History
of South Africa: - The nomadic San (also known as Bushmen) have
possibly lived in Southern Africa since around 100,000 BC, they didn't reach
the Cape of Good Hope until about 2000 years ago. Southern Africa became a
popular stop for European crews after Vasco de Gama opened the Cape of Good
Hope spice route in 1498, and, by the mid-17th century, scurvy and shipwreck
had induced Dutch traders to opt for a permanent settlement in Table Bay on
the site of present-day Cape Town. The mostly Dutch burghers pushed slowly
north, decimating the Khoisan with violence and disease as they went.
Towards the end of the 18th century and with Dutch power fading, Britain
predictably jumped in for another piece of Africa. Although slavery was
abolished in 1833, the division of labour on the basis of colour served all
whites too well for any real attempt to change.
The first
Anglo-Boer War ended in a crushing Boer victory and the establishment of the
Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek. The British backed off until a huge reef of
gold was discovered around Johannesburg and then marched in again for the
second Anglo-Boer War, dribbling with empiric greed. By 1902 the Boers had
exhausted their conventional resources and resorted to commando-style raids,
denying the British control of the countryside.
Soon after the
Union of South Africa was established in 1910, a barrage of racist
legislation was passed restricting black's rights and laying the foundations
for apartheid. After a last flutter with military rebellion during WWI, the
Afrikaners got on with the business of controlling South Africa politically.
In 1948 elections the Afrikaner-dominated and ultra-right National Party
took the reins and didn't let the white charger slow down until 1994.
After
withdrawing from the British Commonwealth in 1961, South Africa became
increasingly isolated. Paranoia developed through the 1960s and '70s, as the
last European powers withdrew from Africa and black, often socialist, states
formed around South Africa's northern borders. South Africa's military
responses ranged from limited strikes (Mozambique, Lesotho) to full-scale
assault (Angola, Namibia). When Cuba intervened in Angola in 1988, South
Africa suffered a major defeat and war looked much less attractive. As the
spirit of Gorbachev-style detente permeated Southern Africa, Cuba pulled out
of Angola, Namibia became independent and a stable peace was finally
brokered in 1990.Virtually all apartheid regulations were repealed,
political prisoners were released and negotiations began on forming a
multiracial government. Free elections in 1994 resulted in a decisive
victory for the ANC and Nelson Mandela became president. De Klerk's National
Party won just over 20% of the vote, and the Inkatha Freedom Party won
10.5%. South Africa rejoined the British Commonwealth a few months later.
In
1999, after five years of learning about democracy, the country voted in a
more normal election. Thabo Mbeki, who took over the ANC leadership from
Nelson Mandela, became president in the 1999 elections.
Mbeki has
proven to be a generally competent president, but his standing both at home
and abroad has not been helped by his refusal to condemn outright the
inflammatory politics of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and his ill-informed
comments on AIDS.
Full Country Name - The Republic of South Africa
Area
- 1,221,037 sq km
Population - 43.1 million
Capitals
- Pretoria (Administrative); Bloemfontein (Judicial) and Cape Town
(Legislative).
People - Akan (44%), Mole-Dagbane (16%), Ewé
(13%), Ga (8%), Guan, Gurma, Gonja, Dagomba
People- 77% black,
10% white (60% of whites are of Afrikaner descent, most of the rest are of
British descent), 8% mixed race, 2.5% of Indian or Asian descent.
Languages
- Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Pedi, English, Tswana, Sotho, Tsonga, Swati,
Venda, Ndebele.
Religion - Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and
traditional religions.
Government - Republic and Independent
member of the British Commonwealth
Visas
- Entry permits are issued free on arrival to visitors on holiday from
many Commonwealth and most Western European countries, as well as Japan and
the USA. If you aren't entitled to an entry permit, you'll need to get a
visa (also free) before you arrive.
Time
- GMT/UTC plus two hours.
Climate
- Summer can be uncomfortably hot, especially in the lowveld.
Higher-altitude areas are pleasantly warm over summer, but the mountains are
rain- and mist-prone. The north-eastern regions can be annoyingly humid, but
swimming on the east coast is a year-round proposition. Spring is the best
time for wildflowers in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces.
Winters are mild everywhere except in the highest country, where there are
frosts and occasional snowfalls.
Currency
Rand ©
Cities
- Cape Town The city centre lies to the north of Table
Mountain. The commercial centre, known as the City Bowl, takes in many of
Cape Town's attractions. The
Castle of Good Hope was built between
1666 and 1679 and is one of the oldest European structures in Southern
Africa. The
South African Museum is a good old-fashioned place, with
cases and cases of stuffed animals and bloodthirsty dioramas of dinosaurs.
