SA Yearbook 01/02: Chap 1 - The Land and its People

In South Africa, one finds the world’s strangestand most dramatic landscapes, a uniquewealth of animal and plant life, a treasure ofgold, diamonds and other minerals, and akaleidoscope of fascinating cultures.

Nature’s tools of creation, the wind, sun, iceand rain, have worked a special magic. Thereare extremes of deserts, savannas, snow-covered mountains, grasslands, high forestsand tropical mangrove swamps. Within theseclimatic zones, Earth’s most diverse plant population flourishes. South Africa is also thehome of big game, and hosts birds as variedas the vast range of habitats and foods thatnature has prepared for them.

It is the variety of South Africa’s fascinatingand diverse peoples that is its greatest asset.South Africa is often called the cradle of civil-isation, for this is where archaeologists dis-covered 2,5 million-year-old fossils of our ear-liest ancestors, as well as 100 000-year-oldremains of modern man.

Although South Africans come from manycultural traditions, they belong to one nation,a dynamic blend of age-old customs andmodern ways, building a new South Africansociety to create a better life for all.

The people

On the night of 9 October 1996 there were40,58 million people in South Africa (Census‘96). Of these, 76,7% classified themselves asAfrican; 10,9% as white; 8,9% as coloured;

and 2,6% as Indian/Asian. According toStatistics South Africa, the country’s popula-tion estimates in the year 2000 stood at 43 686 million, of which some 22,7 millionwere women. The second democratic censuswas held in October 2001.

The South African population consists ofthe following groups: the Nguni people(including the Zulu, Xhosa and Swazi), whoaccount for two-thirds of the population;the Sotho-Tswana people, who include theSouthern, Northern and Western Sotho(Tswana); the Tsonga; the Venda; Afrikaners;English; coloureds; Indians, and people whohave immigrated to South Africa from therest of Africa, Europe and Asia and whomaintain a strong cultural identity. A fewmembers of the Khoi and the San also live inSouth Africa.

LanguagesThe South African Constitution, 1996 (Act108 of 1996), states that everyone has theright to use the language and to participate inthe cultural life of his or her choice, but noone may do so in a manner inconsistent withany provision of the Bill of Rights. Each personalso has the right to instruction in the lan-guage of his or her choice where this is reas-onably practicable.

Official languagesTo cater for South Africa’s diverse peoples, theConstitution provides for 11 official lan-

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Chapter 1

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guages, namely: Afrikaans, English, isiNde-bele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho,Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.

Recognising the historically diminished useand status of the indigenous languages, theConstitution expects the Government to takepositive measures to elevate the status andadvance the use of these languages. Accord-ing to the Census ‘96 figures, isiZulu is themother tongue of 22,9% of the population,followed by isiXhosa (17,9%), Afrikaans(14,4%), Sepedi (9,2%) and English (8,6%).

Language policyThe first draft of the Language Policy andPlan, together with a draft Language PolicyBill, were prepared and presented to stake-holders at the Second Language Indaba heldearly in 2000. The Language Policy and Planwas expected to be submitted to Parliamentin 2001.

The Language Policy and Plan is based onSection 6 of the Constitution, which providesthe primary and legal framework for multilin-gualism, the use of official languages and thepromotion of respect for and tolerance ofSouth Africa’s linguistic diversity.

The Language Policy and Plan is guided bythe following principles:• promoting and protecting linguistic and

cultural diversity• supporting democracy through the en-

trenchment of language equity and lan-guage rights

• asserting the view that multilingualism is aresource

• encouraging the learning of other SouthAfrican languages.

Language usage in governmentThe national and provincial governments mayuse any of the official languages for the pur-poses of government, taking into accountusage, practicality, expense, regional circum-stances and the needs and preferences of thepopulation. At least two official languagesmust be used. The Constitution states that allofficial languages should enjoy parity ofesteem and be treated equitably.

National departments tend to use multilin-gual documents for communication with thepublic (information brochures, annualreports, letters and to a lesser extent govern-ment notices and bills). For internal com-munication purposes, documents are mainlycreated in English. Internal newsletters areoften produced in more than one language.

Hansard, a verbatim record of the parlia-mentary debate, contains all speeches in thelanguage(s) in which they were delivered, fol-lowed by an English translation where neces-sary. Parliament intends to increase the numberof languages in which Hansard is published.

Pan South African Language Board (PANSALB)The purpose of the Board is to promote mul-tilingualism in South Africa by• creating conditions for the development

and equal use of all official languages• fostering respect for and encouraging the

use of other languages in the country• encouraging the best use of the country’s

linguistic resources in order to enableSouth Africans to free themselves from allforms of linguistic discrimination, domina-tion and division.

The functions of PANSALB are to• initiate research to promote the develop-

ment of– all official languages – the Khoi and San languages– Sign language

S o u t h A f r i c a Y e a r b o o k 2 0 0 1 / 0 2

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South Africa has 12 public holidays. They are:New Year’s Day – January 1Human Rights Day – March 21 Good Friday – Friday before Easter SundayFamily Day – Day after Easter SundayFreedom Day – April 27Workers’ Day – May 1Youth Day – June 16National Women’s Day – August 9Heritage Day – September 24Day of Reconciliation – December 16Christmas Day – December 25Day of Goodwill – December 26If any of these days falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a public holiday.

Public holidays

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• initiate research aimed at– developing previously marginalised lan-

guages in South Africa– strengthening rights relating to lan-

guage and the status of languages exist-ing as at 27 April 1994

– promoting multilingualism – utilizing South Africa’s language re-

sources and preventing exploitation,domination and division by any lan-guage

– making recommendations to legislation,practice and policy dealing with lan-guage matters

– advising on the coordination of lan-guage planning in South Africa.

PANSALB may on its own initiative or receiptof a written complaint investigate the allegedviolation of any language right, language pol-icy or language practice. It may also summonany person, body or State organ to give evi-dence.

Amendment Act, 1999The PANSALB Amendment Act, 1999 (Act 10of 1999) provided the Board with a progres-sive shift from being a watchdog State organto addressing the language developmentneeds of South Africans.

PANSALB’s explicit role is to create condi-tions for the development and equal use of allofficial languages. It must initiate, facilitateand empower agencies within both Statestructures and civil society to contributetowards the development of all official lan-guages.

The Amendment Act, 1999 provides forthe establishment of National LexicographyUnits (NLUs) for all official languages. Thepurpose of these Units is to compile monolin-gual explanatory dictionaries and other dic-tionaries to satisfy the needs of the differentlinguistic communities.

During 2000/01, PANSALB established 11NLUs, one for each of the official languages.These Units have been registered as com-panies limited by guarantee under Section 21of the Companies Act, 1973 (Act 61 of1973). The Units are housed at tertiary insti-

tutions throughout South Africa. Each Unit ismanaged and controlled by a board of dir-ectors. PANSALB facilitated the training ofstaff in the following areas: practical and theoretical lexicography, the development ofgeneral and specialised computer skills, andmanagement and administration.

PANSALB concluded an agreement with aSwedish company of computational linguiststo develop tailor-made software for the NLUsfor corpus-building and dictionary compilation.

Khoi and San National Language BodyThe Khoi and San National Language Bodywas officially launched on 8 October 1999 inUpington, Northern Cape, to promote anddevelop the Khoi and San languages. In addi-tion, it will actively assist PANSALB in itsendeavours to promote multilingualism as anational resource. It will conduct surveys incommunities where the Khoi and San lan-guages are spoken so as to record and stand-ardise new terminology and words. It willliaise closely with other professional bodiesthat can help to enrich and expand the Khoiand San languages.

Protecting language rightsPANSALB offers assistance to any person ororganisation if any department, organ ofState, municipality, institution or person• has discriminated against them unfairly on

the basis of their language• relies on a language policy based on dis-

crimination or which contains discriminat-ory elements

• has denied them the right to associate withtheir linguistic community

• has denied them the right to express them-selves to their linguistic community.

Since 1997, PANSALB saw a steady increasein the number of complaints lodged againstgovernment departments. The second largestsector targeted by complainants were statu-tory bodies and public entities.

By March 2001, a total number of 160complaints had been lodged. In 2000/01, 76complaints were lodged, of which 11% con-cerned indigenous languages.

Draft Bill on the Commission for thePromotion and Protection of Cultural,Religious and Linguistic Communities

The Draft Bill was published to give effect toSection 181 of the Constitution. The Com-mission is to comprise a chairperson and 11to 17 members, representing the main cul-tural, religious and linguistic communities andreflecting South Africa’s gender composition.In each province, the Minister responsible forthe Commission is to advertise for nomina-tions in nationally circulated papers.

