The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent. It borders
Namibia,
Botswana,
Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, and
Swaziland, while a sixth country,
Lesotho, is an
enclave entirely surrounded by South African territory.
South Africa has experienced a significantly different evolution from other nations in Africa as a result of two facts. Firstly, immigration from Europe reached levels not experienced in other African communities. Secondly, the strategic importance of the Cape Sea Route, as emphasised by the closure of the Suez Canal during the Six Day War, and mineralogical wealth made the country extremely important to Western interests, particularly during the Cold War. As a result of the former, South Africa is a very racially diverse nation. It has the largest population of people of 'coloured' (mixed race) communities in Africa. Black South Africans 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 the country's history and politics, culminating in apartheid, an official policy of 'separate development', which was instituted in 1948 by the National Party, although segregation existed prior to that date. The laws that defined apartheid began to be repealed or abolished by the National Party in 1990 after a long and sometimes violent struggle (including economic sanctions from the international community) by the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.
The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état, and regular elections have been held for almost a century; however, the vast majority of black 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 referred to as The Rainbow Nation - a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later elaborated upon by then-President Nelson Mandela as a metaphor to describe the country's newly-developing multicultural diversity in the wake of segregationist apartheid ideology.
South Africa will be the host nation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It will be the first time the tournament is held in Africa.
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1 History2 Politics3 Administrative divisions4 Geography5 Flora and fauna6 Economy7 Agriculture8 Demographics9 Culture9.1 Languages10 Crime11 Military12 Media13 Referencesif (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); }
History
South Africa contains some of the oldest 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 (the term Bantu is a linguistic term not an ethnic one),
iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen, moved south of the
Limpopo River into modern-day South Africa by the 4th or 5th 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.
The written history of South Africa begins with the accounts of European navigators passing South Africa on the
East Indies trade routes. Subsequent to the first circumnavigation of the Cape in
1488 by the Portuguese Explorer
Bartolomeu Dias a number of shipwrecks occurred along the Southern African coast. 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 17th and 18th centuries, the slowly expanding settlement was a
Dutch possession. The Dutch settlers eventually met the southwesterly 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 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 1797 during the
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. The
Dutch East India Company declared bankruptcy, and the British annexed the Cape Colony in 1805. The British continued the frontier wars against the AmaXhosa, 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. In reaction to these and other liberalizing policies, thousands of Afrikaners initiated the
Great Trek, a mass exodus from the Cape Colony. The trekkers first stop was the coastal strip of land to the Cape Colony's east, where they established their first independent polity, Natalia Republiek (Natalia Republic). The British quickly annexed it as the Colony of Natal, however, and the trekkers moved on into the Cape's interior hinterland. There they established two new Boer Republics: The South African Republic, also known as the Transvaal, and the Orange Free State.
(PD) Photo: Library of Congress
British troops during the
Second Boer War, 1900. The UK eventually won the war, and absorbed the two Boer republics into the empire.
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 tactics much better suited to local conditions. For example, the Boers wore
khaki clothing, which was the same colour as the earth, whereas the British wore bright red uniforms, making them easy targets for Boer
sharpshooters. The British returned in greater numbers without their red jackets in the
Second Boer War (1899–1902), which was largely opposed by the
Liberal Party in the
British Parliament. 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 and external supply chains and
concentration camps as well as the controversial
scorched earth tactic. 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. The right-wing National Party sympathised with
Nazi Germany during the war, and sought greater racial segregation, or apartheid, after it.
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 industrialization 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 'colored' South African compared favorably to many other African states, such as
Ghana and
Tanzania.
(GNU) Photo: Ulrich Stelzner
Apartheid era sign at a public beach, 1985.
Apartheid became increasingly controversial, leading to widespread
sanctions and
divestment abroad and growing unrest and oppression within South Africa. (See also special section on
History of South Africa in the apartheid era.) A long period of harsh suppression by the government, and resistance,
strikes, marches, protests, and
sabotage, by various anti-apartheid movements, most notably the
African National Congress (ANC), followed.
In 1987 the SADF go in Angola to help the UNITA, but in
Battle of Cuito Cuanavale South Africa and UNITA are defeated by
Cuba and
Angola[1]. A few months later, 1988, Cuba defeated the SADF again in
Calueque, wining the
Bush War, so called
Border War or
Angola War[2]. Then South Africa ask for the peace and accept several conditions never accepted before
[3].
In 1989 elections are summoned in
Namibia with every parties, included
SWAPO. In 1990 Namibia is independent.
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 27 years. Apartheid legislation was gradually removed from the statute books, and the first
multi-racial elections were held in 1994. The ANC won by an overwhelming majority, and has been in power ever since.
Despite the end of apartheid, millions of South Africans, mostly black, continue to live in
poverty. This is attributed to the legacy of the apartheid regime 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. 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.
Politics
South Africa has a bicameral
Parliament: the
National Council of Provinces (or upper house) with 90 members, and a
National Assembly (or lower house) with 400 members. 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 lower house, and the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly is the
President.
