South Africa

South Africa - images courtesy of SATOUR and Media club of South Africa

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The quick guide to South Africa

What languages do South Africans speak?

Is South Africa a democracy?
Are there big cities with modern amenities?
Are the roads tarred?
How far will my money go? ... You've got three minutes to spare?
Here's the lowdown on why South Africa's going to surprise you.

Welcome to the southern tip of Africa. Here, two great oceans meet, warm weather lasts most of the year, and big game roams just beyond the city lights.

This is where humanity began: our ancestors' traces are still evident in fossilised footprints 80 000 years old, and in the world's oldest rock paintings.

Today, South Africa is the powerhouse of Africa, the most advanced, broad-based economy on the continent, with infrastructure to match any first-world country.

You can drive on wide, tarred highways all 2 000 kilometres from Musina at the very top of the country to Cape Town at the bottom. Or join the millions of international travellers who disembark at our airports every year.

About two-thirds of Africa's electricity is generated here. Around 40% percent of the continent's phones are here. Over half the world's platinum and 10% of its gold is mined here. And almost everyone who visits is astonished at how far a dollar, euro or pound will stretch. Welcome to the Republic of South Africa.

Who lives in South Africa?

South Africa is a nation of over 47-million people of diverse origins, cultures, languages and beliefs. Around 79% are black (or African), 9% white, 9% "coloured" - the local label for people of mixed African, Asian and white descent - and 2.5% Indian or Asian. Just over half the population live in the cities.

Two-thirds of South Africans are Christian, the largest church being the indigenous Zion Christian Church, followed by the Dutch Reformed and Catholic churches. Many churches combine Christian and traditional African beliefs, and many non-Christians espouse these traditional beliefs. Other significant religions - though with much smaller followings - are Islam, Hinduism and Judaism.

What languages do people speak?

There are 11 officially recognised languages, most of them indigenous to South Africa. Around 40% of the population speak either isiZulu or isiXhosa. You don't speak either? If your English is passable, don't worry. Everywhere you go, you can expect to find people who speak or understand English.

English is the language of the cities, of commerce and banking, of government, of road signs and official documents. Road signs and official forms are in English. The President makes his speeches in English. At any hotel, the receptionists, waiters and porters will speak English.

Another major language is Afrikaans, a derivative of Dutch, which northern Europeans will find surprisingly easy to follow

Is South Africa a democracy?

South Africa is a vigorous multi-party democracy with an independent judiciary and a free and diverse press. One of the world's youngest - and most progressive - constitutions protects both citizens and visitors. You won't be locked up for shouting out your opinions, however contrary. (But be careful about smoking cigarettes in crowded restaurants!)

What about apartheid?

Up until 1994, South Africa was known for apartheid, or white-minority rule. The country's remarkable ability to put centuries of racial hatred behind it in favour of reconciliation was widely considered a social miracle, inspiring similar peace efforts in places such as Northern Ireland and Rwanda. Post-apartheid South Africa has a government comprising all races, and is often referred to as the rainbow nation, a phrase coined by Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu.

Is foreign business welcome?

The "open for business" signs are up. The country offers an investor-friendly environment in which 100% foreign ownership is allowed. Repatriation of profits is liberal. The exchange rate is favourable. And if you're doing businesses anywhere in Africa, this is the gateway to the continent.

What's the weather like?

Summery, without being sweltering. In Johannesburg, the country's commercial capital, the weather is mild all year round, but can get cool at night. Durban, the biggest port, is hot and sometimes humid, a beach paradise. And in Cape Town, where travellers flock to admire one of the world's most spectacular settings, the weather is usually warm, though temperamental. If you're visiting from the northern hemisphere, just remember: when it's winter over there, it's summer over here. Bring sunglasses and sunscreen; leave the mackintosh at home.

Is it a big country?

To a European, yes. The country straddles 1.2-million square kilometres, as big as several European countries put together. To an American, maybe not - it's an eighth the size of the US. Still, it's more than a day's drive down the highway from Johannesburg in the north to Cape Town in the south (if you're driving sensibly), with the topography ranging across the spectrum from lush green valleys to semi-desert.

How is it divided up?

South Africa has nine provinces. Gauteng, the smallest and most densely populated, adjoins Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga in the north. The Northern Cape, the largest province with the smallest population, is in the west. The Free State is in the middle of the country. And the coastal provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape lie to the south.

Are there big cities with modern amenities?

