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South Africa

South Africa has enormous potential – good infrastructure, lots of natural resources, a stable government. Yet, more than 20 years on, the country is still struggling with the consequences of apartheid.

 

Map South Africa

Capital

Pretoria

Official languages

isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, English, sePedi, seTswana, seSotho, xiTsonga, siSwati, tshiVenda, isiNdebele

Area

1,219,090 km²

Population

approx. 55 million

Population growth

1.59%

Rural population

approx. 19.3 million (35.2% of the total population)

Gross domestic product

5.95 billion US dollars

Annual income per capita

334.2 billion US dollars

Agriculture as a proportion of GDP

2.37%

Severity of hunger according to the Global Hunger Index

moderate (score: 11.8 / trend: -4.5)

Proportion of the total population undernourished

5%

Human Development Index

Rang: 119 out of 188

Proportion of the population living on less than 1.90 US dollars a day

16.56%

For decades the policy of apartheid was a feature of South Africa. It was not until 1994 that a change occurred. Nelson Mandela was elected the first black President. Today the country is regarded as Africa’s economic engine, having the second biggest economy on the continent after Nigeria. It benefits from industrial strength and a comparatively good infrastructure. In addition, it has an abundance of natural resources, such as gold and diamonds. However, the consequences of systematic racial segregation can still be felt. The social disparities are great. It is mainly the previously disadvantaged black population that continues to suffer from poverty. Many received a poor education during the apartheid regime and are particularly affected by unemployment – all the so more since the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. The previously strong economic growth, which at times exceeded five per cent, has plummeted to its current level of just 1.2 per cent. About 25 per cent of South Africans in urban areas do not have a job; in rural areas the figure is as high as 35 to 40 per cent.

 

Access to food has improved in recent years, but still five per cent of the population are undernourished. Extremely high levels of crime, and a high rate of HIV infection also inhibit development. One in five South Africans between the ages of 15 and 49 are infected.

 

 

Drought threatens the existence of small farmers

At less than three per cent, agriculture constitutes only a small part of the gross domestic product. Approximately 4.5 per cent of the working population are employed in the agricultural sector, in addition to which there are an estimated 1.3 million small farmers. On the land that is fit for agricultural use, mainly maize, soya, wheat, barley, potatoes, fruit and tobacco are grown. South Africa was the first country on the continent to allow the cultivation of genetically modified plants for commercial purposes. This mainly affects maize, and therefore one of the staple foods. This has been repeatedly criticised by non-government organisations.

 

 

South Africa is the world's third biggest exporter of citrus fruits.

 

 

Fruit and vegetables are mostly sent abroad. South Africa is the world's third biggest exporter of citrus fruits. Besides this, South African wine is becoming increasingly important. In 2015 more than 410 litres were exported – 19 per cent of that to Germany. The country is ranked seventh in the world in wine production.

 

Most of the country cannot be farmed because of the low levels of precipitation and poor soil quality, which is particularly problematic when it comes to providing for its own population. 2015 and 2016 were drought years, due to climate change and El Niño. Tens of thousands of farm workers lost their jobs, and more than two million cattle perished. To prevent a devastating famine, several million tonnes of maize had to be imported. When the harvests failed, many small farmers lost their livelihoods. The effects of the drought were further exacerbated by water wastage in many places. A large part of the agricultural sector is dependent on irrigation. All the while, though, millions of litres of the scarce resource are seeping out of leaky pipelines.

 

Little progress in land reform

Even in agriculture the effects of apartheid are still evident today. During the years of apartheid, the rare and sought-after fertile land was in the hands of the whites. When Nelson Mandela took office in 1994, 60,000 white farmers owned more than 87 per cent of the arable land. His ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), promised to return the land to the black South Africans who at the time had been dispossessed. But progress in land reform is sluggish, and processes are often complicated. At least 25 per cent of the farmland, or 24.5 million hectares, were actually supposed to have been returned by 2014 – a target that is still a long way from being achieved even today. By the beginning of 2016 only 8 million hectares had been transferred. Furthermore, according to the Government, land that has been reallocated is often not used again for agriculture.

 

For a long time the principle of ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ applied, meaning that if the owners were in agreement, the Government would buy their land from them and reallocate it. In the future, a new ruling could empower the state to force white farmers to sell their land, thereby speeding up the reallocation process.

 

SOUTH AFRICAN FOR BARBECUE One of the most popular pastimes is　braai　– barbecue South African style. It is one of the few words that is understood in all eleven of the country’s official languages. All kinds of meat, mostly beef or lamb, but also ostrich or gnu, find their way onto the charcoal barbecue. Every year on 24th September, ‘Braai Day’ – officially Heritage Day – is celebrated.

New houses for the poor

One of the Government’s primary goals is combating poverty, social inequality and high unemployment. Many people still do not have access to water, sanitary facilities or electricity. An extensive housing construction programme has been designed to help overcome poverty, but it has been heavily criticised. The Government has been accused, among other things, of spending public money on substandard structures, and planning without regard for the needs of subsequent residents. A further aim is to promote electricity generation from wind and solar power. Currently, 93 per cent of energy needs are still being met by domestic coal. The idea is to make preferential loans available to companies investing in renewable energy.

 

 

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