South Africa

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Overview:

South Africa is a 'rainbow nation' of many colors and cultures, encompassing Zulu, Tswana, Khosa, Sotho, Indian, Afrikaans and those of British origin. Covering a huge swathe of land and bordered by the Atlantic and Indian oceans, South Africa has enormous wealth above and below ground, making it one of the richest natural storehouses on the planet. With beautiful rural areas such as the Cape Winelands, the towering dunes of the Wild Coast, the magnificent game parks of Kruger and Zululand, and the Kalahari and Karoo deserts - barren for much of the year but a carpet of flowers in spring - the possibilities for tourists are endless. Alternatively, there are sophisticated cities such as Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, and charming historic towns like Stellenbosch or Pietermaritzburg.

South Africa is a big country, extending nearly 1250 miles from the Limpopo River in the north to Cape Agulhas in the south and nearly 930 miles from Port Nolloth in the west to Durban in the east. Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland run from west to east along South Africa's northern border and Lesotho soars above the grassland towards the southeast. The country can be divided into three major parts: the vast interior plateau, the Kalahari Basin, and a narrow coastal plain.

The region's flora is spectacular, with wildflowers from peaceful lilies to raging red-hot pokers in the grasslands, weird succulents blooming after spring rains, and one of the world's six floral kingdoms (the Cape Floral Kingdom) prettying up the Western Cape. Large areas in the north are covered by a savannah-type vegetation, characterized by acacias and thorn trees, and there are forest remnants along the southern coast and in the north-east.

As the country lies in the southern hemisphere, the seasons in South Africa are the reverse of those in the northern hemisphere. December and January are the main summer months, when it can be uncomfortably hot, and people flock to the beaches in droves. Higher-altitude areas are pleasantly warm over summer, but the mountains are rain and mist-prone. In May and June, Autumn brings warm days and cool nights. The climate is at its best at this time in most parts of the country. Autumn and Spring are the best seasons for hiking. Spring is the best time for wildflowers in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces. From the beginning of July to the end of September, you can expect cold conditions in most of the country, and rain in the Western Cape. Winters are mild everywhere except in the highest country, where there are frosts and occasional snowfalls.

Population: 43.8 million
Capital City: Pretoria (official); Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative)
People: 77% black, 10% white (60% of whites are of Afrikaaner descent, most of the rest are of British descent), 8% mixed race, 2.5% of Indian or Asian descent
Language: Afrikaans, Xhosa, English, Zulu, Tswana
Religion: Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and traditional religions

People & Culture:

The mingling and melding in South Africa's urban areas, along with the suppression of traditional cultures during the apartheid years, means that the old ways of life are fading, but traditional black cultures are still strong in much of the countryside. Across the different groups, marriage customs and taboos differ, but most traditional cultures are based on beliefs in a masculine deity, ancestral spirits and supernatural forces. In general, polygamy is permitted and a lobolo (dowry) is usually paid. Cattle play an important part in many cultures, as symbols of wealth and as sacrificial animals.

Music & Art

In one field especially, the new freedoms of post-apartheid South Africa have brought new life - dance has became a prime means of artistic expression, with dance companies expanding and exploring new territory. South Africa has had a long tradition of fine classical ballet but, until relatively recently, contemporary dance was not an important feature of the local dance scene.

From the earliest colonial days until the present time, South African music has created itself out of the mingling of local ideas and forms with those imported from outside the country, giving it all a special twist that carries with it the unmistakable flavor of the country.

The art of South Africa's indigenous populations can be one of the only ways to connect with lost cultures. Rock and cave paintings by the San, some of which date back 26,000 years, are a case in point. In other cases, such as the elaborate 'coded' beadwork of the Zulus, traditional art has been adapted to survive in different circumstances.

Although South Africa is home to a great diversity of cultures, most were suppressed during the apartheid years when day-to-day practice of traditional and contemporary cultures was ignored, trivialized or destroyed. In a society where you could be jailed for owning a politically incorrect painting, serious art was forced underground and blandness ruled in the galleries and theatres.

Food

Much of South African cuisine traces its routes to the British. Steak or boerewors sausage, over-boiled vegetables and chips are the norm, and where the food gets more adventurous it often turns out pretty scary. Vegetarians will not find much to their liking. African dishes are not commonly served in restaurants, although you can get a cheap rice and stew belly-filler from street stalls in most towns. Beer and brandy are the popular alcoholic beverages, and South Africa's excellent wines are becoming more and more popular.

History:

Although 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. By the 15th century most arable land had been settled by encroaching Bantu pastoral tribes. 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, with Dutch power fading, Britain jumped in for another piece of Africa. It was hoped that British settlers would inhabit a buffer zone between skirmishing pastoral Boers and the Xhosa, but most of the British immigrant families retreated to town, entrenching the rural-urban divide that is evident in white South Africa even today. Although slavery was abolished in 1833, the division of labor on the basis of color served all whites too well for any real attempt at change.

Upheaval in black Southern Africa wasn't only generated by the white invaders. The difaqane ('forced migration' in Sotho) or mfeqane ('the crushing' in Zulu) was a time of immense upheaval and suffering, a terror campaign masterminded by the Zulu chief, Shaka. This wave of disruption through Southern Africa left some tribes wiped out, others enslaved and the lucky ones running. Into this chaos disgruntled Boers stomped on their Great Trek away from British rule in search of freedom. Most of the pastures the Boers trekked through were deserted or inhabited by traumatized refugees. The Zulus were no pushovers, however. They put up strong and bloody resistance to the Boers before eventually ceding to superior firepower.

