A Short History of South Africa
Republic of South Africa
• 48 million people: 80%
black African, 9% white,
9% Coloured, 2.5% Asian
(mainly Indian and
Chinese),
• 11 official languages
recognized by
Constitution (Top 5:
isiZulu, isiXhosa,
Afrikaans, Sepedi,
English)
• Upper-middle-income
country by GDP; industrial
economy
• A regional powerhouse,
attracting migrants from
across southern Africa
Hominid Species in Africa
Bantu migration from Central Africa
• Bantu were ironworking farmers
• Reached South Africa
around 1000 CE.
• Descendents include
the present-day Zulu,
Sotho, Tswana, and
Xhosa
Vasco Da Gama’s trip
around the Cape of Good Hope, 1497-1499 CE
Discovery of diamonds and gold
• Fueled Anglo-Boer
Wars (late 19th cent),
won by the British
• Prompted migration of
young men from across
southern Africa to work
in the mines and urban
areas
Apartheid (Afrikaans for separation)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Racial segregation existed in
colonial times
But introduced more formally after
the election of the National Party
in 1948
Classification of people into 4
racial categories: Black, White,
Indian, and Coloured
Residential segregation; mixed
marriages prohibited (1949);
educational segregation (1953)
In 1970, Blacks denied political
representation and deprived of
citizenship in South Africa; instead
were citizens of their ethnic
“homelands”
Pass laws established to regulate
Black migration into areas other
than the homeland; one could only
live there if one had employment
(in mines or commercial
businesses)
Homelands
Resistance to Apartheid
•
•
•
•
•
•
African National Congress (ANC)
played an important role, not
always peaceful (some terrorism
and military efforts launched
from neighboring countries)
Schoolchildren a major source of
protest
1976 Soweto riots prompted by
introduction of Afrikaans
language as language of
instruction in schools
Torture, imprisonment, rigged
trials widely used against
activists; state of emergency
Serious political violence in the
townships throughout 1980s
(e.g., rent boycotts, militant
youth)
Violent confrontation; outright
war seemed likely before
apartheid’s end
But instead, a peaceful transition….
• Nelson Mandela released
from prison, & state of
emergency lifted
• Negotiations between ANC
and National Party
government 1990-1993;
violence between ANC
and Zulu Inkatha Party in
preparation for democracy
• Elections of 1994: ANC
won 63% of the vote
Post-Apartheid
• Rise of a Black middle class tied to politics and big
business
• But high unemployment: 22% (comparison to US at
height of Great Recession: 8%). High poverty rate of
30% in rural areas and townships.
• According to the GINI index (way of comparing inequality
across countries), South Africa is second most unequal
country in the world
• Because a regional powerhouse, many immigrants from
across the region, and they are stigmatized and targets
of violence
• Fears of violent crime
Gini Coefficient