is located in a small region of the
Western Cape and contains more than 9,000 of those species, making it among the richest regions on earth in terms of floral biodiversity. The majority of the plants are
evergreen hard-leaf plants with fine, needle-like
leaves, such as the
sclerophyllous plants. Another uniquely South African plant is the
protea genus of flowering plants. There are around 130 different species of protea in South Africa.
While South Africa has a great wealth of flowering plants, it has few
forests. Only 1% of South Africa is forest, almost exclusively in the
humid coastal plain along the
Indian Ocean in
KwaZulu-Natal (see
KwaZulu-Cape coastal forest mosaic). There are even smaller reserves of forests that are out of the reach of
fire, known as montane forests (see
Knysna-Amatole montane forests).
Plantations of imported tree species are predominant, particularly the non-native
eucalyptus and
pine. South Africa has lost a large area of natural habitat in the last four decades, primarily due to
overpopulation, sprawling development patterns and
deforestation during the nineteenth century. South Africa is one of the worst affected countries in the world when it comes to invasion by alien species with many (e.g.
Black Wattle,
Port Jackson,
Hakea,
Lantana and
Jacaranda) posing a significant threat to the native
biodiversity and the already scarce water resources. The original
temperate forest that met the first European settlers to South Africa was exploited ruthlessly until only small patches remained. Currently, South African
hardwood trees like
Real Yellowwood ''(Podocarpus latifolius)'',
stinkwood ''(Ocotea bullata)'', and South African
Black Ironwood ''(Olea laurifolia)'' are under government protection.
Numerous
mammals are found in the
bushveld habitats including
lion,
leopard,
White Rhino,
Blue Wildebeest,
kudu,
impala,
hyena,
hippopotamus, and
giraffe. A significant extent of the bushveld habitat exists in the north-east including
Kruger National Park and the
Mala Mala Reserve, as well as in the far north in the
Waterberg Biosphere.
Mpumalanga, previously known as the Eastern Transvaal has much in the way to offer, from scenery, to ancient history, The big 5, With 100's of species of birds, mammals and reptiles it is the Safari destination of choice.
Visit Mpumalanga to find out more about the Bio Diversity, the culture, The history and the amazing scenery of this area.
Climate change is expected to bring considerable warming and drying to much of this already semi-arid region, with greater frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, flooding and drought. According to computer generated climate modelling produced by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
[South African National Biodiversity Institute.] (along with many of its partner institutions), parts of southern Africa will see an increase in temperature by about one degree Celsius along the coast to more than four degrees Celsius in the already hot hinterland such as the
Northern Cape in late spring and summertime by 2050.
The Cape Floral Kingdom has been identified as one of the global
biodiversity hotspots since it will be hit very hard by
climate change and has such a great diversity of life. Drought, increased intensity and frequency of fire and climbing temperatures are expected to push many of these
rare species towards
extinction. The book '' takes much of the modelling produced by SANBI and presents it in an accessible travelogue-style collection of essays.
[8]
South Africa houses many endemic species, among them the
critically endangered Riverine Rabbit (''Bunolagus monticullaris'') in the
Karoo.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of South Africa
By UN classification South Africa is a middle-income country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a
stock exchange (the
JSE Securities Exchange), that ranks among the top twenty in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centres throughout the region. South Africa is ranked 24th in the world in terms of
GDP, corrected for
purchasing power parity.
In many respects, South Africa is under-developed, however; advanced development is significantly localised around four areas, namely
Cape Town,
Port Elizabeth,
Durban, and
Pretoria/
Johannesburg. Beyond these four economic centres, development is marginal and poverty still reigns despite government efforts. Consequently the vast majority of South Africans are poor. However, key marginal areas are experiencing rapid growth recently. Such areas include: Mossel Bay to Plettenberg Bay; Rustenburg area; Nelspruit area; Bloemfontein; Cape West Coast; KwaZulu-Natal North Coast amongst others.
Large income gaps and a
dual economy designate South Africa as a
developing country. South Africa has one of the highest rates of
income inequality in the world. The white South African minority tends to be considerably wealthier than the rest of the population. A decade of continual economic growth has helped to lower unemployment, but daunting economic problems remain. Other problems are crime, corruption, and HIV/AIDS.