There's more to Africa than lions. Johannesburg, a city of skyscrapers, sprawls wider than London or New York. The lights work, the water flows, there are multi-lane highways and - unfortunately - traffic jams. You can book into a Hilton or a Hyatt or a Holiday Inn and eat at cosmopolitan restaurants serving anything from sushi to burgers to crocodile steaks. Or you can lie back on a couch and choose from five analogue and over 50 digital TV channels.

What are the big cities?

South Africa has two capitals. Cape Town, the oldest city, is the legislative capital, where Parliament sits. Pretoria, 1 500 kilometres to the north, is the executive capital, where the government administration is housed. Next door to Pretoria, and close enough that the outer suburbs merge, is the commercial centre of Johannesburg, once the world's greatest gold mining centre, now increasingly dominated by modern financial and service sectors. The second-biggest city is Durban, a fast-growing port on the eastern coast, and the supply route for most goods to the interior.

How do I get to South Africa?

By air - unless you have a boat or rugged overland vehicle. Over 50 airlines and more than 30-million passengers a year move through South Africa's 10 principal airports, including the three major international airports in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

You say the roads are tarred?

Yes, even in the smallest towns. The major centres are connected by over 9 000 kilometres of tarred and regularly maintained national highways, including over 2 000 kilometres of dual carriageway, and the numbers are increasing steadily. The national railway has some 30 000 kilometres of rail track connecting the smallest hamlets.

I'll be able to phone home?

That, and more. With a network that is 99% digital and includes the latest in fixed-line, wireless and satellite communication, South Africa has the most developed telecommunications network in Africa. The country's three cellular operators provide telephony to over 39-million subscribers, covering nearly 80% of the population. The number of South Africans enjoying competitively priced access to the internet, uninterrupted connections and broadband access is growing steadily.

Are there modern banks?

South Africa has a world-class, sophisticated financial sector, abreast of all the latest technological trends. From the moment you step off the plane you'll start seeing banks, bureaux de change and automatic tellers (ATMs) all over. All major credit cards can be used in South Africa, with American Express and Diners Club enjoying less universal acceptance than MasterCard and Visa. Foreign banks are well represented, and you can bank by ATM or internet.

How far will my money go?

With a favourable exchange rate for many international currencies, you'll find South Africa a very inexpensive destination. South Africa's unit of currency is the rand, which is divided into 100 cents. Coins come in denominations of 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, R1, R2 and R5, and notes in denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200.

Can I drink the water?

South Africa's water is of a far higher quality than that of many developed countries. High-quality tap (faucet) water is available almost everywhere, treated to be free of harmful microorganisms and both palatable and safe to drink straight from the tap. Johannesburg's water, for one, is as good as anything you'll get in a bottle.

Is it safe to walk around?

Like anywhere, yes - provided you don't go wandering about deserted streets at the dead of night. Yes, there is crime in South Africa. But you don't need to do more than take the usual sensible precautions. Know where you're going before you set off, particularly at night. Don't display valuable possessions carelessly in public. Lock the doors at night. And, like anywhere else in the world, know that there are some areas of the major cities where outsiders present a more vulnerable target. It is easy to avoid these areas without lessening your enjoyment of a country and a people who are, with a few exceptions, remarkably warm and welcoming.

Is it true that there are robots on the street corners?

Yes, there are. In South Africa, traffic lights are known as robots, although no one knows why. A pick-up truck is a bakkie, sneakers are takkies, a barbeque is a braai, an insect is a gogga and an alcoholic drink is a dop.

Will I get to see wild animals?

You won't have to go far to do so. An hour's drive from such urban jungles as Pretoria and Johannesburg, you can see lions, elephants, buffalo and hundreds more species in their natural environments.

One of the world's first wildlife conservation areas was South Africa's Kruger Park, more than a century old. Today it is part of a single broad conservation area that spans private and public game parks and stretches across national borders into neighbouring Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

There are other reasons for visiting South Africa too: golden beaches, some of the world's best surf, spectacular scenery ranging from mountains to deserts, eco-systems found nowhere else in the world, an opportunity to experience African culture first-hand - and one of the least expensive holiday destinations you'll find.

All info courtesy of Southafrica.info

South Africa yearbook 2011

This publication is the official authoritative reference work on the Republic of South Africa and is updated annually.