The Commission’s main purpose is to pro-mote respect for the rights and interests ofthe various cultural, religious and linguisticcommunities in South Africa. In addition, theBill delegates the Commission to• promote and develop peace, friendship,

humanity, tolerance and national unityamong cultural, religious and linguistic com-munities on the basis of equality, non-dis-crimination and free association

• recommend the establishment or recogni-tion of other councils for a community orcommunities in South Africa.

To achieve its goals, the Commission will havethe power to• monitor, investigate, research, educate,

lobby, advise and report on any issue con-cerning the rights of cultural, religious andlinguistic communites

• facilitate the resolution of conflicts or frictionbetween any such community and an organof State

• receive and deal with complaints and requestsby cultural, religious or linguistic communities

• convene a yearly national conference of del-egates from various cultural, religious andlinguistic communities in South Africa andgovernmental and non-governmental role-players.

ReligionReligious groups in South AfricaAlmost 80% of South Africa’s populationadheres to the Christian faith. Other majorreligious groups are the Hindus, Muslims andJews. A minority of South Africa’s populationdoes not belong to any of the major religions,but regard themselves as traditionalists or ofno specific religious affiliation.

Freedom of worship is guaranteed by theConstitution, and official policy is one of non-interference in religious practices.

Christian churchesThere are many official and unofficial ecu-menical relations between the variouschurches. The most important of these is per-haps the South African Council of Churches(SACC), even though it is not representativeof the full spectrum of churches.

The major African indigenous churches,most of the Afrikaans churches and the pen-tecostal and charismatic churches are as arule not members of the SACC and usuallyhave their own coordinating liaison bodies.

Church attendance in South Africa isfavourable in both rural and urban areas, andthe Church is well served by a large numberof clerics and officials.

On the whole, training for the ministry isthorough and intensive, and based on a varietyof models. Patterns of ministry vary greatly.

Apart from the work of the churches, anumber of Christian organisations operate inSouth Africa, doing missionary work, givingaid and providing training. (A comprehensiveregister appears in the South African ChristianHandbook 1999/00. Welkom: Christian Info.)

The broadcasting of religious radio and television programmes underlines the import-


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Musician Vusi Mahlasela and writer/director Duma kaNdlovu became the first recipients of special multi-lingualism awards from PANSALB in November 2000. OnMahlasela’s latest CD, Miyela Afrika, more than sixAfrican languages were used. When he performs, hesometimes uses Sign language for the benefit of hisdeaf son. ka Ndlovu received his award for his television dramaseries Muvhango, in which the marginalised languagesTshiVenda and Xitsonga are used, among others. PANSALB chairman Mpiyakhe Kumalo said the awardswere intended to recognise individuals, groups,companies, institutions and organisations for beingmultilingual and for their efforts to promote and usepreviously marginalised languages.

Information

ance of religion in South Africa. Many news-papers carry a daily scriptural message, andvarious religious magazines and newspapersare produced.

African Independent ChurchesThe largest grouping of Christian churches isthe African Independent Churches (AICs),and one of the most dramatic aspects of reli-gious affiliation has been the rise of the AICmovement.

Although these churches originally resultedfrom a number of breakaways from variousmission churches (the so-called Ethiopianchurches), the AICs have developed their owndynamics and momentum and continue toflourish. The majority can therefore no longerbe regarded as Ethiopian churches, but areZionist or Apostolic churches. The Pentecostalmovement also has its independent offshootsin this group.

The Zion Christian Church is the largest ofthese churches in South Africa and the largestchurch overall. More than a million membersgather twice a year at Zion City, Moria, nearPietersburg in the Northern Province – atEaster and for the September festival. Tradi-tionally, Easter is the religious highlight of theyear. Church members, estimated to numberfour million, are not obliged to make the pil-grimage, but have loyally observed the tradi-tion for more than 80 years.

The 4 000 or more independent churcheshave a membership of more than 10 million,making this movement the single mostimportant religious group in South Africa.

The independent churches attract peoplefrom rural and urban areas. There are, forexample, hundreds of separate churches inrural KwaZulu-Natal and at least 900 from allethnic groups in the urban complex ofSoweto alone. In the northern KwaZulu-Nataland Mpumalanga areas, these churches servemore than half the population.

Afrikaans churchesThe Nederduitse Gereformeerde (NG) familyof churches in South Africa – which is usuallytranslated as Dutch Reformed churches – rep-

resents some 3,5 million people. The NG Kerkis the largest of the three churches with atotal of about 1 200 congregations country-wide. The other churches are the UnitingReformed Church of South Africa and thesmall Reformed Church in Africa, with pre-dominantly Indian members. The NederduitsHervormde Kerk and the GereformeerdeKerk are also regarded as sister churches.There are several other churches withAfrikaans-speaking adherents, some withvery large memberships. The NG Kerk alsohas six fully-fledged English-language congre-gations, one congregation for Dutch-speak-ing people and four for Portuguese-speakingpeople. In total, there are about 2 000 mem-bers in these congregations.

Roman Catholic ChurchIn recent years, the Roman Catholic Churchhas grown strongly in numbers and influence,even though South Africa is predominantlyProtestant. It works closely with other church-es on the socio-political front.

Other Christian churchesOther established churches in South Africainclude the Methodist Church, the Church ofthe Province of Southern Africa (AnglicanChurch), the various Lutheran and Presbyter-ian churches and the Congregational Church.

Together with others they form the nucleus of the SACC. Although the differentBaptist groups are not large, they represent astrong church tradition.

The largest traditional Pentecostal churchesare the Apostolic Faith Mission, the Assembliesof God and the Full Gospel Church, but thereare numerous others. Many of them have fellowship in groups such as the ChurchAlliance of South Africa, and operate in allcommunities.

A number of charismatic churches havebeen established in recent years. The daugh-ter churches of the charismatic churches,together with those of the Hatfield ChristianChurch in Pretoria, are grouped in the Inter-national Fellowship of Christian Churches.

Also active in South Africa, among the

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smaller groups, are the Greek Orthodox andSeventh Day Adventist churches.

African traditionalistsBecause the traditional religion of the Africanpeople has a strong cultural base, the variousgroups have different rituals, but there arecertain common features.

A supreme being is generally recognised,but ancestors are of far greater importance,being the deceased elders of the group. Theyare regarded as part of the community, indis-pensable links with the spirit world and thepowers that control everyday affairs. Theseancestors are not gods, but because they playa key part in bringing about either good or illfortune, maintaining good relations withthem is vital and they have to be appeasedregularly by a variety of ritual offerings.

While an intimate knowledge of herbs andother therapeutic techniques as well as theuse of supernatural powers can be applied tothe benefit of the individual and the com-munity, some practitioners are masters ofblack magic, creating fear among people. Asa result of close contact with Christianity,many people find themselves in a transitionalphase somewhere between traditionalAfrican religion and Christianity.

Other religionsMost Indians retained their Hindu religionwhen they originally came to South Africa.Today, some two-thirds of South Africa’s Indians are Hindus.

The Muslim community in South Africa issmall, but growing strongly. The major com-ponents are the Cape Malays, who are main-ly descendants of Malayan slaves, as well as20% of those Indians descended from Indianimmigrants. The Jewish population is lessthan 100 000. Of these, the majority areOrthodox Jews.

Buddhism is barely organised in SouthAfrica. The number of Parsees has decreased,while there is a small group of Jains in Durban.The Baha’i faith is establishing groups andtemples in various parts of the country.

The land

The Republic of South Africa occupies thesouthernmost part of the African continent,stretching latitudinally from 22° to 35° S andlongitudinally from 17° to 33° E.

Its surface area is 1 219 090 km2. It hascommon boundaries with the republics of


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Religious denomination Members in %thousands

Zion Christian Church 4 242 9,71NG Church family 3 866 8,85Catholic Church 3 757 8,60Methodist Church 3 080 7,05Pentecostal/charismaticChurch 2 416 5,53Anglican Church 1 756 4,02Apostolic Faith Mission 1 232 2,82Lutheran Church 1 153 2,64Presbyterian Church 799 1,83Ibandla Lama Nazaretha 498 1,14Baptist Church 481 1,10Congregational Church 472 1,08Orthodox Church 35 0,08Other Apostolic churches 3 857 8,83Other Zionists 2 368 5,42Ethiopian-type churches 878 2,01Other Reformed churches 424 0,97Other African Independentchurches 253 0,58Other Christian churches 1 385 3,17Subtotal: Christian churches 32 978 75,49Muslim faith 607 1,39Hindu faith 590 1,35Judaists 74 0,17African traditional belief 17 0,04Other faiths 210 0,48Subtotal: Other religions 1 503 3,44No religion 5 089 11,65Refused, other, not stated 4 111 9,41Subtotal: Uncertain 9 205 21,07Total population 43 686 100,00

Source: The Institute for Missiological and EcumenicalResearch, University of Pretoria.

