About South Africa

Geografie
South Africa is situated in the very south of the African continent. The total area is 1,219,090 km2. Neighbouring countries are Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland. The kingdom of Lesotho is entirely closed in in the south-east of South Africa.

State
The official name is Republic of South Africa. South Africa is a Federal Republic with one central government and 9 provincial administrations. On May 9, 2009, Jacob Gedleyiklekisa Zuma (ANC) was sworn in as President.

Capital
Pretoria is the governmental capital of South Africa. The government is located here, including the ministries. Besides Pretoria there are two other capitals, each with its own disciplines.

 

Cape Town is de legislative capital; the parliament is located here. Bloemfontein is the juridical capital; the judiciary is situated here.

 

So Johannesburg (which is larger than Pretoria) is not the capital of South Africa. However, it is the economic heart of the country. Following a constitutional change in 1993, South Africa was split into 9 provinces.

Population and language

The total population is estimated at 45,000,000 and can be divided into 4 groups (percentages are, of course, subject to fluctuations): Africans/black (79%), White (9.6%), Colored people (8.9%), Asians (2.5%). There are 11 official languages in South Africa: English (official (business) language), Afrikaans (2nd official language) and 9 Bantoe languages, i.e. (Isi)Zulu (Isi)Xhosa, (Se)Pedi, (Se)Tswana, (Se)Sotho, (Xi)Tsonga, (Si)Swati, (Tshi)Venda, (Isi)Ndebele and others (0.5%). These languages belong to different tribes, but Zhulu and Xhosa are heard most.

Religion

Almost 80% of the population are Christians. Part of the black population still adheres to traditionally African religions or tribe religions. Other religious minorities are Hindoes, Muslims and Jews.

The Rainbow Nation

The expression Rainbow Nation refers to the unity of the multi cultural South Africa, the assembling of all people of all these different races, in a country that was characterized by apartheid. The term originally comes from Arch bisshop Desmond Tutu. He once said: ‘We have shown the world that it is possible for enemies to begin to become friends. It is possible to forgive. It is possible to reconcile. It is possible to hold hands and to become a Rainbow Nation.’ Later this name was adopted by many people, among whom Nelson Mandela in his speech in May 1994: ‘….. a Rainbow Nation at peace with itself and the world’