South Africa - Quick country facts

Size	1,219,090 km2
Capital	Pretoria(executive); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein(judicial)
Major cities	Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, East London, Kimberley
Population	47.9 million (mid-2007)
Official languages	English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele, Afrikaans, siSwati, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, Setswana, Tshivenda and Xitsonga
Government	Constitutional multiparty, three-tier (local, provincial, national) democracy
Key economic sectors	Mining services and transport, energy, manufacturing, tourism, agriculture
Currency	100 cents equals one rand
Time	GMT +2 hours
Distances	Cape Town to Johannesburg 1 400 km (880 miles)Johannesburg to Durban 600 km (380 miles)Port Elizabeth to Bloemfontein 700 km (440 miles)
Transportation	Excellent roads, rail and air facilities(both domestic and international)
Telecommunications	World-class infrastructure. Internet access is widely available. There are four mobile (cellular) networks.
Value-added tax (VAT)	Levied at 14%. Tourists may apply for tax refunds on purchases over R250 on departure.
Health	Top-quality care is available throughout the country, although basic in rural areas. Inoculations are only required for those traveling from yellow-fever areas. Malaria precautions are necessary in some areas.
Total GDP (2006)	US$255,3 billion*
GDP per capita (2006)	US$5 321*
Real GDP growth (2006)	5,0%
Inflation (CPIX) (2006)	4,6%

*Based on a mid-2006 exchange rate of R6,762 to the US$

Location

South Africa is located south of the Limpopo River, on the tip of the African Continent, to the west is the Atlantic Ocean, while the warm Indian Ocean lies off the east coast. This gives South Africa its spectacular range of bio-diversity - one of the largest in the world as it encompasses the independent mountain kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland, and its bordered by Namibia in the north-west, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north, and Mozambique in the north east.

Climate

In the southern hemisphere, the seasons are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere, Spring and summer are from September to February, and autumn (fall) and winter make up the rest of the year. The climate is mild, although average temperatures can range from 16/60 during a Cape Town winter, to around 33/90 in Kimberley in summer.

Rainfall is highest in the summer, except for the Cape which has a Mediterranean winter. Average rainfall is from 414mm/16.3 inches in Kimberley to over 1000mm/39.4 inches in subtropical Durban. South Africa still has one of the world's highest average of daily hours of sunshine: 8.5 compared with 3.8 in London; 6.4 in Rome; and 6.9 in New York.

People

South Africa is a country where many cultures form a unique nation and where 11 official languages are recognized by the Constitution. The mid-2007 population was estimated at 47.9 million people. Africans are in the majority (about 38 million) and constitute about 79.6% of the population. The white population is estimated at 4.4 million, the coloured population at 4.2 million and the Indian/Asian population at 1.2 million. Almost 80% of South Africa’s population is Christian. Other religious groups include Hindus, Muslims and Jews. A minority do not belong to any of the major religions and regard themselves as traditionalists or of no specific religious affiliation.

History

Modern humans have lived in South Africa for over 100 000 years and their ancestors for around 3.3 million years. Rich fossil remains, providing important links in the evolution of humans, have been found around the Sterkfontein caves near Johannesburg have led the area to be called the “Cradle of Humankind” – a world heritage site.

About 2000 years ago, the Khoekhoen who were pastoralists settled mainly along the coast whilst the San were hunter-gatherers spread across the region. At this time, African language-speaking agro-pastoralists began arriving in southern Africa and settling.

The first European settlement was established by the Dutch East India Company in CapeTown in 1652 to supply passing ships. Dutch farmers settled to grow produce and imported slaves. From the 1770s, colonists came into contact and conflict with the African language-speaking chiefdoms further east and after a century of intermittent wars, the colonists gained ascendancy over the isiXhosa speaking chiefdoms and ultimately, further North East from the 1830s over the expansionist Zulu kingdom. The descendants of the Dutch settlers who moved eastwards and northwards became known as the Boer Voortrekkers.

From the mid-1800s they ruled in two land-locked, white republics, the South African republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State.

After British occupation of the Cape in 1806, the political rights of the various races were guaranteed and slavery abolished in 1838. The discovery of diamonds in the 1860s brought an influx of people to the area around Kimberley and in 1871, Britain annexed the diamond fields subjugating and incorporating independent African chiefdoms. The discovery of the Witwatersrand goldfields in 1886 ultimately led Britain to war with the Transvaal and Orange Free State in 1899. Britain won the war in 1902.

In 1910, the essentially white Union of South Africa was created out of the Cape, Natal Transvaal and Free State. The African National Congress was founded in 1912 to protest the exclusion of African people from power. In the face of growing opposition to racially defined government, the Native Land Act was legislated in 1913 and defined the remnants of African ancestral lands for African occupation. The homelands as they were subsequently called, eventually made up some 13% of South Africa’s land. More discriminatory legislation came into being. Meanwhile, Afrikaner nationalism was growing due to job losses from worldwide recession.

