Portal:South Africa

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Introduction

Flag of South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent. It borders the countries of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini, and entirely surrounds Lesotho.

South Africa has the largest population of people of European descent in Africa, one of the largest Indian population outside of Asia, as well as the largest Coloured (of mixed European, Asian and African descent) community in Africa, making it one of the most ethnically diverse countries on the continent. Racial and ethnic strife between the black majority and the white minority have played a large part in the country's history and politics. The National Party began introducing the policy of apartheid after winning the general election of 1948; however, it was the same party under the leadership of F.W. de Klerk who started to dismantle it in 1990 after a long struggle by the black majority, as well as many white, coloured and Indian South Africans.

The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état, and regular free and fair elections have been held since 1994, making it a regional power and among the most stable and liberal democracies in Africa.

South Africa is ranked as an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank. It has the second largest economy in Africa after Nigeria, and the 34th-largest in the world. By purchasing power parity, South Africa has the 7th highest per capita income in Africa. Although being the second largest economy, South Africa has the most sophisticated economy in the continent, with modern infrastructure common throughout the country. The country is considered to be a newly industrialized country according to the World Bank classifications.

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The Krugerrand (/ˈkruːɡərænd/; Afrikaans: [ˈkry.ərˌrant]) is a South African coin, first minted on 3 July 1967 to help market South African gold and produced by Rand Refinery and the South African Mint. The name is a compound of Paul Kruger, the former President of the South African Republic (depicted on the obverse), and rand, the South African unit of currency. On the reverse side of the Krugerrand is a pronking springbok, South Africa's national animal.

By 1980, the Krugerrand accounted for more than 90% of the global gold coin market and was the number one choice for investors buying gold. However, during the 1980s and 1990s, Krugerrands fell out of favor as some Western countries forbade import of the Krugerrand because of its association with the apartheid government of South Africa. (Full article...)

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Springbok

Photo: Hans Hillewaert

The springbok is a medium-sized brown and white gazelle native to southwestern Africa. It stands about 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) high and is known for its jumping ability, being able to leap 4 m (13 ft) in the air and over a distance of 15 m (49 ft). It is also a fast runner, capable of reaching speeds up to 96 km/h (60 mph). The springbok is the national animal of South Africa.

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...that South Africa has the most luxurious train in the world, The Rovos Rail.
...that South Africa has the highest commercial bungi jump in the world (710 feet), Paul Sauer Bridge (pictured) over Storms River.
...that Mossel Bay is in the Guinness Book of records as having the second most moderate climate in the world.

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WikiProjects

WikiProject South Africa

WikiProject South Africa discussions • South Africa Wikipedians' Notice Board • South African Wikipedians • Wikipedians in South Africa • Wikimedia ZA • Subscribe to the Wikimedia ZA mailing list

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Goldstone in 2019

Richard Joseph Goldstone (born 26 October 1938) is a South African retired judge who served in the Constitutional Court of South Africa from July 1994 to October 2003. He joined the bench as a judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa, first in the Transvaal Provincial Division from 1980 to 1989 and then in the Appellate Division from 1990 to 1994. Before that, he was a commercial lawyer in Johannesburg, where he entered legal practice in 1963 and took silk in 1976.

He is considered to be one of several liberal judges who issued key rulings that undermined apartheid from within the system by tempering the worst effects of the country's racial laws. Among other important rulings, Goldstone made the Group Areas Act – under which non-whites were banned from living in "whites only" areas – virtually unworkable by restricting evictions. As a result, prosecutions under the act virtually ceased. (Full article...)

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Sir Cornelius Hermanus Wessels (26 April 1851 Rietfontein, Winburg, Orange River Sovereignty – 1 March 1924 Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, Union of South Africa) was a South African statesman.

Wessels stemmed from an important Orange Free State family clan, dedicated to farming and the Boer way of life. Mainly self-educated, he turned to politics in his early thirties. As a member of the Volksraad he developed his skills as a diplomat and mediator, and was involved in many of the important political decisions the Orange Free State had to make in the 1880s and 1890s. In 1897 he was appointed president of the Volksraad. (Full article...)

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In South Africa, a potjiekos /ˈpɔɪkiːkɒs/, literally translated "small-pot food", is a dish prepared outdoors. It is traditionally cooked in a round, cast iron, three-legged cauldron, the potjie. The pot is heated using small amounts of wood or charcoal or, if fuel is scarce, twisted grass or even dried animal dung. (Full article...)

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Pride in our country is a common bond between us all. It is the essence of our new patriotism.

— Nelson Mandela

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Credit: Douglas Scott

Taken on the 6th December 2013, the day after Nelson Mandela's death. Preparations begin and crowds begin to gather for a speech to be given in remembrance of Mandela at the old Cape Town City Hall.

