Claire Throp - South Africa

What comes to mind when you think of South Africa? Amazing African animals, suchas elephants or lions? Nelson Mandela? Or perhaps diamonds and gold? South Africais famous for all these things and more. Its difficult political history, in particularthe years of apartheid , has cast a shadow over what is one of the most interestingcountries in the world.

South Africa lies at the bottom of Africa. It is over seven times the size of California.The Prince Edward Islands in the southern Indian Ocean also belong to the country.South Africa shares a border with Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho,and Swaziland. The Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet at the southernmost tipof the country.

People have lived in South Africa for thousands of years. Fossils of the earliesthumans have been found there. It has the biggest economy in Africa, and its peoplecome from a range of backgrounds. This is shown by the fact that the country has11 official languages!

South Africa is a great attraction for tourists who want to experience the varietyof geographical landscapes and learn more about the traditional African way of life.However, it is also a country that is still trying to improve the lives of the manySouth Africans who suffered during apartheid.

How to say...

Scientists agree that the earliest modern humans existed in South Africa 100,000to 200,000 years ago. Early communities that lived in South Africa included the San,who were hunter-gatherers , and the Khoikhoi, who were animal herders. From aboutthe 3rd century CE, they began to trade with people who brought new ideas about agriculture.

In the mid-1600s, the Dutch East India Company set up what is now Cape Town and tradedwith the Khoikhoi. By the 1700s, the Dutch descendantscalled trekboers or Boers (later called Afrikaners)were independent farmers. Gradually, the Africans losttheir lands and were forced to become servants.

After the British took over the Cape area in 1806, the Boers moved farther north,as part of what became known as the Great Trek. They eventually set up two republics ,called the Transvaal and the Orange Free State.

SHAKA KASENZANGAKHONA (ABOUT 17871828)

Shaka kaSenzangakhona was a Zulu leader. He brought many neighboring groups intohis Zulu kingdom through conquest and assimilation . Shaka came to power by staginga takeover after the death of his father. He was eventually killed by his half-brother.In 1830 the Zulu nation formed the most powerful independent African kingdom in southernAfrica.

San rock art is the earliest known form of art in South Africa.

Diamonds and gold

The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886 changed South Africas economy hugely. This once-agricultural country changed to one based on industry and trade.At first, people flocked to South Africa to make their fortunes from the diamondand gold mines. Eventually, all the mines were bought up by large companies.

Anglo-Zulu War, 1879

In 1879 British and colonial soldiers invaded Zululand. A British force was beatenby the Zulus at Isandhlwana. This was an incredible defeat, as the well-armed Britishforces were defeated by an army that fought only with spears and shields. However,the British eventually conquered Zululand in 1887 with their superior weapons.

The Boer Wars

The British and the Boers fought wars over the lands containing diamond and goldmines. The British were at a disadvantage, because they did not know the land aswell as the Boers. They used what was called a scorched-earth policy. This involvedburning farms and sending African workers, as well as Boer women and children, to concentration camps . Poor organization meant that food and medicine often ran out,and many of the imprisoned people died.

British soldiers fought in trenches in the second Boer War (18991902).

Union of South Africa

In 1910 the British and Boer states joined together to become the Union of SouthAfrica. Very few black South Africans or people with mixed ancestry were able tovote in elections, and none was allowed to run for parliament . White women did notreceive the vote until 1930. The organization that later became the African NationalCongress (ANC) was formed in 1912, to try to change the situation for black SouthAfricans and those of mixed ancestry.

This photograph, taken around 1888, shows miners at a South African gold mine. Today,much of South Africas wealth still comes from gold and diamonds.

How to say...

English	Afrikaans	Zulu
diamond	diamante (dee-a-mon-ta)	idayimani (ee-day-ee-mahni)
gold	goud (howt)	igolide (ee-go-lee-de)
silver	silwer (sil-ver)	isiliver (ee-see-lee-va)

Apartheid was the system used by the Afrikaner National Party to keep black and whitepeople separate. Although apartheid was not made law until 1950, the system was inplace well before that. In 1913, for example, white South Africans were given 87percent of the land. Black South Africans had to go to different schools, use differentbuses, and live in separate areas. In 1952 Pass Laws forced non-white people to carryidentity papers at all times or risk arrest. This greatly restricted their freedom.

At a peaceful protest against the Pass Laws at Sharpeville in 1960, police killed69 people and injured over 180. As a result, the government banned public meetings.They also later banned the ANC. In 1964 the ANC leader Nelson Mandela was put inprison for life.