After WW II in 1948, the pro-Afrikaner National Party (NP) came into power with the ideology of Apartheid which was more severe than the previous segregationist policies.

In 1961, the NP declared South Africa a republic after winning a whites-only referendum and a new concern for racial purity. Interracial sex was prohibited, population registration along racial categories was done and forced removals from “white” areas into group areas displaced millions of people. Pass laws and influx control was enforced. The Programme of Action of the ANC in 1949 saw an expression of renewed militancy. The Defiance Campaign of the early 1950s saw mass mobilisation of non-violent resistance to the pass laws. In 1955, the Freedom Charter was drawn up at the Congress of the People in Soweto embracing human rights and non-racialism. The ANC and other mass-based organisations were banned. A state of emergency was imposed in March 1960 when matters came to a head when 69 Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC) anti-pass demonstrators were killed. Leaders of African political organisations went into exile or were arrested. The ANC and PAC abandoned their non-violent resistance and turned to armed struggle, waged from independent countries to the north. Top leaders inside the country, including members of the ANC’s newly formed military wing “Umkhonto we Sizwe” (Spear of the Nation) were arrested in 1963. At the Rivonia Trial, eight ANC leaders including Nelson Mandela were convicted of sabotage (instead of treason, the original charge) and sentenced to life imprisonment. The year 1976 marked the beginning of a sustained anti-Apartheid revolt. In June, school pupils in Soweto rose up against Apartheid education followed by youth uprisings around the country.

Shaken by the scale of protest, the government embarked on a series of limited reforms in the early 1980s such as the recognition of African trade unions. Mass resistance increasingly challenged the Apartheid State which resorted to intensified repression accompanied by eventual recognition that Apartheid could not be sustained. In February 1990, the newly elected President FW de Klerk announced the unbanning of liberation movements and the release of political prisoners, notably Nelson Mandela.

After difficult negotiations, South Africa held its first democratic election in April 1994 under an interim Constitution and Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s President with the ANC winning a 62% majority. South Africa was divided into nine new provinces in place of the four provinces and 10 homelands that existed previously.

The ANC-led Government embarked on a programme to promote the reconstruction and development of the country and its institutions.

The second democratic election in 1999 saw the ANC increase its majority and President Thabo Mbeki as the new President. The third election in 2004 saw the ANC win with 69.68% of the vote and President Mbeki re-elected for a second term. The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (ASGISA) was developed to raise economic growth to 6% between 2010 and 2014. Mr Kgalema Motlanthe was pointed as President when Mr Mbeki stepped down from the position in September 2008. The fourth general elections, held in April 2009, were also comfortably won by the ANC. Mr Jacob Zuma was inaugurated as South Africa's new president on 9 May 2009 with the fight against poverty and crime seen as among the priorities of Government.

The Constitution

South Africa’s difficult history ensured that negotiations for the new Constitution were very detailed and inclusive and took account of the injustices of the country’s non-democratic past. It is considered to be one of the most democratic constitutions in the world and is the supreme law of the country. It aims to deal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental rights.

Government

The South African Government consists of national, provincial and local spheres. The powers of the legislature, executive and courts are separate (“trias politica”).

Parliament

Parliament is made up of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). The National Assembly consists of no fewer than 350 and no more than 400 members elected through a system of proportional representation for a five year term. It elects the President and scrutanises the executive. The NCOP consists of 54 permanent members and 36 special delegates and aims to represent provincial interests in the national sphere of government.

The South African Government has made important progress in ensuring that women occupy their rightful place as leaders in society. South Africa’s Parliament is ranked 10th out of 130 Parliaments in the world in terms of women’s representation.

Cabinet

Cabinet consists of the President as the head of the Cabinet, the Deputy President and Ministers. The President is elected by the National Assembly from amongst its members and appoints the rest of the Cabinet.

Currently, 43% of members of Cabinet are women. South Africa has in fact surpassed the initial target of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Economic Bloc Declaration on Gender and Development which called for 30% representation of women in decision-making.

Provincial Government

There are nine provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng,Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West and Western Cape.

Each of South Africa’s nine provinces has its own legislature of 30 to 80 members. They elect the Premier who heads the Executive Council.

Local Government

Local governments are instruments of service delivery and are expected to act as agents for economic development. There are 282 municipalities focused on growing local economies and providing infrastructure and services.