The estimated religion affiliation of theSouth African population, mid-2000, basedon the 1996 census

Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, while theRepublic of Mozambique and the Kingdomof Swaziland lie to the north-east. Completelyenclosed by South African territory in thesouth-east is the mountain kingdom ofLesotho.

To the west, south and east, South Africaborders on the Atlantic and Indian oceans.Isolated, 1 920 km south-east of Cape Townin the Atlantic, lie Prince Edward and Marionislands, annexed by South Africa in 1947.

The seas

South Africa is surrounded by the ocean onthree sides – to the west, south and east –and has a long coastline of about 3 000 km.This coastline is swept by two major oceancurrents – the warm south-flowing Mozam-bique-Agulhas Current and the coldBenguela. The former skirts the east andsouth coasts as far as Cape Agulhas, whilethe Benguela Current flows northwards alongthe west coast as far as southern Angola.

The contrast in temperature betweenthese two currents partly accounts forimportant differences in climate and veg-etation between the east and west coasts ofSouth Africa. It also causes big differencesin marine life. The cold waters of the westcoast are much richer in oxygen, nitrates,phosphates and plankton than those of theeast coast. Consequently, the South Africanfishing industry is centred on the westcoast.

The coasts

The coastline itself is an even, closed one withfew bays or indentations naturally suitable forharbours. The only ideal natural harbouralong the coastline is Saldanha Bay on thewest coast. However, the area lacks freshwater and offers no natural lines of penetra-tion to the interior.

Most river mouths are unsuitable for use asharbours because large sand bars block entryfor most of the year. These bars are formed bythe action of waves and currents, and by the

intermittent flow, heavy sediment load andsteep gradients of most South African rivers.Only the largest rivers, such as the Orangeand Limpopo, maintain narrow permanentchannels through the bars. For much thesame reasons, the country has no navigablerivers.

Relief features

The surface area of South Africa falls into twomajor physiographic features: the interiorplateau, and the land between the plateauand the coast. Forming the boundarybetween these two areas is the GreatEscarpment, the most prominent and con-tinuous relief feature of the country. Its heightabove sea level varies from approximately 1 500 m in the dolerite-capped Roggeveldscarp in the south-west to a height of 3 482m in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg.

Inland from the Escarpment lies the interiorplateau, which is the southern continuationof the great African plateau stretching northto the Sahara Desert.

The plateau itself is characterised by wideplains with an average height of 1 200 mabove sea level.

Surmounting the plateau in places are anumber of well-defined upland blocks. Thedissected Lesotho plateau, which is morethan 3 000 m above sea level, is the mostprominent. In general, the Escarpment formsthe highest parts of the plateau.

Between the Great Escarpment and thecoast lies an area which varies in width from80 to 240 km in the east and south to a mere60 to 80 km in the west. At least three majorsubdivisions can be recognised: the easternplateau slopes, the Cape folded belt andadjacent regions, and the western plateauslopes.

Climatic features

The subtropical location, on either side of 30˚ S, accounts for the warm temperate conditions so typical of South Africa, makingit a popular destination for foreign tourists.

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The country also falls squarely within thesubtropical belt of high pressure, making itdry, with an abundance of sunshine.

The wide expanses of ocean on three sidesof South Africa have a moderating influenceon its climate. More apparent, however, arethe effects of the warm Agulhas and coldBenguela currents along the east and westcoasts respectively. While Durban (east coast)and Port Nolloth (west coast) lie more or lesson the same latitude, there is a difference of atleast 6˚C in their mean annual temperatures.

Gale-force winds are frequent on thecoasts, especially in the south-western andsouthern coastal areas.

Rainfall

South Africa has an average annual rainfall of464 mm, compared with a world average of860 mm. About 20% of the country has atotal annual rainfall of less than 200 mm,48% between 200 and 600 mm, while onlyabout 30% records more than 600 mm. Intotal, 65% of the country has an annual rain-fall of less than 500 mm – usually regarded asthe absolute minimum for successful dry-landfarming.

In Cape Town, the capital city of theWestern Cape, the average rainfall is highestin the winter months, while in the capitalcities of the other eight provinces, the aver-age rainfall is highest during summer.

South Africa’s rainfall is unreliable andunpredictable. Large fluctuations in the av-erage annual figure are the rule rather thanthe exception in most areas of the country.Years when a below-average figure is record-ed are more common than years with anabove-average total. South Africa is period-ically afflicted by drastic and prolongeddroughts, which often end in severe floods.

Temperatures

Temperature conditions in South Africa arecharacterised by three main features. Firstly,temperatures tend to be lower than in otherregions at similar latitudes, for example

Australia. This is due primarily to the greaterelevation above sea level of the subcontinent.

Secondly, despite a latitudinal span of 13degrees, average annual temperatures areremarkably uniform throughout the country.Owing to the increase in the height of theplateau towards the north-east, there is hard-ly any increase in temperature from south tonorth as might be expected.

The third feature is the striking contrastbetween temperatures on the east and westcoasts. Temperatures above 32°C are fairlycommon in summer, and frequently exceed38°C in the lower Orange River valley and theMpumalanga Lowveld.

Frost, humidity and fog

Frost often occurs on the interior plateauduring cold, clear winter nights, with iceforming on still pools and in water-pipes.The frost season is longest (from April toOctober) over the eastern and southernplateau areas bordering on the Escarpment.Frost decreases to the north, while the coastis virtually frost-free. Average annual relativehumidity readings show that, in general, theair is driest over the western interior andover the plateau. Along the coast, thehumidity is much higher and at times mayrise to 85%. Low stratus clouds and fog fre-quently occur over the cool west coast, par-ticularly during summer. The only other areathat commonly experiences fog is the ‘mistbelt’ along the eastern foothills of theEscarpment.

Sunshine

South Africa is famous for its sunshine.Generally speaking, April and May are themost pleasant months. The rainy season overthe summer-rainfall region has then ended,while it has not yet really started in the win-ter-rainfall area. The hot summer weather hasabated, and the winds are lighter than duringthe rest of the year.

In certain areas, however, notably the hot,humid KwaZulu-Natal coast, Mpumalanga


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and the Northern Province, June and July arethe ideal holiday months.

The provinces

In terms of the Constitution of South Africa,the country is divided into nine provinces,each with its own Legislature, Premier andProvincial Members of Executive Councils.The provinces each feature their own distinct-ive landscapes, vegetation and climate. Theprovinces are the Western Cape, the EasternCape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Northern Cape,Free State, North-West, Gauteng, Mpuma-langa and the Northern Province. (See Chapter: Tourism.)

Western CapeThe Western Cape is situated on the south-western tip of the African continent. It is aregion of majestic mountains, well-wateredvalleys, wide, sandy beaches and breathtakingscenery.

The cold Atlantic Ocean along the westcoast is a rich fishing area, while the warmerIndian Ocean skirts its southern beaches.

Visitors to the Western Cape can disem-bark at Cape Town International Airport or atthe Port of Cape Town in the shadow of Table

Mountain. A network of roads also leads toCape Town, the capital, also known as theMother City.

Other important towns in the provinceinclude Vredenburg-Saldanha, an importantharbour for iron exports and the fishingindustry; Worcester and Stellenbosch in theheart of the winelands; George, renownedfor indigenous timber and vegetable produce;Oudtshoorn, known for its ostrich productsand the world-famous Cango Caves; andBeaufort West on the dry, sheep-farmingplains of the Great Karoo.

The Western Cape boasts one of the sixaccepted floral kingdoms of the world.Although the smallest of them all, theWestern Cape Floral Kingdom, locally calledfynbos, contains more plant species than thewhole of Europe. These include the world-famous protea and heather.

The Knysna-Tsitsikamma region has thecountry’s biggest indigenous forests. This is afairyland of age-old forest giants, ferns andcolourful birdlife. Products of the forestsinclude furniture made from the indigenousyellowwood, stinkwood and white pear, andthese are sought-after pieces.

The tourism sector is perceived as the mostimportant growth force in the Western Cape.