Current South African politics is 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
Tony Leon. The formerly dominant
New National Party, which introduced apartheid through its predecessor, the
National Party, has 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.
Administrative divisions
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 is in order to give local governments more resources to distribute over smaller areas.
The nine provinces are further sub-divided into 52
districts, six of which are
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) which are directly governed by the district municipalities. The six metropolitan municipalities perform the functions of both district and local municipalities.
Geography
(CC) Photo: Paul Watson Dawn on
Robben Island looking towards
Cape Town.
South Africa is located at the extreme south of Africa, with a long
coastline that stretches more than 2,500
kilometres (1,550
mi) and across two
oceans (the
Atlantic and the
Indian). At 470,979
mi² (1,219,912
km²[1]), South Africa is the world's 25th-largest country (after
Mali). It is comparable in size to
Colombia, and is nearly twice the size of the US state of
Texas.
South Africa has a great variety of climate zones, from the extreme
desert of the
Kalahari near
Namibia to lush
subtropical climate along the border with
Mozambique. It 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 giant, mountainous, and sparsely populated
scrubland Karoo plateau, which is drier towards the northwest along the Kalahari 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. 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 the eastern region of the Highveld does not extend as far north as the western region. 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 1,740
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 and east of Johannesburg, the altitude drops beyond the Highveld's escarpment, and turns into the
Lowveld. The Lowveld has particularly high temperatures, and is also the location of traditional South African
Bushveld. The high
Drakensberg mountains, which form the 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. 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.
[4]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 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'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 northeast 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.
[5]The
Fynbos Biome, 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. There are even smaller reserves of forests that are out of the reach of
fire, known as montane forests.
Plantations of imported tree species are predominant, particularly the non-native
eucalyptus and
pine. South Africa has lost extensive acreage of natural habitat in the last four decades, primarily due to
overpopulation and sprawling development patterns. 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 and
giraffe. There is a significant extent of the bushveld habitat in the northeast including Kruger National Park and the
Mala Mala Reserve, as well as in the far north in the
Waterberg Biosphere.
Economy
Public Domain The Big Hole, a huge open-pit diamond mine in Kimberley, 463 meters wide and 215 meters deep.
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 10 largest in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centres throughout the region. South Africa's per capita
GDP, corrected for
purchasing power parity, positions the country as one of the 50 wealthiest in the world. In many respects, South Africa is developed; however, this development is significantly localised around 4 areas, namely: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Pretoria-Johannesburg. Beyond these 4 economic centres, development is marginal and poverty still reigns despite Government strategies. 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; KZN North Coast amongst others. Large income gaps and a
dual economy designate South Africa as developing; South Africa has one of the highest rates of
income inequality in the world. Consecutive growth rates in the last ten years are helping lower unemployment; however, the economy still has a way to go, and 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. It is estimated that South Africa accounts for up to 30% of the
gross domestic product of the entire African continent. 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 15 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 US 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
United States dollar, raising fears of inflation, and causing the Reserve Bank to increase
interest rates. The rand has since recovered, trading at R5.99 to the dollar as of January 2006 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.
21.5% of the adult South African population have been estimated to be
HIV positive in 2003.
[6] The government has recently, after much delay, devoted substantial resources to fighting the epidemic. A recent study from the African Journal of AIDS Research by Thomas Rehle and Olive Shisana showed the infection rate starting to level off, from 4.2% to 1.7% infection rate for 15-49 year olds, and AIDS deaths peaking at 487,320 in 2008.
In 2000 President
Mbeki publicly questioned the importance of HIV in causing
AIDS, controversially suggesting that the main cause was "poverty".
[7] In 2001 the government appointed a panel of scientists, including a number of
AIDS dissidents (who question the mainstream view on HIV), to report back on the issue. Following their report, the government stated that it continues to base its policy on the premise that the cause of AIDS is indeed HIV.
[8] The controversy has not abated, and organisations such as the
Treatment Action Campaign continue to mount political and legal challenges to what they claim is the government's slow response to the epidemic.
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
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.
[11] 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.
[12]Although the commercial farming sector is relatively well developed, people in some rural areas still survive on
subsistence farming. 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.
[13]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
Robert Mugabe's land reform policy may develop
[14], a fear exacerbated by comments made by the country's
deputy president.
[15][16] The sector continues to face problems with increased foreign competition and crime being two of the major challenges for the industry.
Crime against the farming community continues to be a problem. The rural farm population has shouldered a great increase in attacks and harassment and has suffered as many as 2000
farm murders since 1994, and this has caused many commercial farmers to flee the countryside for the protection of the gated communities of the cities and that offered by other nations. The government has been accused of not devoting enough time and money to tackle the problem as opposed to other forms of violent crime, or simply inefficiency and incompetence.
[17]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 percent by the year 2070 in parts of the Western Cape.
[18] To reverse the damage caused by land mismanagement, the government has supported a scheme which promotes
sustainable development and the use of natural resources.