Economy

The South African economy expanded continuously since September 1999 and since 2003 it grew by an average of 5% a year. This was the longest continuous period of growth on record. However, due to the effects of the global economic crisis, the South African economy recorded its first contraction in ten years in the last quarter of 2008. Economic activity contracted 6.4% in the first quarter of 2009, confirming that the domestic economy was in a recession - the first in 17 years. The manufacturing and mining sectors were the most severely affected followed by the finance, real-estate and business services sector. The economy contracted further in the second quarter of 2009 although at a slower rate of contraction than in the previous quarter. The economy is predicted to contract by 1.89% this year while long-term prospects are more positive with 2.16 % and 3.7 % growth predicted for 2010 and 2011 respectively. It is estimated that about half a percentage point of growth next year comes directly from the impact of the Soccer World Cup according to some economists.

Before the global economic crisis had affected South Africa, the GDP per person had increased by over 20% since 2000 and over 1.5 million jobs had been created. The number of African people entering the middle class increased by 30% to 2.6 million in 2006 representing a substantial shift in the purchasing power in South Africa of the historically disadvantaged. The number of small businesses had grown by 150% since 1995 and 87% of these businesses are African-owned.

Through the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA), Government’s objective had been to ensure that economic growth was accelerated to at least 4.5% between 2005 and 2009 and about 6% between 2010 and 2014. This will assist in halving unemployment and poverty by 2014. ASGISA includes developing infrastructure to upgrade and build railway lines, harbours, ports and roads from 2005 to 2009. Overall government expenditure for infrastructure will total some R 410 billion between 2007 and 2010.

The Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) is the skills empowerment arm of ASGISA and consists of a joint task team and a technical working group. JIPSA’s mandate is to acquire scarce and priority skills to ensure economic growth. Some of the urgent skills in short supply are engineering and planning skills; artisan and technical skills; management and planning skills in education, health and in municipalities; teacher training in mathematics, science and information communications technology as well as skills required in the priority ASGISA sectors such as tourism and business-process outsourcing and skills needed by all sectors such as financial and project managers. JIPSA aims to support citizens in the Second or informal Economy to participate in the First Economy and boost empowerment through education.

South Africa’s global economic strategy focuses on Africa and a strong development agenda. In 2006, about 23% of South Africa’s exports were destined for the continent. In 2003, only 4% of total imports came from Africa but this has increased to 40% in 2004.

South Africa’s economy is inextricably connected to that of the southern Africa and its success is linked to the economic recovery of the continent through the African Union’s programme, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Since attaining democracy in 1994, South Africa has put regional integration by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states on the top of its foreign economic agenda.

Europe remains South Africa’s largest trading region and source of investment. Europe accounted for 38.85% of South Africa’s total exports and 36.4% of its total imports in 2006.

Japan is South Africa’s largest trading partner in Asia and became the country’s primary export partner in 2005, a position it still maintained in 2008.

The USA is also one of South Africa’s leading trade partners, ranking second after Japan as a destination of South African exports and third after Germany and China as a source of South African imports.

Inflation, which was targeted to fall in the 3-6% range, has been higher than the target range. CPI inflation is expected to continue its moderate downward trend and to enter the target range during the second quarter of 2010 and to remain within the target range for the rest of the forecast period ending 2011.

Mineral wealth

Some of the country’s most important minerals are: gold; diamonds; titanium; manganese; platinum group metals (PGMs) chrome and vanadium; bituminous coal and anthracite; copper phosphate; titanium, iron; vermiculite and zirconium.

South Africa has the highest reserves in the world of the following:

Manganese; PGMs; vanadium; chromium; gold and alumino-silicates.

The commodities boom has continued and ensured mineral sales that has also seen a marked improvement in meaningful fixed capital investment recently.

Environment

South Africa is recognized as one of the richest nations in the world in terms of its biological heritage. It enjoys the third-highest level of biodiversity in the world. It has between 250 000 and a million species of organisms, much of which occur nowhere else in the world. While it occupies 2% of the world’s land area, it is estimated that it is home to 10% of the world’s plants and 7% of the reptiles, birds and mammals. The southern African coast is home to almost 15% of known coastal marine species. South Africa is committed to meeting the World Conservation Union (IUCN) target of 10% of land area being under protection.

World Heritage Sites

In December 1999, Robben Island, the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park (formerly the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park) and the Cradle of Humankind were proclaimed world heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park was nominated as a mixed site. In July 2003, the site of the Mapungubwe civilisation became the fifth heritage site. The Cape Floral Region also became a world heritage site at the end of June 2004. The Vredefort Dome in the Free State was declared South Africa’s seventh world heritage site in July 2005. Makapan Valley in Limpopo and Taung Cave in the North West were declared extensions of the Cradle of Humankind. The Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape was declared in 2007 and covers an area of 160 000 hectares of dramatic mountainous desert in the north-western part of South Africa.

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