About South Africa

South Africa is a big, beautiful country, promising the experience of a lifetime. Offering hospitable people, glorious weather, spectacular scenery, a wealth of culture, wildlife and wilderness.

"Once considered the secret haven of upscale travelers, South Africa has moved into the mainstream. The animals alone are reason to visit. One of the world's first wildlife conservation areas was South Africa's Kruger Park, more than a century old. Today it is just one part of a broad conservation area reaching across national borders into neighboring Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

An hour's drive from such urban jungles as Pretoria and Johannesburg, you can see lions, elephants, buffaloes, rhinos and hundreds more species in the raw African bush.

There are many remote places to escape to in South Africa's varied landscape, from the massive Drakensberg range of mountains, which run like a spine down the length the country, to the rock formations of the Cedarberg mountains in the west, the Northern Cape's haunting Richtersveld area, and the vast plains of the Karoo desert.

Then there are golden beaches, some of the world's best surf, ecosystems found nowhere else in the world, an opportunity to experience African culture firsthand –
South African food celebrates their rich heritage and natural bounty of seafood, meat, game and plants.

Cultural experiences include modern art galleries, rock art centres, state-of-the-art museums, remote cultural villages, city jazz clubs and open-air festivals.
For adrenaline junkies, there's world-class rock climbing, surfing, diving, hiking, horseback safaris, mountain biking, river rafting - and a host of other adventures supported by dedicated operators.

South Africa cities are an exciting mix of first- and third-world influences. From happening Cape Town - one of the most beautiful cities in the world - to busy, bustling Johannesburg, each has its own unique attractions

The People of South Africa

South Africa is a nation of diversity, with over 47-million people and a variety of cultures, languages and religious beliefs.

According to Statistics South Africa's mid-2006 estimates, the country's population stands at some 47.4-million. Africans are in the majority at 37.7-million, making up 79.5% of the total population. The white population is estimated at 4.4-million (9.2%), the colored population at 4.2-million (8.9%) and the Indian/Asian population at 1.2-million (2.5%).
South Africa has 11 official languages, and plenty of unofficial ones besides. English is the most commonly spoken language in official and commercial public life - but only the fifth most spoken home language.

While more than three-quarters of South Africa's population is black African, this category is neither culturally nor linguistically homogenous. Nine of the official languages are African, reflecting a variety of ethnic groupings which nonetheless have a great deal in common in terms of background, culture and descent.

Democracy in South Africa

South Africa is a vigorous multiparty democracy with an independent judiciary and a free and diverse press.

Until 1994, the country was known for apartheid – white-minority rule. South Africa's remarkable ability to put centuries of racial hatred behind it in favor of reconciliation was widely considered a social miracle, inspiring similar peace efforts in Northern Ireland, Rwanda and elsewhere.

Now ruled by a democratic government of all races, South Africa is often referred to as the “rainbow nation”, a phrase coined by Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu.

The highest law of the land is the new Constitution, considered to be one of the most progressive in the world – and with a Bill of Rights second to none.

The rights protected include equality, freedom of expression and association, property, housing, healthcare, education, access to information, and access to courts. Protecting those rights is the country's independent judiciary, subject only to the Constitution and the law.

Education in South Africa

South Africa's investment in education has tripled since the end of apartheid. In 1994, the government spent R31.8-billion on education; in 2006. The country's education spending rate is among the highest in the world.

Of South Africa's over 12-million potential learners, more than 90% are in school – a far higher enrolment rate than in most developing countries.

Nonetheless, it's acknowledged that a skills shortage stands in the way of both the government's massive public infrastructure programmes and private investment. Professional skills in engineering, science, finance and management, as well as technical and artisan skills, are critically needed as the South African economy moves into higher gear.

The government is also going to spend R1.9-billion on upgrading Further Education and Training colleges, and the country's 21 universities are to reshape their programmes in humanities and increase student numbers in science and technology.

Info Provided by:

Source: SouthAfrica.info The all-in-one official guide and web portal to South Africa.

Why Are We There?

The Children of South Africa

According to the State of the World’s Children, over one billion children are denied a healthy and safe upbringing. That’s over 15% of the world’s population. This includes over 90 million children who are effectively starving to death.

In South Africa, millions of children are in need. Statistics South African finds that 60% of its children are in some kind of poverty. That’s over 10 million children!

What is worse, half of these children – over 5 million – are characterized as severely deprived.

"And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
Nelson Mandela