At the start of 2000, President Thabo Mbeki vowed to promote economic growth and foreign investment by relaxing restrictive labour laws, stepping up the pace of
privatisation, and cutting unneeded governmental spending. His policies face strong opposition from organised
labour. South Africa is also the continent's largest energy producer and consumer.
The
rand, the world's most actively-traded emerging
market currency, has joined an elite club of fifteen currencies, the
Continuous linked settlement (CLS), where forex transactions are settled immediately, lowering the risks of transacting across
time zones. The South African rand (ZAR) was the best-performing currency against the
United States dollar between 2002 and 2005, according to the
Bloomberg Currency Scorecard.
The volatility of the
rand has affected economic activity, with the rand falling sharply during 2001, hitting an historic low of R13.85 to the
U.S. dollar, raising fears of inflation, and causing the Reserve Bank to increase
interest rates. The rand has since recovered, trading at R6.99 to the dollar as of January 2007 while the South African Reserve Bank's policy of inflation targeting has brought inflation under control. The stronger rand has however put exporters under considerable pressure, with many calling for government to intervene in the exchange rate to help soften the rand, and many others dismissing staff.
Refugees from poorer neighbouring countries abound with immigrants from the DRC, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and many others representing a large portion of the informal sector. With high unemployment levels amongst poorer South Africans,
xenophobia is a very real fear and many people born in South Africa feel resentful of immigrants who are seen to be depriving the native population of jobs, a feeling which has been given credibility by the fact that many South African employers have employed migrants from other countries for lower pay than South African citizens, especially in the
construction,
tourism,
agriculture and
domestic service industries. Illegal immigrants are also heavily involved in informal trading.
[9] However, many immigrants to South Africa continue to live in poor conditions, and the South African immigration policy has become increasingly restrictive since 1994.
[10]
Agriculture
Workers planting on a farm in the central area of
Mpumalanga.
Farm workers.
South Africa has a large agricultural sector and is a net exporter of
farming products. There are almost a thousand
agricultural cooperatives and
agribusinesses throughout the country, and agricultural exports have constituted 8% of South Africa's total exports for the past five years. The agricultural industry contributes around 10% of formal employment, relatively low compared to other parts of Africa, as well as providing work for casual labourers and contributing around 2.6% of
GDP for the nation.
[Human Rights Watch, 2001. Unequal Protection: The State Response to Violent Crime on South African Farms, ISBN 1-56432-263-7.] However, due to the
aridity of the land, only 13.5% can be used for crop production, and only 3% is considered high potential land.
[11]
Although the commercial farming sector is relatively well developed, people in some rural areas still survive on
subsistence agriculture. It is the eighth largest wine producer in the world, and the eleventh largest producer of sunflower seed. South Africa is a net exporter of agricultural products and foodstuffs, the largest number of exported items being
sugar,
grapes,
citrus,
nectarines,
wine and
deciduous fruit. The largest locally produced crop is
maize (corn), and it has been estimated that 9 million tons are produced every year, with 7.4 million tons being consumed.
Livestock are also popular on South African farms, with the country producing 85% of all meat consumed. The dairy industry consists of around 4,300 milk producers providing employment for 60,000 farm workers and contributing to the livelihoods of around 40,000 others.
[12]
In recent years, the agricultural sector has introduced several reforms, some of which are controversial, such as
land reform and the deregulation of the market for agricultural products. Land reform has been criticised both by farmers' groups and by landless workers, the latter alleging that the pace of change has not been fast enough, and the former alleging racist treatment and expressing concerns that a similar situation to
Zimbabwe's land reform policy may develop,
[13] a fear exacerbated by comments made by the country's
deputy president.
[14][15] The sector continues to face problems, with increased foreign competition and crime being two of the major challenges for the industry. The government has been accused of not devoting enough time and money to tackle the problem of
farm attacks as opposed to other forms of violent crime.
[ Farms of Fear, The Sunday Times Magazine.]
Another issue which affects South African agriculture is environmental damage caused by misuse of the land and global climate change. South Africa is unusually vulnerable to climate change and resultant diminution of surface waters. Some predictions shows surface water supply could decrease by 60% by the year 2070 in parts of the Western Cape.
[16] To reverse the damage caused by land mismanagement, the government has supported a scheme which promotes
sustainable development and the use of natural resources.