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The following are images from various South Africa-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Emily Hobhouse campaigned against the appalling conditions of the British concentration camps in South Africa, thus influencing British public opinion against the war. (from History of South Africa)
Image 2Church on Greenmarket Square in Cape Town, South Africa with a banner memorialising the Marikana massacre (from History of South Africa)
Image 3Frederik W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela, two of the driving forces in ending apartheid (from History of South Africa)
Image 4View of Table Bay with ships of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), c. 1683. (from History of South Africa)
Image 5Cecil John Rhodes, co-founder of De Beers Consolidated Mines at Kimberley (from History of South Africa)
Image 6Generals Smuts (right) and Botha were members of the British Imperial War Cabinet during World War I. (from History of South Africa)
Image 7Enoch Sontonga (from Culture of South Africa)
Image 8Replica of an East Indiaman of the Dutch East India Company/United East Indies Company (VOC). The Dutch East India Company was a major force behind the (c. 1590s–1720s) and Netherlandish cartography (c. 1570s–1670s). (from History of South Africa)
Image 9Shaka Zulu in traditional Zulu military garb (from History of South Africa)
Image 10Map of the black homelands in South Africa at the end of apartheid in 1994 (from History of South Africa)
Image 11The Rhodes Colossus—Cecil Rhodes spanning "Cape to Cairo" (from History of South Africa)
Image 12Gateway to the Castle of Good Hope, the oldest building in South Africa (from Culture of South Africa)
Image 13Olive Schreiner, the author of The Story of an African Farm (1883) (from Culture of South Africa)
Image 14Simon's Town harbour and naval base in South Africa were used by the Allies during World War II. (from History of South Africa)
Image 15The rise of the Zulu Empire under Shaka forced other chiefdoms and clans to flee across a wide area of southern Africa. Clans fleeing the Zulu war zone included the Soshangane, Zwangendaba, Ndebele, Hlubi, Ngwane, and the Mfengu. Some clans were caught between the Zulu Empire and advancing Voortrekkers and British Empire such as the Xhosa . (from History of South Africa)
Image 16Nicolaas Waterboer, Griqualand ruler, 1852–1896 (from History of South Africa)
Image 17An account of the first trekboers (from History of South Africa)
Image 18Jan van Riebeeck, first Commander of the Dutch East India Company colony (from History of South Africa)
Image 19Old Dutch church in Ladismith (from Culture of South Africa)
Image 20An array of traditional South African cuisine (from Culture of South Africa)
Image 21Harry Smith (from History of South Africa)
Image 22Zulus in Natal (from Culture of South Africa)
Image 23Flag of the South African Republic, often referred to as the Vierkleur (meaning four-coloured) (from History of South Africa)
Image 24Tents in the British concentration camp of Barberton, c.1901 (from History of South Africa)
Image 25Meat on a traditional South African braai (from Culture of South Africa)
Image 26King Cetshwayo (ca. 1875) (from History of South Africa)
Image 27Regional geography during the period of the Anglo–Boer wars:
South African Republic/Transvaal
Orange Free State
British Cape Colony
Natal Colony (from History of South Africa)
Image 28Indian indentured labourers arriving in Durban (from History of South Africa)
Image 29King Moshoeshoe with his advisors (from History of South Africa)
Image 30Members of 44 Parachute Brigade on patrol during the South African Border War. (from History of South Africa)
Image 31The statue of Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, in Heerengracht Street. (from History of South Africa)
Image 32Flag of the Republic of the Orange Free State (from History of South Africa)
Image 33Groot Constantia, the oldest wine estate in South Africa, was founded in 1685 by Simon van der Stel. The South African wine industry (New World wine) is among the lasting legacy of the VOC era. The recorded economic history of South Africa began with the VOC period. (from History of South Africa)
Image 34The Boer method of punishing natives, by Frank Patterson, 1900 (from History of South Africa)
Image 35Oracles of the Pink Universe by Simphiwe Ndzube, 2021 (from Culture of South Africa)
Image 36The British Empire is red on the map, at its territorial zenith in the late 1910s and early 1920s. (India highlighted in purple.) South Africa, bottom centre, lies between both halves of the Empire. (from History of South Africa)
Image 37Union Buildings, government administrative centre, Pretoria, c. 1925 (from History of South Africa)
Image 38Looking out over the floodplains of the Luvuvhu River (right) and the Limpopo River (far distance and left) (from History of South Africa)
Image 39Johannesburg before gold mining transformed it into a bustling modern city (from History of South Africa)
Image 40Statue of Bartolomeu Dias at the High Commission of South Africa in London. He was the first European navigator to sail around the southernmost tip of Africa. (from History of South Africa)
Image 41Boer Voortrekkers depicted in an early artist's rendition (from History of South Africa)
Image 42Painting of the Sharpeville massacre of March 1960 (from History of South Africa)
Image 43Children of different ethnic groups ride a bus in Cape Town, 1994 (from History of South Africa)
Image 44Daniel François Malan, National Party leader from 1934 to 1953 (from History of South Africa)
Image 45The Castle of Good Hope (Kasteel de Goede Hoop in Dutch), Cape Town. Founded officially in 1652, Kaapstad/Cape Town is the oldest urban area in South Africa. (from History of South Africa)

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