• South Africa:
• Society

South Africa - Society

Population: 48,577,000 (2007); 57% lives in urban areas and 29% in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million people; growth 2.4% p.a. 1970–90 and 1.8% p.a. 1990–2004; birth rate (2005) 18 per 1,000 people (38 in 1970); life expectancy 48 years (53 in 1970).

People of African origin constitute 76.5% of the population (1995), European origin 12.6%, mixed descent 8.5% (‘coloureds’) and Asian origin 2.4%. The African linguistic groups comprise Zulu (22.4% of the total population), Xhosa (17.5%), Pedi (9.8%), Tswana (7.2%), Sotho (6.9%), Tsonga (4.2%), Swati (2.6%) and several smaller groups. The ‘coloureds’ include descendants of slaves brought from Malaya, Indonesia and Madagascar, and the Khoi-Khoi people of the Cape. There is also a substantial flow of inward migration of people seeking employment, most from neighbouring countries such as Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Religion: Christians 68%; African independent churches predominate, though there are a number of other Christian denominations, and minorities of Muslims, Hindus and Jews. Traditional and Christian forms of worship are often blended.

Language: Official languages are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sesotho sa Leboa (Northern Sotho), Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.

Media: A free press operates in South Africa. Among the many dailies in English are The Cape Argus, Cape Times, The Citizen, Sowetan, The Star (Johannesburg) and This Day. Leading Afrikaans-language dailies are Beeld (Johannesburg) and Die Burger (Cape Town). The most influential national weeklies are Financial Mail, Mail and Guardian, and Sunday Times. The Sunday Independent was launched in the latter 1990s.

TV is available via cable and satellite as well as national terrestrial networks. South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the state broadcaster and operates three national TV networks and two pay-TV services.

South Africa has the largest and most sophisticated radio network in Africa. SABC runs 18 national and regional radio stations and broadcasts in 11 languages. In urban areas, there are many independent radio stations catering for local neighbourhoods and diverse ethnic groups. Channel Africa is SABC’s external radio service, targeted at the African continent, and Tourism Radio provides local information for foreign travellers.

There are 177 TV sets (2002), 83 personal computers (2004) and 108 internet users (2006) per 1,000 people.

Education: Public spending on education was 5.4% of GDP in 2005. There are nine years of compulsory education starting at age seven. Net enrolment ratios are 89% for primary and 66% for secondary. The pupil–teacher ratio for primary is 35:1 and for secondary 29:1. The school year starts in January.

About 15% of the relevant age group is enrolled in tertiary education (2005). There are more than 20 universities, two concentrating on distance education. Illiteracy among people age 15–24 is 6.1% (2006).

Health: Durban Academic Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, four new hospitals in Northern Province and many new health centres were built in the late 1990s. 88% of the population uses an improved drinking water source and 79% of people in urban areas have access to adequate sanitation facilities (2004/2005). Infant mortality was 55 per 1,000 live births in 2005 (89 in 1960).

AIDS is a dire problem; at the end of 2005, 16.5% of people age 15 and over were HIV positive. For many years the government appeared unable to accept the severity of the looming problem and failed to take measures to contain it. By 2000, when it became involved in controversy over its claim that AIDS was not caused by HIV, there were – by some international estimates – more HIV-positive cases in South Africa than any other country. By April 2002, however, the government had committed itself to lead the battle against HIV/AIDS, making antiretroviral drugs available through the health service.

Communications: Country code 27. (Area codes are used even when calling in the same area.) Mobile phone coverage extends to most of the country except for the very remote areas, and roaming agreements exist with many international mobile phone companies.

Internet cafes are available in most parts of the country, though public access can be slow. Wi-Fi hotspots can be accessed at airports and in some hotels.

There are 100 main telephone lines and 833 mobile phones per 1,000 people (2006).

Public holidays: New Year’s Day, Human Rights Day (21 March), Freedom Day (27 April), Workers’ Day (1 May), Youth Day (16 June), National Women’s Day (9 August), Heritage Day (24 September), Day of Reconciliation (16 December), Christmas Day and Day of Goodwill (26 December).

Religious festivals whose dates vary from year to year include Good Friday and Family Day/Easter Monday.