[17]
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of South Africa
Population density by municipality. Large areas of South Africa are sparsely populated.
South Africa is a nation of over 47 million people of diverse origins,
cultures,
languages, and
beliefs. The last
census was held in 2001 and the next will be in 2011.
Statistics South Africa provided five
racial categories by which people could classify themselves, the last of which, "unspecified/other" drew negligible responses, and these results were omitted.
[ Census 2001, Statistics South Africa.] The 2006 mid year estimated figures for the other categories were
Black African at 79.5%,
White at 9.2%,
Coloured at 8.9%, and
Indian or Asian at 2.5%.
[18] South Africa has a yearly population growth rate of −0.46%.
[19]
By far the major part of the population classified itself as African or black, but it is not culturally or linguistically homogeneous. Major ethnic groups include the
Zulu,
Xhosa,
Basotho (South Sotho),
Bapedi (North Sotho),
Venda,
Tswana,
Tsonga,
Swazi and
Ndebele, all of which speak
Bantu languages (see ''
Bantu peoples of South Africa'').
Some, such as the Zulu, Xhosa, Bapedi and Venda groups, are unique to South Africa. Other groups are distributed across the borders with South Africa's neighbours: The
Basotho group is also the major ethnic group in
Lesotho. The
Tswana ethnic group constitute the majority of the population of
Botswana. The
Swazi ethnic group is the major ethnic group in
Swaziland. The
Ndebele ethnic group is also found in
Matabeleland in
Zimbabwe, where they are known as the
Matabele. These Ndebele people are however in effect Zulu people because the language they speak is Zulu and they are the descendants of a faction under the warrior
Mzilikazi that escaped persecution from
Shaka by migrating to their current territory. The
Tsonga ethnic group is also found in southern
Mozambique, where they are known as the Shangaan.
The white population descends largely from colonial immigrants:
Dutch,
German,
French Huguenot, and
British. Culturally and linguistically, they are divided into the
Afrikaners, who speak
Afrikaans, and
English-speaking groups, many of whom are descended from British immigrants (see ''
Anglo African''). Many small communities that have immigrated over the last century retain the use of other languages. The white population is on the decrease due to a low birth rate and emigration; as a factor in their decision to emigrate, many cite the high
crime rate and the government's
affirmative action policies. In the first decade after the ANC took power, a million whites emigrated.
[Fin24.][Unisa.][ Policy Series, Queen’s University.][ The Economist.]
The term "
Coloured" is still largely used for the people of mixed race descended from slaves brought in from East and Central Africa, the indigenous
Khoisan who lived in the
Cape at the time, indigenous African Blacks, Whites (mostly the
Dutch/
Afrikaner and British settlers) as well as an admixture of
Javanese,
Malay,
Indian,
Malagasy and other European (such as
Portuguese) and Asian blood (such as
Burmese). The majority speak Afrikaans. Khoisan is a term used to describe two separate groups, physically similar in that they were light-skinned and small in stature. The
Khoikhoi, who were called ''Hottentots'' by the Europeans, were pastoralists and were effectively annihilated; the San, called
Bushmen by the Europeans, were hunter-gatherers. Within what is known as the Coloured community, more recent immigrants will also be found: Coloureds from the former
Rhodesia (now
Zimbabwe) and
Namibia and immigrants of mixed descent from India and
Burma (
Anglo-Indians/
Anglo-Burmese) who were welcomed to the Cape when India and Burma received their Independence.
The major part of the
Asian population of the country is Indian in origin (see
Indian South Africans), many of them descended from indentured workers brought in the nineteenth century to work on the
sugar plantations of the eastern coastal area then known as
Natal. There is also a significant group of
Chinese South Africans (approximately 100,000 individuals) and
Vietnamese South Africans (approximately 50,000 individuals).
Religion
According to the latest 2001 national census, Christians accounted for 79.7% of the population. This includes
Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal (Charismatic) 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, and other Christian 36%.
Islam accounted for 1.5% of the population,
Hinduism about 1.3%. 15.1% had no religious affiliation, 2.3% were other and 1.4% were unspecified.
[20][21]
African Indigenous Churches were the largest of the
Christian groups.
