Portal:South Africa

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Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa
Map of the South Africa within 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.

Hintsa Ka Phalo
Chief Hintsa OF The Gcaleka Xhosa

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.

SAR and OFS riband bar orientations
The Lint voor Wonden (Wound Riband, also Lint voor Verwonding) is a South African military campaign award. It was instituted on 21 December 1920 as a retrospective award for Boer veteran officers and men of the 1899–1902 Second Boer War who had been wounded in action. (Full article...)

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Did you know... - show different entries

  • ...that The deepest mine is a gold mine in South Africa. in 1977 the Western Deep Levels Mine reached a depth of 11,749 feet. Most mines descend to about 3,300 feet.
  • ...that South Africa is the only country in the world to voluntarily abandon its nuclear weapons program.
  • ...that South Africa has 19,004 miles of railway track - 80% of Africa's rail infrastructure.

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

"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring the South African band Freshlyground. Co-written by Shakira and John Hill, it was released on 7 May 2010 by Epic Records as the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was held in South Africa. Released in English and Spanish (with the title "Waka Waka (Esto es África)"), the song samples the original Cameroonian makossa song "Zamina mina (Zangaléwa)" by Golden Sounds and the lyrics encourage one to aim for their goals like a soldier on a battlefield.

It received generally favourable reviews from critics. However, the selection of Shakira to sing the song generated controversy after numerous South Africans expressed disappointment in FIFA's decision, arguing that a native artist should have been assigned the role. "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" peaked at number one on the record charts of numerous countries worldwide and was the most successful song of 2010 in seven countries. In the United States, it peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over one million units in the country. The single attained multiplatinum certifications in several countries, including diamond certifications in Brazil, France, Germany and Sweden. As of 2019, "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" had sold 15 million downloads worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time. (Full article...)

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Helen Zille
Helen Zille (legal name Otta Helene Maree née Zille; born 9 March 1951) was the Premier of the Western Cape, a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance political party, and a former Mayor of Cape Town.

Zille is a former journalist and anti-apartheid activist, and was one of the journalists who exposed the truth behind the death of Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko while working for the Rand Daily Mail in the late 1970s. She also worked with the Black Sash and other pro-democracy groups during the 1980s. In the political arena, Zille has worked in all three tiers of government – as the Western Cape province's education MEC (1999–2004), as a Member of Parliament (2004–2006), as Mayor of Cape Town (2006–2009), and as Premier of the Western Cape (2009–present).

Zille's work as mayor, and in particular her successes in tackling crime, drug abuse and unemployment in Cape Town, led to her selection as World Mayor of the Year in 2008 - from a field of 820 candidates. She was also chosen as Newsmaker of the year 2006 by the National Press Club in July 2007, and is a former finalist in the South African Woman of the Year Award. Zille speaks English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa as well as German, the language of her parents.

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Bobotie with salad and chutney
Bobotie (Afrikaans: [bəˈbuəti]) is a South African dish consisting of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. (Full article...)

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Desmond Tutu
We are the rainbow people of God! We are unstoppable! Nobody can stop us on our march to victory! No one, no guns, nothing! Nothing will stop us, for we are moving to freedom! We are moving to freedom and nobody can stop us! For God is on our side!

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Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Credit: Christian Wörtz
Panoramic view from the Kieliekrankie Wilderness Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa

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