The peopleMore than four million people live in theWestern Cape on 129 386 km2 of land. Themajority of them are Afrikaans-speaking,while the other main languages are Englishand isiXhosa. The Western Cape has thehighest adult education level in the country,with only 6,7% of people aged 20 years orolder having undergone no schooling. Theprovince has a strong network of higher edu-cational institutions, including three univer-sities, two technikons and many other train-ing institutions.

Agriculture and marine fisheryThe Western Cape is rich in agriculture andfisheries.

The sheltered valleys between the moun-tains provide ideal conditions for the cultiva-

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Capital: Cape TownPrincipal languages: Afrikaans 58%

English 20%isiXhosa 19,1%

Population: 4,2 millionArea (km2): 129 386% of total area: 10,6%GGP at current prices (1994): R81,800 million% of total GDP: 14,21%

*GGP (gross geographical product) = GDP of a region** GDP (gross domestic product)

Western Cape

tion of top-grade fruits, such as apples, tablegrapes, olives, peaches and oranges. In theeastern part of the Western Cape region, agreat variety of vegetables is cultivated.

The province can be divided into three cli-matic regions. The area around the CapePeninsula and the Boland, further inland, is awinter-rainfall region with sunny, dry sum-mers.

Towards George, along the south coast,the climate gradually changes to year-roundrainfall, while inland, towards the more aridGreat Karoo, the climate changes to summerrainfall.

The Western Cape is known as one of theworld’s finest grape-growing regions. Manyof its wines have received the highest ac-colades at international shows. The KleinKaroo region around Oudtshoorn, besidesbeing famous for its Cango Caves, is the centre of the ostrich-farming industry inSouth Africa. Fine leatherware, ostrich feath-ers and meat are exported from here to des-tinations all over the world. The Swartlanddistrict around Malmesbury and the Overbergat Caledon is the bread basket of the country.

The inland Karoo region around BeaufortWest and the Bredasdorp district producewool and mutton, as well as pedigree merinobreeding stock.

Other animal products include broilerchickens, eggs, dairy products, beef and pork,while racehorse-breeding is another import-ant industry.

The west coast of the province is washedby the cold Benguela Current. The plankton-rich current is considered to be one of theworld’s richest fishing grounds. This resourceis protected against over-fishing by foreignvessels by means of a 200-km commercialfishing zone and a strict quota system.

It is for the exclusive utilisation of localinhabitants, and creates jobs for about 27 000 people who are directly dependent onthe fishing industry.

The province is well known for its widevariety of seafoods offered at restaurants dot-ted along the scenic coastline. Snoek, Capelobster, abalone, calamari, octopus, oysters

and mussels are among the most sought-after piscatorial delights.

IndustryThe head offices of all but one of SouthAfrica’s petroleum companies are located inCape Town.

The city also houses the head offices ofmany of South Africa’s insurance giants andnational retail chains. With over 170 000 people employed in the clothing and textileindustry, it is the single most significant indus-trial source of employment in the WesternCape.

The biggest segment of South Africa’sprinting and publishing industry is also situat-ed in Cape Town.

The official unemployment figure for theprovince, 13,7%, is substantially lower thanthat of most other parts of the country.

While Epping, Parow, Retreat andMontagu Gardens have been the core indus-trial areas in the past, new developments arearising in the Saldanha-Vredenburg area, as aspin-off from the vast Saldanha Steel project.

The West Coast Investment Initiative,which forms part of the Government’s spatialdevelopment initiative (SDI) programme, waslaunched on 25 February 1998.

Eastern CapeThe Eastern Cape is the poorest province inSouth Africa in terms of average monthlyexpenditure, followed by Free State and theNorthern Province according to the StatisticsSouth Africa report Measuring Poverty inSouth Africa. The wealthiest province wasGauteng, followed by the Western Cape. Thereport was released in September 2000.

The Eastern Cape, a land of undulatinghills, endless sweeps of sandy beaches, majes-tic mountain ranges and emerald greenforests, is in surface the second largest of thenine provinces.

The region boasts a remarkable naturaldiversity, ranging from the dry desolate GreatKaroo to the lush forests of the Wild Coastand the Keiskamma Valley, the fertileLangkloof, renowned for its rich apple har-


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vests, and the mountainous southernDrakensberg region at Elliot.

The main feature of the Eastern Cape is itsastonishing coastline lapped by the IndianOcean. With its long stretches of undisturbedsandy beaches, rocky coves, secluded lagoonsand towering cliffs, the coastline provides theprovince with a rich natural tourist attraction.

The graceful curve of Algoa Bay providesan ideal setting for the Port of Port Elizabethwhile there are also good harbour facilities atEast London. The province is serviced by threeairports situated at Port Elizabeth, EastLondon and Umtata.

The architecture of many of the cities andtowns reflects the rich heritage of the people.

The capital is Bisho. Other important townsin the province include Uitenhage, which hasimportant motor vehicle-manufacturing andrelated industries; King William’s Town, rich inearly settler and military history; Grahams-town, also known as the City of Saintsbecause of its more than 40 churches; Graaff-Reinet, with its interesting collection of his-toric buildings; Cradock, the hub of theCentral Karoo; Stutterheim, the forestry centre of the province; Aliwal North, famousfor its hot sulphur springs; and Port St Johns,the largest town on the Wild Coast.

In the Eastern Cape, various floral habitatsmeet. Along the coast, the northern tropicalforests intermingle with the more temperatewoods of the south. This makes for an inter-

esting forest habitat of various speciesendemic to this region alone.

Age-old forests occur at Keiskammahoek,Dwesa, Port St Johns and Bathurst; duneforests are found at Alexandria; and man-groves along the Wild Coast.

Rolling grasslands dominate the easterninterior of the province, while the westerncentral plateau is savanna bushveld. Thenorthern inland is home to the aromaticKaroo succulent bush.

The peopleWith its almost seven million people, theEastern Cape has the third-largest provincialpopulation, living on about 169 600 km2 ofland.

The language spoken by most is isiXhosa,followed by Afrikaans and English.

The province has five universities, three tech-nikons and 20 technical colleges. Despite thehigh quality of educational facilities, 20,9% ofthose aged 20 years or older have neverreceived any schooling, while 4,7% have com-pleted some form of higher education.

Agriculture, fishing and forestryThe Eastern Cape has excellent agriculturaland forestry potential. The fertile Langkloofvalley in the south-west has enormous deciduous fruit orchards, while the Karoointerior is an important sheep-farming area.Angora wool is also produced.

The Alexandria-Grahamstown area pro-duces pineapples, chicory and dairy products,while coffee and tea are cultivated at Magwa.People in the former Transkei region aredependent on cattle, maize and sorghumfarming.

Extensive exotic forestry plantations in thehigh rainfall areas of Keiskammahoek provideemployment for large numbers of the popu-lation. The province is a summer-rainfallregion with high rainfall along the coast, butbecoming gradually drier behind the moun-tain ranges into the Great Karoo.

The Eastern Cape fishing industry gener-ates about R200 million a year. The basis ofthe fishing industry is squid, some recreation-

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Capital: BishoPrincipal languages: isiXhosa 83,8%

Afrikaans 9,6%English 3,7%


Eastern Cape

al and commercial fishing for line fish, somecollecting of marine resources, and access toline catches of hake.

IndustryThe metropolitan economies of Port Elizabethand East London are based primarily on man-ufacturing, the most important being motormanufacturing.

The province contributes approximately R30 billion to national GDP and is widely re-garded as having the potential to substantiallyincrease this contribution as South Africa movestowards an export-led industrial strategy.

With two harbours and three airportsoffering direct flights to the main centres, andan excellent road and rail infrastructure, theprovince has been earmarked as a priority forgrowth and economic development.

To facilitate integrated planning sensitive tothe environment, the province is implement-ing a consultative process involving com-munity participation. It includes the Fish RiverSDI and the Wild Coast SDI, and two indus-trial development zones (IDZs), namely theWest Bank (East London) IDZ and the CoegaIDZ. The latter, 20 km east of the Port Eliza-beth-Uitenhage metropole, was the first IDZto be earmarked and is one of the biggest ini-tiatives ever undertaken in South Africa. Plansfor the development of the area as an export-orientated zone include the building of adeepwater port.

KwaZulu-NatalAptly called South Africa’s garden province,this verdant region forms the east coast ofSouth Africa, stretching from Port Edward inthe south northwards to the Mozambiqueboundary. It is a province with a subtropicalcoastline, sweeping savanna in the east and

the magnificent Drakensberg mountainrange in the west. The warm Indian Oceanwashing its beaches makes it one of thecountry’s most popular holiday destinations.