[19] Demographics
South Africa is a nation of over 47 million people of diverse origins,
cultures,
languages, and
beliefs. The 2005
Statistics South Africa census provided five
racial categories by which people could classify themselves, the last of which, "unspecified/other" drew negligible responses, and these results were omitted.
[20] Results for the other categories were
black African at 79.4%,
white at 9.3%,
coloured at 8.8%, and
Indian or Asian at 2.5%.
By far the major part of the population classified itself as African or black, but it is not culturally or linguistically homogenous. Major ethnic groups include the
Zulu,
Xhosa,
Basotho (South Sotho),
Bapedi (North Sotho),
Venda,
Tswana,
Tsonga,
Swazi and
Ndebele. 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 the Warrior
Mzilikazi who escaped persecution from Shaka to settle in that part of the World. 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 originated from British immigrants (see
Anglo African). Many small communities immigrating 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.
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, you will also find some more recent immigrants - Coloureds from the old
Rhodesia (now
Zimbabwe) and
Namibia, as well as 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, many of them descended from indentured workers brought in the 19th 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).
Culture
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. South Africa has also developed into a major
wine producer, with some of the best
vineyards in the world lying in valleys around
Stellenbosch,
Franschoek,
Paarl and
Barrydale.
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 tend to avoid traditional African musical themes, instead preferring more European musical styles including such western
metal bands such as
Seether.
Afrikaans music covers multiple genres, such as the
contemporary Steve Hofmeyr and the
punk rock band
Fokofpolisiekar.
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 traditional dance and music survive; 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 official languages, but are one of the eight 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 white minority lead lifestyles similar in many respects to whites found in
Western Europe,
North America and
Australasia.
Despite considerable discrimination under apartheid, Coloureds tend to relate more to white South African culture rather than black South African culture, especially
Afrikaans-speaking Coloured people whose
language and
religious beliefs are similar or identical to white
Afrikaners.
Asians, predominantly of
Indian origin, preserve their own cultural heritage, languages and religious beliefs, being either
Hindu or
Sunni Muslim, and speaking English, with Indian languages like
Tamil or
Gujarati being spoken less frequently. Most 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
Taiwan. Since the Taiwanese were classified as White, rather than Asian, under apartheid, they tend to be more culturally similar to whites in many ways than they are to other Asians.
Languages
South Africa has 11
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, English has emerged recently as the chief-among-peers as it is the most widely spoken language across racial barriers as well as globally, even though it is not the most widely spoken language by population. There are
11 official names for South Africa, one for each of the official national languages.
The country also recognises 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
Hindi,
Gujarati and
Tamil.
Crime
Crime has been 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.
[21] Total crime per capita is 10th out of the 60 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 in the country.
Military
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 military forces of the organisations fighting for liberation, 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 70s and
may have conducted a nuclear test over the
Atlantic in
1979, but has since renounced its nuclear program and signed the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in
1991 after destroying its small nuclear
arsenal. It is the only African country to have successfully
developed nuclear weapons, and to date is the only country in the world to have voluntarily dismantled its entire
nuclear weapons arsenal.
It has a strong military manufacturing sector. Especially strong conventional products include the G-series
howitzers,
combat engineering equipment, and light
armored fighting vehicles. There has been significant co-development with
Israel.
Media
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. The government's stance on the
2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections and
AIDS have also attracted plenty of coverage.
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.
References
↑ André Kisalu Kiala, Le drame angolais, L'Hamattan, París, 2005,
ISBN 2-7475-9485-8↑ Olivier Languetin, Cuba la fallite d'une utopie, Folio Le Monde Actuel, París, 2007,
ISBN 978-2-07034598-4↑ Ross, Robert, Historia de Sudáfrica, Ediciones AKAL, Madrid, 2006,
ISBN 978-84-460-2295-4↑ SouthAfrica.info: South Africa's geography↑ South Africa Online Travel Guide: Plants and Vegetation in South Africa↑ CIA World Factbook, "South Africa"↑ BBC News: Controversy dogs Aids forum↑ BBC News: South African split over Aids↑ African Security Review Vol 5 No 4, 1996: Strategic Perspectives on Illegal Immigration into South Africa↑ Queens College: The Brain Gain: Skilled Migrants and Immigration Policy in Post-Apartheid South Africa↑ Human Rights Watch, 2001. Unequal Protection: The State Response to Violent Crime on South African Farms
ISBN 1-56432-263-7 http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/safrica2/↑ 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↑ South Africa Online: Agriculture. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
↑ South Africa's bitter harvest↑ BBC News: South Africans' long wait for land↑ BBC News: SA 'to learn from' land seizures↑ The Sunday Times Magazine: Farms of Fear↑ Reuters Alertnet: "Climate change to create African 'water refugees' - scientists", accessed Sept 21 2006↑ Department of Agriculture South Africa↑ Statistics South Africa: Census 2001↑ NationMaster: South African Crime StatisticsA History of South Africa, Third Edition. Leonard Thompson. Yale University Press. 1 March 2001. 384 pages.
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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.
Times Online
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April 2 2006.
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.
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