If you see only one museum in Cape Town make it the
District Six Museum,
a much simpler place dedicated to residents of this formerly vibrant and now
bulldozed community. The
Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is to the
north of the city centre. This area is unashamedly pitched at tourists but
it avoids the glossy unreality of comparable port revamps. It's atmospheric,
interesting and packed with restaurants, bars, music venues, shops and a
great
aquarium. This area kicks on late so head down anytime. The
Table Mountain
cableway is such an obvious and popular attraction
you might have difficulty convincing yourself it's worth the trouble and
expense. The
Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens on the eastern side of
Table Mountain are among the most beautiful in the world and are devoted
almost exclusively to indigenous plants. A trip to
Robben Island comes
highly recommended: The island was a political prison until majority rule,
and its most famous inmate was Nelson Mandela.
Durban is a big
subtropical city in the north-eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. Apart from
the sandy strip, 'Durbs' has a fair bit to offer. The impressive
city
hall houses an
art gallery which has a good collection of
contemporary South African works and a
natural science museum (check
out the cockcroach display and the reconstructed dodo). Also in the city
centre, the
local history museum has interesting displays on
colonial life and the
African Art Centre features exciting work by
rural artists.
The
Indian area, to the west of the city
centre, has a bustle and vibrancy that's missing from most commercial
districts in South Africa. The
Victoria St Market is the area's
focus, but other must sees are the
Juma Mosque, the largest in the
southern hemisphere, and the
Alayam Hindu Temple, South Africa's
oldest and biggest. Garden Route has some of the most significant tracts of
indigenous forest in the country - giant yellowwood trees and wildflowers -
as well as commercial plantations of eucalypt and pine. The area is a
favourite for all water sports and the weather is kind year-round. Some of
the quieter places are
Mossel Bay, Herold's Bay and Buffalo Bay.
Johannesburg
The city centre is laid out in a straightforward grid, so it's not hard to
find your way around.
Soweto is the main township. It's an enormous,
sprawling and sometimes grim spread of bungalows, houses, huts, shacks and
dorms.
Hillbrow was for a time one of the most exciting places in
South Africa; a bohemian mecca, rivaling Soho and Greenwich Village.
Kruger
National Park As well as being one of the most famous wildlife parks in
the world, Kruger National Park is among the bigge st and the oldest - it
turned 100 in 1998. You can see the 'big five' here (lions, leopards,
elephants, buffaloes and rhinos) as well as cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, all
sorts of antelope species and smaller animals.
Drakensberg The
awesome Drakensberg (Dragon Mountain) is a basalt escarpment forming the
border with eastern Lesotho. Although people have lived here for thousands
of years - there are many San
rock painting sites - some of the
peaks and rocks have only been tackled by Europeans in the last few decades.
Much of the range is taken up by national parks, perhaps the most
spectacular of which is
Royal Natal National Park. The southern
boundary of the park is formed by the
Amphitheatre, an 8km stretch
of cliff that is spectacular from below and even more so from the top. Here
the Tugela Falls drop 850m in five stages (the top one often freezes in
winter). There are some superb
wilderness trails in the area, the
flora is rich and varied and the
mountain-climbing opportunities
are heart stopping. Bergville is the jumping-off point for Royal Natal. It's
accessible by minibus taxi from Ladysmith.
Port St Johns At the
mouth of the Umzimvubu River in Eastern Cape, Port St Johns is an idyllic
little town with a dominant black population and a relaxed atmosphere.
Artists and craftspeople have been escaping the cities to set up studios and
workshops in the area, some of which you can visit.
Silaka Nature
Reserve, a small coastal reserve just south of Port St Johns, is a
hang-out for otter and white-breasted cormorant. There are also tidal rock
pools and an estuary where aloes grow almost down to the water. The
Shipwreck
Hiking Trail extends for 64km, but there are several easy entry and exit
points for hikers. This is one of the few walking areas in South Africa
where you can set your own pace, camp more or less where you choose and
light fires (providing they are on sand, away from vegetation).
Kgalagadi
Transfrontier Park This park is the result of a merger between the
former Kalahari-Gemsbok National Park in South Africa and the
Mabuasehabe-Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. There are 19 species of
predator here, including dark-maned Kalahari lions, cheetahs, leopards, wild
dogs, hyenas, jackals and foxes.
Restrictions - Proof of yellow fever vaccination is
rarely checked at the airport, but is checked at the most borders