Soon after the Union of South Africa was established in 1910, a barrage of racist legislation was passed restricting black 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. Under apartheid, every individual was classified by race, and race determined where you could live, work, pray and learn. Irrespective of where they had been born, blacks were divided into one of 10 tribal groups, forcibly dispossessed and dumped in rural backwaters, the so-called Homelands. The plan was to restrict blacks to Homelands that were, according to the propaganda, to become self-sufficient, self-governing states. In reality, these lands had virtually no infrastructure and no industry, and were therefore incapable of producing sufficient food for the black population. There was intense, widespread suffering and many families returned to squalid squatter camps in the cities from which they had been evicted. Black resistance developed in the form of strikes, acts of public disobedience and protest marches, and was supported by international opinion from the early 1960s, after 69 protesters were killed in Sharpeville and African National Congress (ANC) leaders, including Nelson Mandela, were jailed.

Violent responses to black protests increased commitment to a revolutionary struggle, and the United Nations finally imposed economic and political sanctions. But in the mid-1980s, black-on-black violence in the townships exploded. There were clashes between political rivals, tribal enemies, opportunistic gangsters, and between those who lived in the huge migrant-workers' hostels and their township neighbors. President PW Botha detained, tortured and censored his way to 1989, when economic sanctions began to bite, the rand collapsed and reformist FW De Klerk came to power. 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.

Despite the scars of the past and the enormous problems ahead, South Africa today is immeasurably more optimistic and relaxed than it was a few years ago. The international community has embraced the new South Africa and the ANC's apparently sincere desire to create a truly nonracial nation. It will be some time before the black majority gain much economic benefit from their freedom, as economic inequality remains an overwhelming problem. However, the political structure seems strong enough to hold the diverse region together. There are huge expectations for the new South Africa.

In 1999, after five years of learning about democracy, the country voted in a more normal election. Issues such as economics and competence were raised and debated. The ANC's vote increased, putting the party within one seat of the two-thirds majority that would allow it to alter the constitution. Thabo Mbeki, who took over the ANC leadership from Nelson Mandela, became president in the 1999 elections.

Places to Go:

Cape Town

There are great walks and spectacular views from Tabletop Mountain as well as ocean swimming, boating activities, and plenty of ways to get out into the wilderness areas around Cape Town. Whether you're up for a heart pumping abseil, sand-boarding or sky-diving, you won't have to look very far for an operator who'll be quick to take your money. Indoors, the city boasts a wealth of interesting museums.

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 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, a 5-mile stretch of cliff that is spectacular from below and even more so from the top.

Durban

Durban is a big subtropical city in the north-eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. It has been a major port since the 1850s and is home to the largest concentration of Indian-descended people in the country. Today the city is better known as a holiday-makers' fun parlor with a happening nightlife.

The weather (and the water) stays warm year-round drawing the crowds to Durban's surf beaches. Apart from the waves, 'Durbs' has much to offer. The city hall houses a gallery with a good collection of contemporary South African art and a natural science museum.

Garden Route

Heavily promoted and heavily scented, the Garden Route runs along a beautiful bit of coastline in southern Western Cape. The narrow coastal plain is well forested and is mostly bordered by extensive lagoons which run behind a barrier of sand dunes and superb white beaches.

The 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 favorite for all water sports and the weather is kind year-round.

Johannesburg

A city of astonishing contrasts, a huge metropolis where opulent wealth and desperate poverty live side by side: Johannesburg is the intriguing, dynamic heart of this turbulent country. A hop-on, hop-off bus will show you both rich and poor suburbs and make seeing Johannesburg that much easier. Although it's one of the most dangerous cities in the world, if you consult with the locals and follow their advice you'll find it a fascinating place.

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. About twice the size of Kruger, Kgalagadi is not as famous as many other African parks but it is, nonetheless, one of the greatest.

The size of the park is crucial for the unhindered migration of antelopes which are often forced to travel great distances to reach water and food. Although the countryside is described as semidesert, it is richer than it appears and supports large populations of birds, reptiles and small mammals.

Kruger National Park

As well as being one of the most famous wildlife parks in the world, Kruger National Park is among the biggest and oldest. Among the animals you will see are lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos as well as cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, all sorts of antelope species and smaller animals. That said, Kruger is not quite a wilderness experience: it's highly developed, organized, accessible and popular.

The Shipwreck Coast

This stretch of Eastern Cape coast, a graveyard for numerous ships, is largely unspoilt. There are a couple of resort towns and the inevitable casino, but it's easy to get away from it all. The Shipwreck Hiking Trail extends for 38 miles, but there are several 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 and well away from vegetation).

Money Matters

Most banks change travelers checks in major currencies, usually at a commission of around 1%. Although the First National Bank has a higher minimum charge, it takes a lower commission so it can work out cheaper if you're changing a few checks. Keep a few exchange receipts as you'll need them to reconvert your rands when you leave.

Credit cards, especially Visa and Mastercard, are widely accepted. More and more ATMs will give cash advances; if your card belongs to the worldwide Cirrus network you should have no problem using it across the country.

South Africa has introduced new coins and notes, but old coins are still common so it's hard to become familiar with what you're jangling. The R200 note looks a lot like the R20 note, so take care.

Support During Your Placement:

We will be available to give you any support, advice, or guidance you may need with any issues. There will always be an emergency number for you to contact. Our aim is to ensure that you have a happy and successful experience during your stay in South Africa.

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