Key Historical Facts of South Africa

The current population and languages spoken in this diverse country as well as a brief history of South Africa.

Population / People

South Africans consisting of African, Indian, Coloured and White are referred to as the 'rainbow nation', due to its cultural diversity. The population of South Africa, according to statistics South Africa in mid 2006 was estimated at 47.4 million. Africans were in the majority with 37,7 million, Whites 4,4 million, Coloureds 4,2 million and 1,2 million were Indians

The provincial estimates showed that Kwazulu-Natal was home to 20,9% of the population, followed by Gauteng with 20,1% and the Eastern Cape with 14,6%. The Northern Cape had the smallest share of the population, namely 2,3%.

Languages

The constitution recognises 11 official languages, namely Afrikaans, English, Isindebele, Isixhosa, Isizulu, Sesotho Sa Leboa, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. English is the language spoken in all major cities, thus all official documents are in English.

According to census 2001, Isizulu is the mother tongue of 23,8% of the population, followed by Isixhosa (17,6%), Afrikaans (13,3%), Sesotho Sa Leboa (9,4%), and English and Setswana (8,2% each). The least spoken language is Isindebele with 1,6%.

Before The Europeans

Before the arrival of the Europeans, South African history started with the San and Khoi-khoi people (otherwise known as the Bushmen and Hottentots – now known as the Khoi-san) and the Bantu speaking people. The first were resident in the southern tip of the continent and the later in the north-eastern and eastern regions for thousands of years before the written history of South Africa actually began. Many of the people making up these tribes passed away as a result of diseases such as smallpox imported by the Europeans that arrived by boat.

Landing in the Cape

In 1652 Jan van Riebeeck and his 90 men landed at the Cape of Good Hope, under instructions by the Dutch East India Company to build a fort and develop a vegetable garden to assist ships on the Eastern trade route. The relationship between the Dutch and the Khoi-khoi was not a friendly one and with time the Dutch expanded their farms further north and east into the territory of the Khoi-khoi. By the time Van Riebeeck left in 1662, the white people had begun developing a colony. The descendants of some of the Khoi-san, slaves from elsewhere in Africa and the East, and white colonists formed the basis for today’s Coloured population. In 1795 the Cape was seized by the British which formed a white colony in Cape Town. In 1820 about 5000 middle-class British immigrants left Britain to reside in the Cape. The number of British immigrants increased rapidly in Cape Town, the Eastern Cape and Natal after the discovery of gold and diamonds.

The Expansion of the Trek Boers

Starting in 1835 more than 10 000 Boer, (Voortrekkers) left the Cape Colony to head north and north-east due to conflicts with the Xhosa and the British. The Voortrekkers felt that the British policy destroyed their traditional social order which was based on racial separation.

The Zulu Kingdom

Towards the end of the 18th century the infamous Zulu warrior Shaka gained control over a number of Zulu clans. He burnt down villages, killed and tortured chiefs and young men. Through this the Zulu kingdom expanded phenomenally that by the early 19th century it was the most powerful kingdom in the whole of southern Africa. Eventually Shaka was assassinated, causing a major restructuring of small clans to a bigger community, so that the remainder of the Zulus could feel safe.

The Battle of Blood River

On the 16 of December 1838, 464 Boers defeated 10 000 Zulu warriors at the Ncome River known as The Battle of Blood River. After this defeat the Boers believed even more that whites should dominate over blacks. This war represented the end of the Zulu kingdom. Following this the Voortrekkers were free to take over Natal.

The Colony of Natal

In 1844 the British and the Voortrekkers started fighting over the land in Natal. Eventually, the conflict was ended with the defeat of the Boers. The British then wanted to occupy the entire Zululand, resulting in the Anglo-Zulu War. At first the Zulus were victorious; until England decided to send more troops. In 1887 the war ended in a victory for the British.

The Anglo-Boer War

After the Voortrekkers were defeated in Natal they moved on to the north-east and eventually settled north and south of the Vaal River forming the Transvaal Republic with the second Boer Republic being in the Orange Free State. The British were in favour of amalgamating their Colonies and the Boer Republics into one Union. On October 11, 1899 a war broke out between these two Boer Republics and the two British Colonies of Cape and Natal which lasted 3 years until both Boer Republics became British Crown Colonies.

The Apartheid Era

The Xhosa on the other hand, were losing land rapidly that by the 19th century all the land formerly inhabited by Xhosa was in the hands of white settlers. In 1910 the British and the Boer united and formed a modern democratic state in which only white population could execute the right to vote. Marriage or any love relationships between members of different racial groups were forbidden. In all public institutions and offices, even in public transport, racial separation was introduced.

The Democratic South Africa

In April 1994 the first democratic elections were held in South Africa. As expected, the ANC gained the overwhelming majority. Nelson Mandela was instated on the 10th of May 1994 as the first black African President of the New South Africa