It was believed that many of these persons who claimed no affiliation with any organised religion adhered to traditional indigenous religions. Many persons combined Christian and traditional indigenous religious practices.
[ Department of State, USA.]
Islam in South Africa probably pre-dates the colonial period, and consisted of isolated contact with
Arab and
East African traders. Many South African Muslims are described as
Coloureds, notably in the
Western Cape, including those whose ancestors came as slaves from the Indonesian archipelago (the
Cape Malays). Others are described as
Indians, notably in
KwaZulu-Natal, including those whose ancestors came as traders from
South Asia; they have been joined by others from other parts of
Africa as well as white or black South African converts. It is estimated that
Islam is the fastest growing religion of conversion in the country,
[22] with the number of black
Muslims growing sixfold, from 12,000 in 1991 to 74,700 in 2004.
[23]
Hinduism in South Africa dates back to British Colonial period primarily but later waves of continuous immigrants from India have contributed to sizeable Hindu population.Most Hindus are predominantly ethnically South Asians but there are many who come from mixed racial stock and many are converts with the efforts of Hindu missionaries such as ISKCON.>
[21]
Culture
Main articles: Culture of South Africa
It may be argued that there is no "single" culture in South Africa because of its ethnic diversity. Today, the diversity in foods from many cultures is enjoyed by all and especially marketed to tourists who wish to sample the large variety of South African cuisine. In addition to
food,
music and
dance feature prominently.
South African cuisine is heavily
meat-based and has spawned the distinctively South African social gathering known as a ''
braai'', or barbecue. South Africa has also developed into a major
wine producer, with some of the best
vineyards lying in valleys around
Stellenbosch,
Franschoek,
Paarl and
Barrydale.
[25]
There is great diversity in music from South Africa. Many black musicians who sang in Afrikaans or English during apartheid have since begun to sing in traditional African languages, and have developed a unique style called
Kwaito. Of note is
Brenda Fassie, who launched to fame with her song "Weekend Special", which was sung in English. More famous traditional musicians include
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, while the
Soweto String Quartet performs classic music with an African flavour. White and Coloured South African singers are historically influenced by European musical styles including such western metal bands such as
Seether. South Africa has produced world-famous jazz musicians, notably
Hugh Masekela,
Jonas Gwangwa,
Abdullah Ibrahim,
Miriam Makeba,
Jonathan Butler,
Chris McGregor, and
Sathima Bea Benjamin.
Afrikaans music covers multiple genres, such as the
contemporary Steve Hofmeyr and the
punk rock band
Fokofpolisiekar. Crossover artists such as
Johnny Clegg and his bands
Juluka and
Savuka have enjoyed various success underground, publicly, and abroad.
The country's black majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives. It is among these people, however, that cultural traditions survive most strongly; as blacks have become increasingly
urbanised and
westernised, aspects of traditional culture have declined. Urban blacks usually speak
English or
Afrikaans in addition to their native tongue. There are smaller but still significant groups of speakers of
Khoisan languages which are not included in the eleven official languages, but are one of the eight other officially recognised languages. There are small groups of speakers of
endangered languages, most of which are from the Khoi-San family, that receive no official status; however, some groups within South Africa are attempting to promote their use and revival.
The
middle class lifestyle, predominantly of the white minority but with growing numbers of black, Coloured and Indian people,
[26] is similar in many respects to that of people found in
Western Europe,
North America and
Australasia. Members of the middle class often study and work abroad for greater exposure to the world's markets.
Asians, predominantly of
Indian origin, preserve their own cultural heritage, languages and religious beliefs, being either
Christian,
Hindu or
Sunni Muslim and speaking English, with Indian languages like
Hindi,
Telugu,
Tamil or
Gujarati being spoken less frequently. Most Indians live lifestyles similar to that of whites. The first Indians arrived on the famous
Truro ship as
indentured labourers in Natal to work the Sugar Cane Fields. There is a much smaller
Chinese community in South Africa, although its numbers have increased due to immigration from
Republic of China (Taiwan).
