South Africa

G

Religion

About 68 per cent of the people of South Africa are Christians, mainly Protestant. Most Afrikaners belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, and most South African whites who speak English as their first language belong to the Anglican, Congregational, Methodist, or Roman Catholic Churches. Blacks are also members of these denominations; in addition, many of them adhere to so-called independent Churches, which combine elements of Christianity and traditional African religions. A significant minority of blacks also follow traditional beliefs. Of the non-Christian religions in South Africa Hindus comprise 1.3 per cent and Muslims 1.1 per cent. South Africa also has a Jewish community of some 67,600 people, although a number of Jews have emigrated to Israel in the past 25 years.

H

Language

There are 11 official languages in South Africa: Afrikaans (6.2 million), English (3.5 million), Ndebele (588,000), Northern Sotho (3,840,000), Southern Sotho (2,704,000), Swati (1,019,000), Tsonga (1,646,000), Tswana (2,822,000), Venda (666,000), Xhosa (6,858,000), and Zulu (10,700,000). Afrikaans and English are the languages of record. The former, a variant of the Dutch language, is the first language of almost all Afrikaners and many Coloured people. English is used as the primary language by many whites and is also spoken by many Asians and blacks. To most blacks, however, a Bantu language (see Niger-Congo Languages) or Khoisan (Click) language is their first language. In addition to English, many Asians also speak a language of India. Fanagolo, a Zulu-based pidgin, is spoken by several thousand mainly as a lingua franca among mining communities. A group of Afrikaner intellectuals, concerned that Afrikaans is being marginalized in South Africa, met at Hammanskraal in May 2000, to launch the Group of 63, which seeks special constitutional protection for Afrikaans and other minority languages. Members include the South African writer Breyten Breytenbach. It is the first time since early last century that Afrikaners from such a diverse political spectrum have united on a cultural project.

I

Education

The legacy of apartheid in South Africa possibly manifests itself most clearly in education. Government spending on black education has increased significantly since the mid-1980s, and especially since 1990. However, although education has been legally desegregated, in practice most black children are still restricted to ill-equipped schools. In the early 1990s expenditure for white pupils was about four times higher than that for black pupils. The teacher-to-student ratio for blacks was 1:60 in urban areas and 1:90 in rural areas in the early 1990s. By comparison, the teacher-to-student ratio for whites averaged 1:30 or even lower. As a result of these conditions, only 41 per cent of all black students passed the secondary-school final qualification exam (a requirement for university entrance) in 1991. In the same year, 96 per cent of all white, 95 per cent of all Asian, and 83 per cent of all Coloured students passed the exam. Also, the black literacy rate is less than 50 per cent, while the white literacy rate is virtually 100 per cent. Overall literacy in 2005 was 87 per cent. In 2002–2003, 5.4 per cent of gross national product (GNP) was spent on education. Today's government is tackling the education of the poorest children in society by introducing fee-free schools in the most deprived areas. All children attend school from age 7 (grade 1) and matriculate at age 15 (or completion of grade 9), before entering work or further education.

In 1993 South Africa’s primary and secondary schools enrolled about 6.4 million black students, about 1 million whites, 897,000 Coloureds, and 256,000 Asians. By 2000, the figure for total enrolments in primary schools in South Africa was 7.44 million; there were 21,367 primary schools.

The major university institutions are the University of Cape Town (founded in 1829); the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2004), in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Pinetown, and Westville; the University of the Free State (1904), in Bloemfontein; the University of Pretoria (1903); Rhodes University (1855), in Grahamstown; the University of Stellenbosch (1918); the University of the Witwatersrand (1922), in Johannesburg; the University of Fort Hare (1916), in Alice; the University of Limpopo (2005), near Polokwane and also at Ga-Rankuwa; the University of the North West (1978) at Mmabatho; and the University of the Western Cape (1960), in Bellville.

J

Culture

The historical segregation of racial and ethnic groups in South Africa has resulted in distinct cultural developments. Within the white population English and European cultures have re-emerged as dominant influences, especially with the erosion of the Afrikaner-created apartheid system, and the end of the international isolation it caused. The historical distinction between the more religious and nationalistic Afrikaners and the more cosmopolitan English speakers is diminishing, especially among young people.

Among blacks, urban and rural cultures continue to differ. Urban black culture is multi-ethnic and increasingly draws on international influences, such as those of African-Americans. These influences have increased since the end of international sanctions against South Africa, which restricted artists from other countries from performing in South Africa. In the major urban areas the end of apartheid has brought about more interracial cultural activities. Generational differences within both the white and black populations also play a role in cultural expressions. In rural areas black cultural activities tend to emphasize the traditions of particular ethnic groups. Traditional Afrikaner culture is also strongest in rural areas. In recent years a new sense of self-pride has developed in the Coloured community and has found expression in writing, theatre, and music.

J

1

Libraries and Museums

Nearly all South Africa’s cities have public libraries, the largest of which is the Johannesburg Public Library, with more than 1.5 million volumes. Other important libraries include the South African Library, in Cape Town; the State Library, in Pretoria; and libraries attached to institutions of higher education.

Notable museums include the National Museum, in Bloemfontein, which contains archaeological, palaeontological, and anthropological collections; the Africana Museum, in Johannesburg, which has historical and ethnological collections pertaining to South Africa; and, in Cape Town, the Michaelis Collection, the South African National Gallery, and the South African Cultural History Museum.