Visitors to KwaZulu-Natal can either disem-bark at Durban International Airport or theDurban harbour, or make use of the extensivenational road network.

Durban is one of the fastest-growing urbanareas in the world. Its port is the busiest inSouth Africa and also one of the 10 largest inthe world. KwaZulu-Natal is the only provincewith a monarchy specifically provided for in itsConstitution.

Pietermaritzburg and Ulundi are joint cap-itals of the province because of the coalitiongovernment in the provincial legislature. Otherimportant towns include Richards Bay, animportant coal export harbour, and manycoastal holiday resorts, such as PortShepstone, Umhlanga Rocks and Margate. Inthe interior, Newcastle is well known for steelproduction and coal mining, Estcourt for meatprocessing, and Ladysmith and Richmond formixed agriculture. The KwaZulu-Natal coastalbelt yields sugar cane, wood, oranges,bananas, mangoes and other tropical fruit.

Some of South Africa’s best-protectedindigenous coastal forests are found alongthe subtropical coastline of KwaZulu-Natal,for example at Dukuduku and Kosi Bay. It isalso along this coast that the magnificent StLucia Estuary and Kosi Bay lakes are located.In 1999, the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Parkwas declared a World Heritage Site.

Separating KwaZulu-Natal from the moun-tain Kingdom of Lesotho, the Drakensbergruns 200 km along the western boundary ofthe province.

The northern part of the province, south ofthe Swaziland border, is typical African savan-na, providing a natural backdrop for its richwildlife, protected in several game parks.

The peopleKwaZulu-Natal has the largest population inthe country with some nine million people liv-ing on 92 100 km2 of land. The principal lan-guage spoken is isiZulu, followed by English


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The Eastern Cape is the poorest province in South Africain terms of average monthly expenditure, followed byFree State and the Northern Province according to theStatistics South Africa report Measuring poverty inSouth Africa. The wealthiest province was Gauteng,followed by the Western Cape.

Information

and Afrikaans. Remnants of British colonial-ism together with Zulu, Indian and Afrikaanstraditions make for an interesting cultural mixin the province.

Among its assets, the province counts sev-eral universities, technikons and various othereducational institutions. However, almost23% of adults in the province have had noschooling. KwaZulu-Natal has a relativelypoorly skilled labour force. The economytherefore experiences a shortage of skilledhuman resources. The official unemploymentfigure for the province is 25,9%.

Agriculture and industryHeavy minerals are mined at Richards Bay inKwaZulu-Natal. In recent times, the provincehas undergone rapid industrialisation owingto its abundant water supply and labourresources. Industries are found in Newcastle,Ladysmith, Dundee, Richards Bay, Durban,Hammarsdale, Richmond, Pietermaritzburgand Mandeni.

The sugar-cane plantations along theIndian Ocean coastal belt form the mainstayof the economy and agriculture of the region.The coastal belt is also a large producer ofsubtropical fruit, while the farmers in the hin-terland concentrate on vegetable, dairy andstock-farming. Another major source ofincome is forestry in the areas aroundVryheid, Eshowe, Richmond, Harding andNgome. Ngome also has tea plantations.

The summer-rainfall coastal regions of thisprovince are hot and humid with a subtrop-ical climate. The KwaZulu-Natal Midlandsbetween the coastal strip and the southernDrakensberg Escarpment are drier withextremely cold conditions in winter and snowon the high-lying ground. In the north, thesubtropical strip extends further around theKingdom of Swaziland, to the edge of theEscarpment.

There is a huge gap between the urban andrural per capita income of people in KwaZulu-Natal. The province currently employs lessthan half of the potential labour force in theformal economy, resulting in a high level ofmigration to Gauteng.

Northern CapeThe Northern Cape province lies to the southof its most important asset, the mightyOrange River, which provides the basis for ahealthy agriculture industry. The landscape ischaracterised by vast arid plains with out-croppings of haphazard rock piles. The coldAtlantic Ocean forms the western boundary.

This region covers the largest area of all theprovinces and has the smallest population.The major airports are situated at Kimberley,the capital, and Upington. The NorthernCape is serviced by an excellent road net-work, which makes its interior easily access-ible from South Africa’s major cities, harboursand airports.

Important towns are Upington, centre ofthe karakul sheep and dried fruit industries,and the most northerly wine-making regionin South Africa; Springbok in the heart of theNamaqualand spring-flower country; Kuru-man founded by the missionary Moffat; DeAar, hub of the South African railway net-work; Sutherland, the coldest town in thecountry; and the sheep-farming towns ofCarnarvon, Colesberg, Kenhardt and Prieska.

Apart from a narrow strip of winter-rainfallarea along the coast, the Northern Cape is asemi-arid region with little rainfall in summer.The weather conditions are extreme – coldand frosty in winter, and extremely high tem-peratures in summer.

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Capital: (Joint capitals) Pietermaritzburg and UlundiPrincipal languages: isiZulu 79,8%

English 15,8%Afrikaans 1,6%

Population: 9 millionArea (km2): 92 100% of total area: 7,6%GGP at current prices (1994): R57,007 million% of total GDP: 14,90

KwaZulu-Natal

The largest part of the province falls withinthe Nama-Karoo biome with a vegetation oflow shrubland and grass, and trees limited towater courses. The area is known world-widefor its spectacular display of spring flowerswhich, for a short period every year, attractsthousands of tourists.

This biome is home to many wonderfulplant species, such as the elephant’s foot(halfmens), tree aloe (kokerboom) and a vari-ety of succulents.

The province has several national parks andconservation areas. The Kalahari GemsbokNational Park, together with the GemsbokNational Park in Botswana, is Africa’s firsttransfrontier game park, known as theKgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It is one of thelargest nature conservation areas in southernAfrica, and one of the largest remaining pro-tected natural ecosystems in the world. ThePark provides unfenced access to a variety ofgame between South Africa, and Botswanaand has a surface area of more than two mil-lion hectare (ha).

Nowhere is the Orange River more impres-sive than at the Augrabies Falls, which ranksamong the world’s greatest cataracts on amajor river. The Augrabies Falls National Parkwas established to preserve this natural wonder.

The peopleThe Northern Cape is sparsely populated and

houses some 873 000 people on 361 830 km2

of land. About 69% of the people speakAfrikaans. Other languages spoken areSetswana, isiXhosa and English.

The last remaining true San (Bushman)people live in the Kalahari area of the North-ern Cape. The whole area, especially alongthe Orange and Vaal rivers, is rich in San rockengravings. A good collection can be seen atthe McGregor Museum in Kimberley. Theprovince is also rich in fossils.

Agriculture and industryThe province shares the rich BenguelaCurrent with the Western Cape, but in thepast did not derive great benefit from thismarine resource. In 1998, however, theprovincial government started encouragingthe development of and investment in themarine industry.

The Government and stakeholders haveunited to form an association aimed at pro-moting mariculture and fishing developmentprojects, in an attempt to alleviate the wide-spread poverty of communities along thecoast.

The economy of a large part of theNorthern Cape, the interior Karoo, dependson sheep-farming, while the karakul peltindustry is one of the most important in theGordonia district of Upington.

The province has fertile agricultural land. Inthe Orange River Valley, especially at Upington,Kakamas and Keimoes, grapes and fruit areintensively cultivated. Wheat, fruit, peanuts,maize and cotton are produced at theVaalharts Irrigation Scheme near Warrenton.

Mining The Northern Cape is rich in minerals. Thecountry’s chief diamond pipes are found inthe Kimberley district. In 1888, the diamondindustry was formally established with thecreation of De Beers Consolidated Mines.Alluvial diamonds are also extracted from thebeaches and sea between Alexander Bay andPort Nolloth.

The Sishen Mine near Kathu is the biggestsource of iron ore in South Africa, and the


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Capital: KimberleyPrincipal languages: Afrikaans 69,3%

Setswana 19,9%isiXhosa 6,3%

Population: 0,873 millionArea (km2): 361 830% of total area: 29,7%GGP* at current prices (1994): R8,000 million% of total GDP: 2,09%

Northern Cape

copper mine at Okiep is one of the oldestmines in the country. Copper is also mined atSpringbok and Aggenys. The province is alsorich in asbestos, manganese, fluorspar, semi-precious stones and marble.

