Country Information

South Africa is referred to as the "rainbow nation" because of its cultural diversity. The population is roughly 45 million; 31 million of whom are black, six million white, three million mixed race and one million Indian. The government officially recognizes 11 languages and among those the most widely spoken are English, Afrikaans and Zulu. South Africa is a constitutional democracy with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary. It has a multi-party political system, with 13 parties represented in Parliament. The African National Congress is the majority party in the National Assembly, and also controls seven of the country's nine provinces.

Prior to democracy, South Africa was governed according to a segregate movement known as Apartheid. Apartheid (meaning separation in English) advocated for the segregation of white and non-white South Africans. The movement emerged in 1948 and was implemented by the National Party, which used Apartheid as a means of assuming military, economic and political control of South Africa. Non-white South Africans were forcibly removed from “white areas” which were regarded as being the main towns and cities in South Africa and relocated to areas that came to be known as “homelands.”   As a result, land reform is an important issue facing South Africa today.

Protest movements arose against the repressive, white minority rule in order to gain political and economic rights for non-whites. The African National Congress (ANC) was the most prominent organization fighting the Apartheid system and was supported by a large percentage of both white and non-white South Africans. Apartheid was also opposed on an international level and South Africa was subjected to economic sanctions. In 1994, President de Klerk, who was the last president under the National Party, handed the reigns to Nelson Mandela and the ANC which won the first democratic election.

Political and Economic Environment
Since the first democratic elections in 1994, the ANC has been the predominant political party within South Africa. The current president, Thabo Mbeki, is the head of this party.

The ANC’s economic plan is entitled the Growth Employment and Redistribution Plan (GEAR). GEAR emphasizes cuts in government expenditure on social services, high interest rates, export-led growth, trade liberalization, privatization and permission for increased capital flight from the country. The South African economy is strengthening on a yearly basis. In September of 2005, the rate of unemployment had declined from 48% to 42%, which is still astronomical and reflects the serious challenges faced by South Africa to move beyond the Apartheid era and create a balanced, just economic system.

Humanitarian Situation
South Africa has one of the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world. According to UNAIDS statistics, 5.3 million South Africans were HIV positive by the end of 2003, and 28% of all South Africans have been affected by AIDS.  The government now provides anti-retroviral drugs to those who can not afford it. 

These growing HIV/AIDS statistics can be attributed in part to other humanitarian issues which South Africa faces. These include: insufficient health care, lack of education and poverty. Poor living conditions are endured by a large percentage of South Africans who are forced to reside in informal, unsanitary settlements.

South Africa struggles with xenophobia, which negatively affects migrant workers and refugees, and contributes to a very high crime rate. Xenophobia, in addition to widespread corruption of the police and a growing antagonism towards Robert Mugabe and his land reform, put Zimbabwean asylum seekers in particular risk of being deported. The economic crisis in Zimbabwe has resulted in an increase in the number of economic migrants fleeing to South Africa in search of work, thus provoking hostility on behalf of unemployed South Africans. The flow of Zimbabweans across the border is likely to continue, and it is essential for the South African government to work out a fair system for considering whether the motivation of any particular individual is primarily economic or is rooted in flight from political persecution, which is widespread in Zimbabwe.
 
Updated January 2006