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 iron-working 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