Free StateThe Free State lies in the heart of SouthAfrica, with the Kingdom of Lesotho nestlingin the hollow of its bean-like shape. Betweenthe Vaal River in the north and the OrangeRiver in the south, this immense rolling prairiestretches as far as the eye can see.

The capital, Bloemfontein, has a well-established institutional, educational andadministrative infrastructure, and houses theSupreme Court of Appeal. The province has awell-known university and many other train-ing institutions.

Important towns include Welkom, theheart of the goldfields and one of the fewcompletely pre-planned cities in the world;Odendaalsrus, another gold-mining town;Sasolburg, which owes its existence to thepetrol-from-coal installation establishedthere; Kroonstad, an important agricultural,administrative and educational centre; Paryson the banks of the Vaal River; Phuthaditjha-ba, well known for the beautiful handcrafteditems produced by the local people; andBethlehem, gateway to the Eastern Highlandsof the Free State.

The road network density of the province is

the third-highest in the country. The bignational road, which is the artery betweenGauteng and the Western and Eastern Cape,passes through the middle of the Free State.

The peopleThe Free State is the third-largest province inSouth Africa. However, it has the second-smallest population and the second-lowestpopulation density. It houses some 2,8 millionpeople on about 129 480 km2 of land. Themain languages spoken are Sesotho andAfrikaans. Some 16% of people aged 20years or older have had no schooling. Theofficial unemployment rate according toStatistics South Africa is 23,3%.

Many of the towns display a mix of cultureclearly evident in street names, public build-ings, monuments and museums. Dressedsandstone buildings abound on the EasternHighlands, while beautifully decorated Sothohouses dot the grasslands. Some of SouthAfrica’s most valued San rock art is found inthe Free State. The districts of Bethlehem,Ficksburg, Ladybrand and Wepener haveremarkable collections of this art form.

AgricultureThis summer-rainfall region can be extremelycold during the winter months, especiallytowards the eastern mountainous regionswhere temperatures can drop as low as 9,5˚C.The western and southern areas are semi-desert.

Known as the ‘granary of the country’, theFree State has cultivated land covering 3,2 million ha, while natural veld and grazingcover 8,7 million ha.

Field crops yield almost two-thirds of thegross agricultural income of the province.Animal products contribute a further 30%,with the balance coming from horticulture.

Ninety per cent of the country’s cherry cropis produced in the Ficksburg district, while thetwo largest asparagus canning factories arealso situated in this district. Soya, sorghum,sunflowers and wheat are cultivated, espe-cially in the eastern Free State, where farmersspecialise in seed production. About 40% of

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Capital: BloemfonteinPrincipal languages: Sesotho 62,1%

Afrikaans 14,5%isiXhosa 9,4%


Free State

the country’s potato yield comes from thehigh-lying areas of the Free State.

MiningThe Free State contributes about 16,5% ofSouth Africa’s total mineral output.

The mining industry is the biggest employerin the Free State and is responsible for some22,6% of GGP of the province. Investmentopportunities are substantial in productivity-improvement areas for mining and relatedproducts and services.

South Africa is the world’s largest producerof gold. A more than 400-km long gold reef,known as the goldfields, stretches acrossGauteng and the Free State, the largest gold-mining complex being Free State Con-solidated Goldfields with a mining area of 32 918 ha.

Some 82% of the region’s mineral produc-tion value is derived from this activity, primarilyin the Goldfields region, which comprises thedistricts of Odendaalsrus, Virginia andWelkom. Roughly 30% of South Africa’s goldis obtained from this region, and the provincequalifies for fifth position as a global producer.

The Harmony Gold Refinery situated inVirginia is allowed to sell one-third of its totalannual gold production to jewellery manufac-turers, and has the facilities to ensure that thecorrect quality is maintained at all times.Harmony Gold Refinery and Rand Refineryare the only two gold refineries in SouthAfrica. The large-scale mining activities of theFree State Goldfields serve as an additionalstimulus for further development.

Gold mines in the Free State also supply asubstantial portion of the total silver produc-tion of the country, while considerable con-centrations of uranium occurring in the gold-bearing conglomerates of the goldfields areextracted as a by-product.

Bituminous coal is mined in the provinceand converted to petrochemicals at Sasolburg.

Diamonds from this region, extracted fromkimberlite pipes and fissures, are of a highquality.

The largest deposit of bentonite in thecountry occurs in the Koppies district.

ManufacturingManufacturing is the second-largest sector inthe regional economy. Among the mostimportant activities are the chemical productsmanufactured by Sasol and the further bene-ficiation of agricultural products. A wide vari-ety of industries have developed around theproduction of basic chemicals from coal.

North-WestThe North-West province is centrally locatedin the subcontinent with direct road and raillinks to all of the southern African countriesand its own airport. The province borders onBotswana and is fringed by the Kalaharidesert in the west and the Witwatersrandarea in the east.

The province is divided into five regions,namely the Central, Bophirima (towards thewest), Southern, Rustenburg and Easternregions.

Most economic activity is concentrated inthe Southern Region (between Potchef-stroom and Klerksdorp), Rustenburg and theEastern Region, where more than 83,3% ofGGP of the province is produced.

The Klerksdorp and Rustenburg regionstogether produce about 67% of theprovince’s GGP while covering 33% of thesurface area. Forty-eight per cent of the pop-ulation reside here.

The peopleOf the 3,6 million people in the North-West,65% live in the rural areas. In spite of its smallpopulation, it is estimated that 9% of all thepoor people in the country live in the North-West. The poverty rate is estimated at 57%.As far as educational attainment and skillsavailability are concerned, the North-Westlags behind the South African average. Theliteracy rate is in the region of 57%. TheNorth- West has two universities.

MiningMining contributes 35,5% to the economyand 17,8% of total employment in theNorth-West. It makes up 15,5% of the min-ing GDP in South Africa. The North-West is


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also the dominant province in mineral saleswith a contribution of 17,8% to the SouthAfrican mining sector. Diamonds are mined atLichtenburg, Koster, Christiana and Bloemhof,while Orkney and Klerksdorp have goldmines.

The area surrounding Rustenburg and Britsboasts the largest single platinum productionarea in the world. Marble is also mined here.Fluorspar is exploited at Zeerust.

ManufacturingManufacturing contributes 12,8% of theprovince’s GDP and 9% of its employmentopportunities.

It provides 1,6% of the South African man-ufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP.Industrial activity is centred around the townsof Brits, Klerksdorp, Vryburg and Rustenburg.

The Brits industries concentrate mostly onmanufacturing and construction, while thoseat Klerksdorp are geared towards the miningindustry, and those at Vryburg and Rusten-burg towards agriculture.

Manufacturing is almost exclusively depen-dent on the performance of a few sectors inwhich the province enjoys a competitiveadvantage. These are fabricated metals(51%), food sector (18%) and non-metallicmetals (21%).

AgricultureAgriculture in the North-West is the second

most important sector, contributing about8,6% to provincial GDP and 16,7% toemployment. Some 5,3% of the SouthAfrican GDP in agriculture and 16,96% oftotal labour in agriculture are based in theNorth-West.

The province is an important food basket inSouth Africa. Maize and sunflowers are themost important crops. The North-West is thebiggest producer of white maize in the coun-try.

Some of the largest cattle herds in theworld are found at Stellaland near Vryburg,which explains why this area is often referredto as the ‘Texas of South Africa’. Marico is alsocattle country. The areas around Rustenburgand Brits are fertile mixed-crop farming land.

GautengAlthough the smallest of the nine provices,Gauteng (Sotho word for the Place of Gold) isthe powerhouse of South Africa and theheart of its commercial business and indus-trial sectors. It generates nearly half the coun-try’s GDP.

Gauteng’s main cities are Johannesburg,the largest city in southern Africa; Pretoria,the administrative capital; and Soweto.

The province blends cultures and coloursand first- and third-world traditions into aspirited mix that is flavoured by many foreigninfluences.

Gauteng’s primary attraction is businessopportunity, but there is more to thisprovince. There is a wealth of culture to bemined in the museums, galleries, art routesand battlefields.

Most overseas visitors enter South Africavia Johannesburg International Airport.

Johannesburg, also nicknamed Egoli (placeof gold), is the capital of the province and is acity of contrasts. Mine dumps and headgearstand proudly as symbols of its rich past,while modern architecture rubs shoulderswith examples of 19th century engineeringprowess. Gleaming skyscrapers contrast withIndian bazaars and African ‘muti’ (medicine)shops, where traditional healers dispenseadvice and traditional medicine.