South Africa has also had a large influence in the
Scouting movement, with many Scouting traditions and ceremonies coming from the experiences of
Robert Baden-Powell (the founder of Scouting) during his time in South Africa as a military officer in the 1890s. The
South African Scout Association was one of the first youth organisations to open its doors to youth and adults of all races in South Africa. This happened on
2 July 1977 at a conference known as ''Quo Vadis''.
[27]
Languages
Main articles: Languages of South Africa
col2 =
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South Africa has eleven
official languages:
Afrikaans,
English,
Ndebele,
Northern Sotho,
Southern Sotho,
Swati,
Tsonga,
Tswana,
Venda,
Xhosa and
Zulu. In this regard it is
second only to India in number. While each language is technically equal to every other, some languages are spoken more than others.
According to the 1996 National Census, the three most spoken first home languages are Zulu (9.2 million), Xhosa (7.2 million) and Afrikaans (5.8 million). The three most spoken ''second'' home languages are English (2.2 million), Afrikaans (1.1 million) and Zulu (0.5 million). The four most spoken home languages are Zulu (9.8 million), Xhosa (7.5 million), Afrikaans (6.9 million) and English (5.7 million). The 1996 census does not include information about languages spoken elsewhere than at home.
[28]
There are
eleven official names for South Africa, one in each of the official national languages.
The country also recognizes eight non-official languages:
Fanagalo,
Khoe,
Lobedu,
Nama,
Northern Ndebele,
Phuthi,
San and
South African Sign Language. These non-official languages may be used in certain official uses in limited areas where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. Nevertheless, their populations are not such that they require nationwide recognition.
Many of the "unofficial languages" of the
San and
Khoikhoi people contain regional
dialects stretching northward into Namibia and Botswana, and elsewhere. These people, who are a physically distinct population from other Africans, have their own cultural identity based on their
hunter-gatherer societies. They have been marginalised to a great extent, and many of their languages are in danger of becoming
extinct.
Many white South Africans also speak other
European languages, such as
Portuguese (also spoken by Angolan and Mozambican blacks),
German, and
Greek, while many
Asians and
Indians in South Africa speak
South Asian languages, such as
Telugu,
Hindi,
Gujarati and
Tamil.
Sports
South Africa hosted and won the
1995 Rugby World Cup at their first attempt, and then followed this up by hosting and winning the
1996 African Cup of Nations football tournament. It has also hosted the
2003 Cricket World Cup and will be the host nation for the
2010 FIFA World Cup, which will be the first time the tournament is held in Africa. It will also host the
first Twenty20 Cricket World Championship in September 2007.
Health
HIV/AIDS
As in many African countries, the spread of
AIDS (acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome) is an alarming problem in South Africa with up to 31% of pregnant women found to be HIV infected in 2005 and the infection rate among adults estimated at 20%.
[29] The link between HIV, a virus spread primarily by sexual contact, and AIDS has long been denied by the president and the health minister, who have insisted that the many deaths in the country are due to malnutrition, and hence poverty, and not HIV.
[30] The government has recently, after much delay, devoted substantial resources to fighting this pandemic.
AIDS is affecting mainly those who are sexually active and is far more prevalent in the black population, which means the demographics of the country are slowly changing. Most deaths are people who are also economically active, resulting in many families losing their primary wage earners. This is resulting in many 'AIDS orphans' who in many cases depend on the state for care and financial support.
[31] It is estimated that there are 1,200,000 orphans in South Africa.
Many elderly people also lose the support from lost younger members of their family.
It is estimated that more than 1000 people die in South Africa every day because of AIDS and that six million people in the country are expected to die in the next ten years.
Malaria
The
Department of Health reported on
April 25 2007 that there has been a significant decrease of 65 percent in the number of malaria cases in the country. Deaths have been reduced by 73 percent.
[32]
Crime
Main articles: Crime in South Africa
Crime continues to be a major problem in South Africa. According to a survey for the period 1998–2000 compiled by the
United Nations, South Africa was ranked second for
assault and murder (by all means) per capita, in addition to being ranked second for
rape and first for rapes per capita.
[33] Total crime per capita is tenth out of the sixty countries in the data set. Nevertheless, crime has had a pronounced effect on society: many wealthier South Africans moved into
gated communities, abandoning the central business districts of some cities for the relative security of suburbs. This effect is most pronounced in
Johannesburg, although the trend is noticeable in other cities as well. Many emigrants from South Africa also state that crime was a big motivator for them to leave.
