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President: Cyril Ramaphosa (2018)

Total area: 471,008 sq mi (1,219,912 sq km)

Population (2014 est.): 48,375,645 (growth rate: ?0.48%); birth rate: 18.94/1000; infant mortality rate: 41.61/1000; life expectancy: 49.56; density per sq mi: 109.8

Administrative capital (2011 est.): Pretoria, 1.501 million; Legislative capital and largest city: Cape Town, 3.562 million. Judicial capital: Bloemfontein, 468,000. No decision has been made to relocate the seat of government. South Africa is demarcated into nine provinces, consisting of the Gauteng, Northern Province, Mpumalanga, North West, KwaZulu/Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State. Each province has its own capital.

Fonte: https://www.infoplease.com/world/countries/south-africa

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South Africa is located at the southernmost region of Africa, with a coastline that stretches more than 2,500 km (1,553 mi) and along two oceans (Atlantic and Indian).  Known for its dynamic mix of cultures, people and nature, South Africa is one of the most appealing holiday destinations in the world.
Bounded by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, with the Kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland enclosed within its borders, South Africa is home to a remarkable mix of first and third world capabilities.
Through our abundant challenges rises a country like no other – filled with vibrant, spontaneous people, excellent shopping experiences, fascinating architecture and marvellous wildlife, South Africa simply bursts with pride!

Fonte: https://www.south-africa-info.co.za/country/info

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During the colonial and apartheid periods, the Black population of South Africa was divided into major ethnic groups; namely Nguni people which consisted of: Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele and Swazi, Sotho people which consisted of Northern Sotho (Bapedi), Southern Sotho (Basotho) and Tswana, Shangaan-Tsonga and Venda, as well as Coloured and Afrikaans. There were separate Bantustans for the Zulus, Xhosas, Sothos, Tswanas, Vendas, Pedis and Shangaans. In urban areas, Africans were housed in the urban townships on ethnic lines and received their schooling in ethnic schools. Indians, Coloureds and Africans were also allotted separate schools.

The largest ethnic group in South Africa is the Zulu and the majority of them live in KwaZulu Natal Province and Gauteng Province. The second largest is the Xhosa group; they are located in the Eastern Cape Province and Western Cape Province. South African ethnic groups are also found across South Africa's boundaries in neighbouring countries. For example, Nguni-speaking Swazi people make up almost the entire population of Swaziland. At least 1.3 million Sesotho speakers live in Lesotho, and more than 1 million people in Botswana speak Tswana.  Tsonga and related languages speakers live in Mozambique, and Venda is also spoken by several thousand people in Southern Zimbabwe.

Fonte: https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/race-and-ethnicity-south-africa

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South Africa’s Constitution recognises 11 official languages: Sepedi (also known as Sesotho sa Leboa), Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.

For centuries South Africa’s official languages were European – Dutch, English, Afrikaans. African languages, spoken by at least 80% of the people, were ignored. In 1996 South Africa’s new Constitution gave official protection to all major languages. South Africa has about 34 historically established languages. Thirty are living languages, and four extinct Khoesan languages.

Language is fluid, especially in South Africa. Our languages are and have been for centuries in a constant swirl, mixed by work, migration, education, urbanisation, the places we live, friendship and marriage.

Because of this, South Africans are a code-switching people. “Code switching” simply means using more than one language in a single conversation. Every adult South African does this at some time, even if they aren’t aware of it.

Fonte: https://southafrica-info.com/arts-culture/11-languages-south-africa/

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Nelson Mandela was a social rights activist, politician and philanthropist who became South Africa’s first Black president from 1994 to 1999. After becoming involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942. For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and its racist policies.

Beginning in 1962, Mandela spent 27 years in prison for political offenses. In 1993, Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country's apartheid system. For generations to come, Mandela will be a source of inspiration for civil rights activists worldwide.

Fonte: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/nelson-mandela

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HOW TO STEAL A COUNTRY - Documentary

Rehad Desai and Mark J. Kaplan

A group of investigative journalists discover corruption involving the President of South Africa and his friends, the Guptas.

Fonte: https://docsbarcelona.com/en/movies/how-to-steal-a-country

Lansdowne Dearest: My family’s story of forced removals by Bronwyn Davids - Book
Davids’s book is an authentic South African family story set against the background of apartheid forced removals. It is gut wrenching and it is beautiful. An Important book. Highly recommended.

Fonte: https://www.iol.co.za/entertainment/books/ultimate-sa-10-must-read-books-from-south-african-authors-6e301933-cf5b-4be5-a3ea-3d064da2825e

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1. South Africa is now the only country in the world to have hosted the Soccer, Cricket and Rugby World Cup!

2. Table Mountain in Cape Town is believed to be one of the oldest mountains in the world and one of the planet’s 12 main energy centres, radiating magnetic, electric or spiritual energy.

3. The Cape Floral Kingdom is one of the world’s six floral kingdoms – and the only one which is wholly contained within a single country.

4. Some countries have deserts; some have subtropical forests, right? South Africa has: deserts, wetlands, grasslands, bush, subtropical forests, mountains and escarpments.

5. South Africa’s drinking water is rated 3rd best in the world for being “safe and ready to drink”.

Fonte: https://www.sableinternational.com/blog/20-interesting-facts-about-south-africa

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After becoming the first country to identify the new omicron Covid-19 variant, South Africa is bracing for a fourth wave of infections and vaccine mandates are being considered by the government.South African scientists last week detected the heavily-mutated variant, since designated a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization, which has now been identified in at least 24 countries around the world.

Dutch authorities say omicron was already present in the Netherlands prior to South Africa reporting it to the WHO, prompting questions over how widely the variant could have already spread. Omicron is rapidly becoming the dominant variant on South Africa, with the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases saying it is seeing an “exponential increase in infections,” with 74% of virus genomes sequenced in the last month belonging to the new variant.

Ramaphosa has lambasted wealthy nations for their failure to ensure equal access to vaccines, and criticized the numerous countries that immediately banned travel from South Africa and neighboring countries following the announcement of the new variant. Domestic vaccine hesitancy is also a contributing factor in the slowdown in South Africa. In order to ramp up the vaccination rate, Ramaphosa announced that a task team has been established to “undertake broad consultations on making vaccination mandatory for specific activities and locations.”

Yet no time frame has been given for when this task team will report back to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Vaccination, which will then make recommendations to the cabinet.

Fonte: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/02/south-africa-considers-vaccine-mandates-as-omicron-cases-spiral-leaders-decry-travel-bans.html