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Capital: MafikengPrincipal languages: Setswana 67,2%

Afrikaans 7,5%isiXhosa 5,4%


North-West

The busy streets ring out with the call offruit sellers and street vendors. An excitingblend of ethnic and Western art and culturalactivities is reflected in theatres and open-airarenas throughout the city.

South of Johannesburg is Soweto, a citydeveloped as a township for black peopleunder the apartheid system. Most of thestruggle against apartheid was fought in andfrom Soweto. Soweto is estimated to beinhabited by over two million people withhomes ranging from extravagant mansions tomakeshift shacks. Soweto is a city of enter-prise and cultural interaction. It is a populartourist destination with sites such as Kliptownwhere the Freedom Charter was drawn up,the home of former President NelsonMandela, the Hector Petersen Memorial site,restaurants and shopping malls. It boasts oneof the largest hospitals on the continent andthe only African-owned private clinic.

Some 50 km north of Johannesburg liesPretoria.

As administrative capital of the Republic,the city is dominated by government servicesand the diplomatic corps of foreign repres-entatives in South Africa.

Pretoria is renowned for its colourful gardens, shrubs and trees, partcularly beauti-ful in spring when the 50 000 jacarandasenvelop the avenues in mauve. The citydeveloped at a more sedate pace than Johan-nesburg, and the town planners had the fore-

sight to include an abundance of openspaces. Pretoria has more than 100 parks,including bird sanctuaries and naturereserves.

An air of history pervades much of centralPretoria, especially Church Square, aroundwhich the city has grown. Many buildings ofhistorical and architectural importance havebeen retained or restored to their formersplendour.

North of Pretoria is the industrial area ofRosslyn and the township of Soshanguve. Tothe east is Cullinan, known for its diamonds.

Other important Gauteng towns includeKrugersdorp and Roodepoort on the WestRand, and Germiston, Springs, Boksburg,Benoni, Brakpan and Kempton Park on theEast Rand. The hominid sites at Swartkrans,Sterkfontein and Kromdraai (also known asthe Cradle of Humankind) are World Herit-age Sites.

Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging in thesouth of the province are major industrialcentres, while Heidelberg, Nigel and Bronk-horstspruit to the east are important agricul-tural areas.

Although the province is highly urbanisedand industrialised, it contains wetlands ofinternational importance, such as Blesbok-spruit near Springs.

The peopleGauteng is the most densely populatedprovince in South Africa. It houses more thanseven million of the country’s people. Thelevel of urbanisation is 97%.

Gauteng has the most important educa-tional and health centres in the country.Pretoria boasts the largest residential univer-sity in South Africa, the University of Pretoria,and what is believed to be the largest corres-pondence university in the world, theUniversity of South Africa (Unisa). Only some9,5% of adults in the province have receivedno schooling. Another attribute of Pretoria isthe number of scientific institutes in andaround the city, for example the Council forScientific and Industrial Research (CSIR),Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute and the


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Capital: JohannesburgPrincipal languages: isiZulu 21,5%

Afrikaans 16,7%English 13%

Population: 7,87 millionArea (km2): 17 010% of total area: 1,4%GGP at current prices: (1994) R144,359 million% of total GDP: 37,73%

Gauteng

South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).Johannesburg has two residential universities.There are several teacher training colleges,technical colleges and technikons in theprovince.

More than 60% of South Africa’s researchand development takes place in Gauteng.

ManufacturingThe manufacturing sector in Gauteng hasover 9 300 firms, employing more than 600 000 people. Gross annual outputexceeds R50 billion and is expected to growsignificantly as international markets openup. Industries that have contributed signif-icantly to this output are: basic iron and steel;fabricated and metal products; food; machin-ery, electrical machinery, appliances and elec-trical supplies; motor vehicle parts and acces-sories, and chemical products.

TechnologyThe economy of the province is being re-aligned to move away from traditional heavyindustry markets and low value-added pro-duction towards sophisticated high value-added production, particularly in informationtechnology, telecommunications and otherhigh-tech industries. The burgeoning ‘high-tech’ corridor in Midrand (halfway betweenPretoria and Johannesburg) is the most rapid-ly developing area in the country.

Agriculture and industryGauteng’s agricultural sector is geared to pro-vide the cities and towns of the province withdaily fresh produce, including dairy products,vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs and flowers.

A large area of the province falls within theso-called maize triangle. The districts ofBronkhorstspruit, Cullinan and Heidelberghold important agricultural land, whereground-nuts, sunflowers, cotton and sorg-hum are produced.

This summer-rainfall area has hot summersand cold winters with frost. Hail is commonduring the summer thunderstorms. Snowfallsrarely occur.

Gauteng is an integrated industrial com-

plex with major areas of economic activity infive subregional areas, namely the VaalTriangle, the East, West and Central Rand,and Pretoria. The Vaal Triangle has a strongmanufacturing sector; the West Rand con-centrates on primary mining, and the CentralWitwatersrand is dominated by the manufac-turing and finance sectors, with mining cap-ital playing a major role. All sectors rely heav-ily on the Vaal Dam on the Vaal River, fromwhere water is piped across the province.

Gauteng has a greater proportion of itslabour force in professional, technical, mana-gerial and executive positions than any otherprovince. Johannesburg houses the JSESecurities Exchange, the largest in Africa.

The province’s economic magnetism drawsa large inflow of migrant labour from poorerregions in the country. It is the province withthe highest per capita income.

MpumalangaMpumalanga means ‘place where the sunrises’. It is bordered by Mozambique andSwaziland in the east, and Gauteng in thewest. It is situated mainly on the high plateaugrasslands of the Middleveld, which roll east-wards for hundreds of kilometres. In thenorth-east, it rises towards mountain peaksand then terminates in an immenseEscarpment. In some places, this Escarpmentplunges hundreds of metres down to thelow-lying area known as the Lowveld.

The area has a network of excellent roadsand railway connections, making it highlyaccessible. Because of its popularity as atourist destination, Mpumalanga is alsoserved by a number of small airports.

Nelspruit is the capital of the province andthe administrative and business centre of theLowveld. Witbank is the centre of the localcoal-mining industry; Standerton, in thesouth, is renowned for its large dairy industry;Piet Retief in the south-east is a productionarea for tropical fruit and sugar, while a largesugar industry is also found at Malelane in theeast; Ermelo is the district in South Africa thatproduces the most wool; Barberton is one ofthe oldest gold-mining towns in South Africa,

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and Sabie is situated in the forestry heartlandof the country.

The province falls mainly within the grass-land biome. The Escarpment and the Lowveldform a transitional zone between this grass-land area and the savanna biome. Longsweeps of undulating grasslands abruptlychange to the thickly forested ravines andthundering waterfalls of the Escarpment, onlyto change again to present the subtropicalwildlife splendour of the Lowveld.

Sabie and Graskop provide a large part ofthe country’s total requirement for forestryproducts. These forestry plantations are anideal backdrop for ecotourism opportunities,with a variety of popular hiking trails, a myriad of waterfalls, patches of indigenousforest, and a variety of nature reserves.

Lake Chrissie is the largest natural freshwa-ter lake in South Africa, and is famous for itsvariety of aquatic birds, especially flamingos.

The peopleEven though it is one of the smaller provinces(some 79 490 km2 in surface area), Mpuma-langa has a population of about three millionpeople.

Some 29% of those aged 20 years or olderhave not undergone any schooling, while thepopulation growth rate is higher than thenational average. The main languages spokenare siSwati, isiZulu and isiNdebele.

Agriculture and forestryThis is a summer-rainfall area divided by theEscarpment into the Highveld region withcold frosty winters and the Lowveld regionwith mild winters and a subtropical climate.

The Escarpment area sometimes experi-ences snow on high ground. Thick mist iscommon during the hot humid summers.

An abundance of citrus fruit and manyother subtropical fruits – mangoes, avocados,litchis, bananas, pawpaws, granadillas,guavas – as well as nuts and a variety of vege-tables are produced here.

Nelspruit is the second-largest citrus-pro-ducing area in South Africa. It is responsiblefor one-third of the country’s export inoranges. The Institute for Tropical and Sub-tropical Crops is situated here.

The natural forests of the area could notsupply enough timber for the burgeoningmining industry in the early days of goldmining. Plantations of exotic trees, mainlypine, gum and Australian wattles, wereestablished to supply wood for the mineprops. These trees did so well that the Sabiearea became the biggest single region offorestry plantations in South Africa.

Groblersdal is an important irrigation areawhich yields a wide variety of products suchas citrus fruit, cotton, tobacco, wheat andvegetables.