Crime against the farming community has continued to be a major problem.
[34]
Military
Main articles: South African National Defence Force
South Africa's
armed forces, known as the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), was created in 1994. Previously known simply as the South African Defence Force (SADF), the new force consists of the forces of the old SADF, as well as the forces of the African nationalist groups, namely
Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK),
Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), and the former
homeland defence forces. The SANDF is subdivided into four branches, the
South African Army, the
South African Air Force, the
South African Navy, and the
South African Military Health Services.
In recent years, the SANDF has become a major
peacekeeping force in Africa, and has been involved in operations in
Lesotho, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
Burundi, amongst others. It has also participated as a part of multi-national
UN peacekeeping forces.
South Africa undertook a nuclear weapons program in the 1970s and
may have conducted a nuclear test over the
Atlantic in
1979. It has since renounced its nuclear program and, after destroying its small nuclear arsenal, signed the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in
1991. It is the only African country to have successfully
developed nuclear weapons.
Media
Main articles: Media in South Africa
South Africa has a large, free, and active press that regularly challenges the government, a habit formed during the apartheid era when the press was the medium least controlled by the government. Major
scandals have erupted when the press reported charges of
corruption that were proven to be true in cases such as that of
Schabir Shaik, in which (then) deputy president
Jacob Zuma was implicated, and the corruption allegations that led to the dismissal of
Winnie Mandela from parliament. Even though South Africa now has the most sophisticated media network in Africa, it was one of the last countries in the world to allow
television, with colour TV broadcasts commencing in 1975. By the end of
apartheid in 1994, television networks covered all
urban areas and some less populated areas, while radio networks covered almost all of the country.
During the Apartheid era the majority of commercial and all public-service radio stations and all of the television channels were operated by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), and were subject to strict control and censorship by the government, with a few independent regional stations allowed. The creation of the independent black homelands (or
Bantustans) in the 1970s allowed for the establishment of TV and radio stations outside of the control of the apartheid Government. Following the demise of apartheid, the broadcasting industry was de-regulated with many of the commercial regional SABC radio stations and former Bantustan stations privatised and sold to companies and consortiums that were majority owned by black people. Three SABC television channels are in place at present.
An African language channel was introduced to the
SABC in 1981 (during
apartheid) with a second African language channel added later in the decade. The SABC's television monopoly was eventually challenged in 1986 when a new privately owned subscription television network,
M-Net, was launched. M-Net was forbidden to operate a news service.
South Africa currently has two terrestrial free-to-air television networks (SABC and
e.tv), one subscription based terrestrial network (M-Net), as well as has access to satellite television (
DStv) which is operated by M-Net's owners, Multichoice. e.tv is allowed to operate an independent television news service. The SABC broadcasts news and entertainment channels Africa-wide via satellite.
Tourism
South Africa is a popular tourist destination, and a substantial amount of revenue comes from tourism. Among the main attractions are the diverse and picturesque culture, the game reserves and the highly regarded local wines. In recent years, tourism in South Africa has seen high growth with the first five months of 2007 showing the highest levels of tourism in South Africa since 1998. Figures released by Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism show a decided increase in foreign visitors.
See also
★
South African diplomatic missions
★
Foreign relations of South Africa
★
Ecotourism in South Africa
International rankings
Bibliography
★ ''Twentieth-Century South Africa''. William Beinart
Oxford University Press 2001, 414 pages, ISBN 0-19-289318-1
★ ''A History of South Africa, Third Edition''. Leonard Thompson.
Yale University Press.
1 March 2001. 384 pages. ISBN 0-300-08776-4.
★ ''South Africa: A Narrative History''.
Frank Welsh. Kodansha America.
1 February 1999. 606 pages. ISBN 1-56836-258-7.
★ ''The Atlas of Changing South Africa''. A. J. Christopher.
1 October 2000. 216 pages. ISBN 0-415-21178-6.
★ ''The Politics of the New South Africa''. Heather Deegan.
28 December 2000. 256 pages. ISBN 0-582-38227-0.
★ ''Making of Modern South Africa: Conquest, Segregation and Apartheid''. Nigel Worden.
1 July 2000. 194 pages. ISBN 0-631-21661-8.
★ ''Emerging Johannesburg: Perspectives on the Postapartheid City''. Richard Tomlinson, et al.
