‘A land of flowers, wine and whale song’

Covering a huge swathe of land, washed 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 staggeringly 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, visit sophisticated cities such as Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, or charming historic towns like Stellenbosch or Pietermaritzburg. Even once infamous townships such as Soweto are now growing into vibrant cities in their own right.

South Africa is a ‘rainbow nation’ of many colours and cultures, encompassing Zulu, Tswana, Khosa, Sotho, Indian, Afrikaans and those of British origin. The scars left by the apartheid years are slowly healing, but have left huge inequalities between rich and poor. Despite this, the people are charming hosts, most speak English and all have a fascinating story to tell. The crime rate is still far too high, but with a little common sense, travellers can have a perfect, safe holiday.

Melissa Shales

Southern Africa.

GMT + 2.

1,219,192 sq km (470,693 sq miles).

46 million (UN, 2005).

36.8 per sq km.

Pretoria (administrative). Population: 1.98 million (2001). Cape Town (legislative). Population: 2.89 million (2001). Bloemfontein (judicial). Population: 119,698 (2001).

The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern end of the African continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and is bordered to the north by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland and totally encloses Lesotho. South Africa has three major geographical regions, namely plateau, mountains and the coastal belt. The high plateau has sharp escarpments which rise above the plains, or veld. Despite two major river systems, the Limpopo and the Orange, most of the plateau lacks surface water. Along the coastline are sandy beaches and rocky coves, and the vegetation is shrublike. The mountainous regions which run along the coastline from the Cape of Good Hope to the Limpopo Valley in the northeast of the country are split into the Drakensberg, Nuweveldberg and Stormberg ranges.
Following the 1994 elections, South Africa was organised into nine regions. These comprise the Western Cape with its provincial and national capital of Cape Town, the Eastern Cape with its provincial capital of Bisho, the Northern Cape with its provincial capital of Kimberley, KwaZulu-Natal with its provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg, the Free State with its provincial capital of Bloemfontein, the North West Province with its provincial capital of Mmabatho, Limpopo (formerly called the Northern Province) with its provincial capital of Polokwane (formerly called Pietersburg), Mpumalanga with its provincial capital of Nelspruit, and Gauteng with its provincial capital of Johannesburg.

Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1910. Head of State and Government: President Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki since 1999. Recent history: Under the terms of the new Constitution, which was adopted on 8 May 1996 and entered into force on 4 February 1997, legislative power is vested in a bicameral Parliament, comprising a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces (formerly the Senate). The National Assembly is elected by universal adult suffrage under a system of proportional representation and has between 350 and 400 members. The 90-member National Council of Provinces comprises six permanent delegates and four special delegates from each of the provincial legislatures. The President, who is elected by the National Assembly from among its members, exercises executive power in consultation with the other members of the Cabinet.
South Africa has held three successful national elections as well as local polls since the first genuinely inclusive national election in South Africa, which was held in February 1994. Thabo Mbeki was elected by Parliament to a second five-year term in April 2004, following the landslide general election victory of his ruling African National Congress (ANC). Mr Mbeki took over as President when Nelson Mandela stepped down in mid-1999. Mbeki’s administration is struggling with two major domestic problems – a huge violent crime wave and an HIV-AIDS pandemic, which afflicts over 10 per cent of the adult population. Mbeki’s persistent refusal to come to terms with the true nature of the HIV virus has drawn massive international criticism as well as being the subject of furious arguments between Mbeki and Mandela.

The official languages are Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.

Most inhabitants profess Christianity of some form and belong to either Catholic, Anglican and other protestant denominations, Afrikaner Calvinist churches or African independent churches. There are also significant Hindu, Muslim and Jewish communities, and traditional beliefs are still practised widely, sometimes in conjunction with Christianity.

220/240 volts AC; 250 volts AC (Pretoria), 50Hz. Three-pin round plugs are in use.

Handshaking is the usual form of greeting. Normal courtesies should be shown when visiting someone’s home. Casual wear is widely acceptable. Formal social functions often call for a dinner jacket and black tie for men and full-length dresses for women; this will be specified on the invitation. Smoking is prohibited in public buildings and on public transport.