Carolina-Bethal-Ermelo is sheep area.Potatoes, sunflower seeds, maize and pea-nuts are also produced in this region.

IndustryMpumalanga is very rich in coal reserves. Thecountry’s biggest power stations, three ofwhich are the biggest in the southern hemi-sphere, are situated here. Unfortunately,these cause the highest levels of air pollutionin the country. Secunda, the petroleum-from-coal installation, is also located in thisprovince.

One of the country’s largest paper mills issituated at Ngodwana, close to its timbersource. Middelburg produces steel and vana-dium, while Witbank is the biggest coal pro-ducer in Africa.


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Capital: NelspruitPrincipal languages: siSwati 30%

isiZulu 25,4%isiNdebele 12,5%


Mpumalanga

The Maputo Corridor, currently under con-struction, will link Gauteng with the Maputoharbour, and will open new tourism oppor-tunities for Mpumalanga.

Northern ProvinceThe Northern Province lies within the greatelbow of the Limpopo River, and is a provinceof dramatic contrasts – from true Bushveldcountry to majestic mountains, primevalindigenous forests, latter-day plantations,unspoilt wilderness areas and a patchwork offarming land.

The Northern Province is the gateway tothe rest of Africa. It is favourably situated foreconomic co-operation with other parts ofsouthern Africa as it shares borders with Bo-tswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Pietersburg is the capital city and liesstrategically in the centre of the province. TheGateway International Airport at Pietersburgis being developed as a major economicgrowth project, and serves as a gateway tothe rest of the continent. The Malaysianmultinational Penambang Group signed aR4,5-billion development contract to upgradethe airport over the next 15 years. The dealgrants Penambang a 50-year exclusive com-mercial concession on the airport and a sig-nificant stake in a proposed linked industrialdevelopment zone. Penambang has in returnundertaken to develop the former military air-

base into a major regional intermodal cargoexport airport with world-class internationalfreight and passenger terminals.

The Great North Road through the centreof the province strings together a series ofinteresting towns. Warmbaths, with its pop-ular mineral spa, is near the southern borderof the province.

Then, going north, follow Nylstroom withits table grape industry and beautiful Water-berg range; Potgietersrus; Pietersburg; LouisTrichardt at the foot of the Soutpansbergmountain range; and Messina, with its thick-set baobab trees.

The crossing into Zimbabwe is at BeitBridge, where the South African section ofthis important route north into Africa ends.

Other important Northern Province townsinclude the major mining centres of Phala-borwa and Thabazimbi, and Tzaneen, pro-ducer of tea, forestry products and tropicalfruits.

A new major road route will be theMaputo Corridor, which will link the provincedirectly with the Mozambique port, creatingdevelopment and trade opportunities, par-ticularly in the south-eastern part of theprovince. The province’s link with Maputo hasbeen declared a ‘main’ corridor.

This province is in the savanna biome, anarea of mixed grassland and trees, which isgenerally known as Bushveld. A trip throughthis summer-rainfall area soon convinces onethat this is tree country.

The biggest section of the Kruger NationalPark is situated along the eastern boundary ofthe Northern Province with Mozambique.

The peopleIn the Northern Province, more than 5,5 mil-lion people live on about 123 910 km2 ofland. The main languages spoken are Sepedi,Xitsonga, Tshivenda and Afrikaans. Severalmuseums and national monuments bear test-imony to ancient peoples and fearless pio-neers who braved the unknown in days ofyore. Living museums include the BakoneMalapa Museum near Pietersburg, whereBapedi tribesmen practise age-old skills for

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Capital: PietersburgPrincipal languages: Sepedi 52,7%

Xitsonga 22,6%Tshivenda 15,5%


Northern Province

Acknowledgements

Original text by Theuns and Heila van RensburgEastern Cape Provincial GovernmentEstimates of National Expenditure 2001, published by the National TreasuryDr Hanneke du PreezFree State Provincial GovernmentGauteng Provincial GovernmentKwaZulu-Natal Provincial GovernmentMpumalanga Provincial GovernmentNorthern Cape Provincial GovernmentNorthern Province Provincial GovernmentNorth-West Provincial GovernmentPan South African Language BoardStatistics South AfricaWestern Cape Provincial Government

the benefit of visitors, and the Tsonga Open-air Museum near Tzaneen. Mapungubwe Hill(Place of the Jackal), some 75 km fromMessina, used to be a natural fortress for thepeople who inhabited it from about AD 950to 1200. Valuable archaeological discoveries,including many golden artefacts, have beenmade in this area, and also in the northernpart of the Kruger National Park.

AgricultureThe Bushveld is cattle country. Controlledhunting is often combined with ranching.

Sunflowers, cotton, maize and peanuts arecultivated in the Warmbaths-Nylstroom area.Nylstroom is also known for its table grapecrops.

Tropical fruit, such as bananas, litchis,pineapples, mangoes and pawpaws, as wellas a variety of nuts, are grown in the Tzaneenand Louis Trichardt areas. Extensive tea andcoffee plantations create many employmentopportunities in the Tzaneen area.

Zebediela, one of the largest citrus estatesin the country, is situated south of Pieters-burg.

The largest tomato farm in South Africa liesbetween Tzaneen and Louis Trichardt.

The Northern Province has extensive for-estry plantations in the Louis Trichardt andTzaneen districts. Plantations of hard woodsfor furniture manufacturing have also beenestablished.

Many of the rural people practise subsist-ence agriculture.

The northern and eastern parts of this sum-mer-rainfall region are subtropical with hothumid summers and mist in the mountainousparts. Winter throughout the province is mildand mostly frost-free.

IndustryThe Northern Province is rich in minerals,including copper, asbestos, coal, iron ore,platinum, chrome, diamonds, phosphatesand gold.

The province is a typical developing area,exporting primary products and importingmanufactured goods and services. It has ahigh potential and capacity with the rightkind of economic development, and is anattractive location for investors. Resourcessuch as tourism, rain-fed agriculture, mineralsand the abundant labour force available inthe province offer excellent investmentopportunities.


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Suggested readingAtlas of Southern Africa and the World. Halfway House: Southern Book Publishing, 1992.Changing Man in Southern Africa, Editor: Robert Morrell. Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 2001.Fodor’s South Africa: The Complete Guide to the Cities, Winelands and Game Parks, with Zimbabwe and

Botswana. 2nd new edition. Compiler: A. Barbour. New York: Fodor’s Travel Publications, 1998.Free State, The Winning Province. Johannesburg: Chris van Rensburg Publications, 1997.Geography in a Changing South Africa: Progress and Prospects. Editors: C. Rogerson and J. McCarthy.

Cape Town: Oxford University Press, 1992.Haldenwang, B.B. A Socio-demographic Profile of the Southern African Development Community Region.

Stellenbosch: Institute for Futures Research, University of Stellenbosch, 1997.Jenkins, E.R., Raper, P.E. and Moller, L.A. Changing Place Names. Durban: Indicator Press, 1996. (History of

South African geographical names.)Lively, A. Masks: Bleakness, Race and the Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.Moon, B.P. and Dardis, C.F. Geomorphology of Southern Africa. Halfway House: Southern Book Publishers,

1992.Preston-Whyte, R.A. and Tyson, P.D. Atmosphere and Weather of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Oxford

University Press, 1989.South Africa in Southern Africa: Reconfiguring the Region. Editor: D. Simon. Oxford: James Currey; Cape

Town: David Philip, 1998.The Geography of South Africa in a Changing World, Editors: by R. Fox and K. Rowntree. Cape Town:

Oxford University Press Southern Africa, 2000.Tyson, P.D. Climatic Change and Variability in Southern Africa. Cape Town: Oxford University Press, 1986.De Klerk, W. Afrikaners, Kroes, Kras, Kordaat. Cape Town: Human and Rousseau, 1999.Illustrated Guide to the Game Parks and Nature Reserves of Southern Africa. 3rd ed. Cape Town: Reader’s

Digest Association, 1997.Knobel, J. The Magnificent Natural Heritage of South Africa. Llandudno, South Africa: Sunbird Publishing,

1999.Magubane, P. Vanishing Cultures of South Africa: Changing Customs in a Changing World. Cape Town:

Struik, 1998.Smith, A. and others. The Bushmen of Southern Africa: A Foraging Society in Transition. Cape Town: David

Philip, 2000.Van Rooyen, J. The New Great Trek: The Story of South Africa’s White Exodus. Pretoria: University of South

Africa, 2000.

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Documents

SA Yearbook 01/02: Chap 1 - The Land and its People