1 January 2003. 336 pages. ISBN 0-415-93559-8.
★ "Religion and Politics in South Africa." David Hein. Modern Age 31 (1987): 21–30.
★
homepage
★
SouthAfrica.info. Accessed
12 February, 2005.
★
South Africa war graves project
★
South African Official Languages 4 December 2006.
References
1. South Africa
2. Ridicule succeeds where leadership failed on AIDS
3. Article by Imran Buccus in the Mercury newspaper
4. World Fact Book
5. Coldest Place in South Africa
6. SouthAfrica.info: South Africa's geography
7. Plants and Vegetation in South Africa, South Africa Online Travel Guide.
8. Scorched: South Africa’s changing climate.
9. African Security Review Vol 5 No 4, 1996: Strategic Perspectives on Illegal Immigration into South Africa
10. Queens College: The Brain Gain: Skilled Migrants and Immigration Policy in Post-Apartheid South Africa
11. Mohamed, Najma. 2000. "Greening Land and Agrarian Reform: A Case for Sustainable Agriculture", in ''At the Crossroads: Land and Agrarian Reform in South Africa into the 21st Century'', ed. Cousins, Ben. Bellville, School of Government, University of the Western Cape. ISBN 1-86808-467-1.
12. Agriculture
13. South Africa's bitter harvest.
14. South Africans' long wait for land, BBC News.
15. SA 'to learn from' land seizures, BBC News.
16. Climate change to create African 'water refugees' – scientists, Reuters Alertnet. Accessed 21 September 2006].
17. Department of Agriculture South Africa.
18. Mid-year population estimates, South Africa
19. The demographic status of the world's population
20. Factbook, CIA.
21. South Africa - Section I. Religious Demography
22. In South Africa, many blacks convert to Islam
23. Muslims say their faith growing fast in Africa
24. South Africa - Section I. Religious Demography
25. thewinedoctor.com
26. Black middle class explodes
27. History of Scouting in South Africa
28.
29. HIV & Aids in South Africa
30. "Sack SA Health Minister" – world's AIDS experts
31. AIDS orphans
32. SA records 65 percent drop in malaria cases
33. NationMaster: South African Crime Statistics
34. Farms of fear
External links
'Government'
★
South Africa Government Online official government site
★
Department of Foreign Affairs official site
★
Parliament of South Africa official site
★
Statistics South Africa official government site
★
South Africa Department of Trade and Industry
★
South Africa's Official Gateway
★
South African Police Services
★
Department of Home Affairs official site
'Business '
★
South African Business Directory SA business website portal
'News'
★
Business Day financial daily
★
Independent Online
★
Mail & Guardian daily newspaper
★
News 24
★
South African Weather Service
★
Township Vibes Taking The Townships To Another Level
★
South Africa Today A YouTube Channel giving news updates on SA's high crime situation for tourists, business and media.
'Overviews'
★
The Economist/Country Briefings - South Africa
★
South Africa's location on a 3D globe (Java)
★
BBC News Country Profile - ''South Africa''
★
Encyclopaedia Britannica, South Africa - Country Page
★
CIA World Factbook - ''South Africa''
★
Business Anti-Corruption Portal South Africa Country Profile
★
Library of Congress Country Study - ''South Africa'' data as of November 1994
★
Open Directory Project - ''South Africa'' directory category
★
Diamond Mines of South Africa, includes anthropological, ethnographic and historic description of South Africa and
Diamond Mines Vol. II Former De Beers general Manager's 800-page overview of the history of South Africa and its diamond mines.
'Tourism'
★
★
Welcome to South Africa official South African tourism site
'Languages'
★
Introduction to the languages of South Africa
★
Pan South African Language Board
★
Batho Portal information on South African languages
★
PanAfrican L10n page on South Africa language & localisation info, links
'ICT and business'
★
ICT and Media Tshwanelive Project From Ga-Rankuwa
'Major social movements'
★
Abahlali baseMjondolo Shack dwellers' movement
★
Treatment Action Campaign Campaign for access to treatment for HIV/AIDS
★
"Educate a Woman, You Educate a Nation" - South Africa Aims to Improve its Education for Girls WNN - Women News Network.
August 28,
2007. Lys Anzia
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