South Africa 2016 Country Review http://www.countrywatch.com Table of Contents Chapter 1 1 Country Overview 1 Country Overview 2 Key Data 3 South Africa 4 Africa 5 Chapter 2 7 Political Overview 7 History 8 Political Conditions 11 Political Risk Index 37 Political Stability 52 Freedom Rankings 67 Human Rights 79 Government Functions 81 Government Structure 83 Principal Government Officials 86 Leader Biography 87 Leader Biography 88 Foreign Relations 91 National Security 103 Defense Forces 104 Chapter 3 107 Economic Overview 107 Economic Overview 108 Nominal GDP and Components 110 Population and GDP Per Capita 112 Real GDP and Inflation 113 Government Spending and Taxation 114 Money Supply, Interest Rates and Unemployment 115 Foreign Trade and the Exchange Rate 116 Data in US Dollars 117 Energy Consumption and Production Standard Units 118 Energy Consumption and Production QUADS 120 World Energy Price Summary 121 CO2 Emissions 122 Agriculture Consumption and Production 123 World Agriculture Pricing Summary 126 Metals Consumption and Production 127 World Metals Pricing Summary 130 Economic Performance Index 131 Chapter 4 143 Investment Overview 143 Foreign Investment Climate 144 Foreign Investment Index 146 Corruption Perceptions Index 160 Competitiveness Ranking 171 Taxation 180 Stock Market 182 Partner Links 182 Chapter 5 184 Social Overview 184 People 185 Human Development Index 187 Life Satisfaction Index 191 Happy Planet Index 202 Status of Women 211 Global Gender Gap Index 213 Culture and Arts 223 Etiquette 223 Travel Information 224 Diseases/Health Data 235 Chapter 6 240 Environmental Overview 240 Environmental Issues 241 Environmental Policy 242 Greenhouse Gas Ranking 243 Global Environmental Snapshot 254 Global Environmental Concepts 266 International Environmental Agreements and Associations 280 Appendices 304 Bibliography 305 South Africa Chapter 1 Country Overview South Africa Review 2016 Page 1 of 317 pages South Africa Country Overview SOUTH AFRICA South Africa is located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the Cape of Good Hope, arriving in 1488. However, permanent white settlement did not begin until 1652 when the Dutch East India Company established a provisioning station on the Cape. In subsequent decades, the French, the Dutch, and Germans began to settle in the Cape. Collectively, they form the Afrikaner segment of today's population. The British gained control of the Cape of Good Hope at the end of the 18th century, and subsequent British settlement and rule marked the beginning of a long conflict between the Afrikaners and the British. The discovery of diamonds and gold in the late 1800s brought an influx of Europeans and further strained relations between the Afrikaners and the British. In 1902 the British defeated the Afrikaners, or Boers, and incorporated the Boers into the British Empire. In 1910, the white-controlled Union of South Africa was formed. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races - which favored the white minority at the expense of the black majority. The African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to apartheid and many top ANC leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, spent decades in South Africa's prisons. Internal protests and insurgency, as well as boycotts by some Western nations and institutions, led to the regime's eventual willingness to negotiate a peaceful transition to majority rule. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in majority rule under an ANC-led government. South Africa is endowed with abundant natural resources, and its economy is the largest in Africa with strong financial and manufacturing sectors. Since the end of the apartheid in 1994, South Africa has made considerable economic progress, but the country continues to face high unemployment and poverty. South Africa Review 2016 Page 2 of 317 pages South Africa Key Data Key Data Region: Africa Population: 48286276 Climate: Mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights. Official LanguagesAfrikaans English Ndebele Pedi Sotho Languages: Swazi Tsonga Tswana Venda Xhosa Zulu Currency: 1 rand (R$) = 100 cents Freedom Day is 27 April (1994), Settlers' Day is the first Monday is Holiday: September Area Total: 1219912 Area Land: 1219912 Coast Line: 2798 South Africa Review 2016 Page 3 of 317 pages South Africa South Africa Country Map South Africa Review 2016 Page 4 of 317 pages South Africa Africa Regional Map South Africa Review 2016 Page 5 of 317 pages South Africa South Africa Review 2016 Page 6 of 317 pages South Africa Chapter 2 Political Overview South Africa Review 2016 Page 7 of 317 pages South Africa History The indigenous peoples of modern South Africa established a variety of social and economic structures prior to the advent of Europeans. Those of the Khoisan language group lived in either small hunting bands or in relatively small chiefdoms of less than 2,000 members. The Bantu-speaking people established a patrilineal political system with administration based on a royal family. In well-watered regions, their communities remained rather small, but where permanent water sources were scarce, larger settlements emerged around them. Their economy was mixed with people domesticating cattle and engaging in agriculture. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the West Coast of South Africa rounding the Cape of Good Hope in 1487. Permanent white settlement, however, did not begin until 1652, when the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station for its ships on the Cape. The station was used to provide fresh vegetables and meat to sailing ships that were trading goods between Europe and Asia. In subsequent decades, French Huguenot refugees, Dutch and Germans immigrants began to settle in the Cape. Their descendants collectively form the Afrikaner segment of today's population. The establishment of European settlements had far-reaching social, cultural and political effects on the indigenous population, leading to upheaval in these African societies and the eventual subjugation of their people. By 1779, European settlements extended throughout the southern part of the Cape and east toward the Great Fish River. It was here that Dutch authority and the Xhosa fought the first frontier war. The British gained control of the Cape of Good Hope at the end of the 18th century. Subsequent British settlement and rule marked the beginning of a long conflict between the Afrikaners and the English. South Africa Review 2016 Page 8 of 317 pages South Africa Beginning in 1836, partly to escape British rule and cultural hegemony and partly out of resentment at the recent abolition of slavery, many Afrikaner farmers (Boers) undertook a northern migration that became known as the Great Trek. This movement of Afrikaner settlers brought them into contact and increased conflict with African groups in the surrounding area, the most formidable of which were the Zulus. Under their powerful leader Shaka Zulu (1787-1828), the Zulus had conquered most of the territory between the Drakensburg Mountains and the sea (modern Kwazulu-Natal). In 1828, Shaka was assassinated and replaced by his half-brother Dingane. In 1838, Dingane was defeated by the Voortrekkers (people of the Great Trek) at the battle of Blood River and deported. The Zulus, nonetheless, remained a potent force, defeating the British in the historic battle of Isandhlwana before finally losing political independence in 1879. In 1852 and 1854, the independent Boer Republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State were created. The initially strained relations between the republics and the British government quickly worsened. The discovery of diamonds at Kimberley in 1870 and the discovery of large gold deposits in the Witwatersrand region of the Transvaal in 1886 caused an influx of European (mainly British) immigration and investment. Many black people also moved into the area to work in the mines. The construction by mine owners of hostels to house and control their workers set labor relations patterns that later extended throughout the region. Boer reactions to this influx and British political efforts to control access to the diamond and gold deposits led to the Anglo-Boer Wars of 1880-81 and 1899-1902. British forces prevailed in the conflicts, and the Boer republics were incorporated into the British Empire. In May 1910, the two republics and the British colonies of the Cape and Natal formed the Union of South Africa, a self-governing dominion of the British Empire. The Union's constitution kept all political power in the hands of whites. In 1912, elite Africans opposed to the new government's perpetuation of the political and economic exploitation of blacks formed the South Africa Native National Congress in Bloemfontein. It eventually became known as the African National Congress, also known as ANC. Its goals were the elimination of economic and social restrictions based on color and the enfranchisement of and parliamentary representation for blacks. Despite its efforts, the government continued to pass laws limiting the rights and freedoms of the black majority. In 1948, the National Party, or NP, backed largely by Afrikaner voters, won the all-white elections and began passing legislation codifying and enforcing an even stricter policy of white domination South Africa Review 2016 Page 9 of 317 pages South Africa and racial separation known as "apartheid" (separateness). Apartheid's central features included racial classification of all South Africans; separate political units for each race with coloreds and Indians given limited, and blacks no, political voice in national government; separate living areas for each race, and labor laws that reserved certain jobs for specific races. It is important to note, however, that many apartheid goals, such as total urban racial segregation and independence of African "homelands" were not achieved. In May 1961, South Africa relinquished its dominion status and declared itself a republic.