Country book · Middle East & Africa

South Africa

Eleven official languages, one 'rainbow nation'

South Africa packs desert, savannah, vineyard and coastline into one country, alongside one of the most complex and hard-won modern political histories anywhere. This book is South Africa as it is now — the people, the truths, the myths, the food and the cities that define it.

Myths

What's true, what isn't

Actually true

It has eleven official languages
From Zulu and Xhosa to Afrikaans and English, South Africa constitutionally recognises eleven languages, more than almost any other nation.
The Springboks really are a rugby powerhouse
South Africa has won the Rugby World Cup four times, more than any other nation, and rugby carries deep national symbolism.
Cape Town has some of the best food and wine in the world
The Cape Winelands, some of the oldest wine regions outside Europe, now produce internationally awarded wines.
Apartheid ended peacefully through negotiation
The transition to democracy in 1994, led by Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk, avoided the civil war many predicted.

Commonly believed, wrong

"It's all safari and savannah"
South Africa has fynbos-covered mountains, Mediterranean-climate wine valleys, desert in the Karoo, and a coastline with world-class surf.
"Apartheid ended and everything is resolved"
South Africa still faces major inequality; the legacy of apartheid shapes ongoing conversations about land and economic access.
"Everyone speaks Afrikaans"
Zulu and Xhosa each have more first-language speakers than Afrikaans nationally.
"It's too dangerous to visit"
Millions of tourists visit Cape Town, the Garden Route and Kruger safely every year by taking normal city precautions.

Highlights

The best of South Africa

Table Mountain and Cape Town

A flat-topped mountain overlooking one of the world's most dramatically located cities.

Kruger National Park

One of Africa's largest game reserves, home to the Big Five and vast open bush.

The Garden Route

A coastal drive through forest, lagoons and cliffside towns between Mossel Bay and Storms River.

The Cape Winelands

Stellenbosch and Franschhoek's Cape Dutch estates producing world-class wine among mountains.

Culture

Cultural riches

The 'rainbow nation' identity

A term coined by Desmond Tutu describing the country's multi-ethnic, multilingual post-apartheid identity.

Braai culture

Barbecuing is a social institution that crosses every community and generation.

Zulu and Xhosa traditions

Beadwork, praise singing and initiation ceremonies remain vivid living traditions.

Cape Malay heritage

Bo-Kaap's colourful houses reflect a distinct Cape Malay Muslim community and cuisine.

Food

What to eat

Bobotie

A Cape Malay dish of spiced minced meat baked with an egg custard topping, often served with yellow rice.

Biltong

Air-dried, spiced cured meat, a national snack tradition dating to Dutch settler preservation methods.

Braai

Open-fire grilled meat, boerewors sausage and pap, the centrepiece of weekend social life.

Bunny chow

A hollowed-out bread loaf filled with curry, born in Durban's Indian community.

Cape wine

Stellenbosch and Constantia's vineyards have produced wine since the 1600s, among the oldest outside Europe.

Music

World-famous voices

Miriam Makeba

"Mama Africa".

Black Coffee

Grammy-winning house producer.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Isicathamiya harmonies known worldwide.

Tyla

Amapiano-pop breakout star.

Hugh Masekela

Jazz trumpeter and activist.

History

Important people in history

Nelson Mandela

1994–1999

Anti-apartheid leader and South Africa's first democratically elected president after 27 years in prison.

Desmond Tutu

Nobel laureate, d. 2021

Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize winner who coined 'rainbow nation' and led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

F.W. de Klerk

1989–1994

Last apartheid-era president who negotiated the end of apartheid alongside Mandela.

Cities