Republic of South Africa

Territories controlled by Afrikaans speaking descendants of settlers, who had been arriving in Cape Province since the 17th century were united in 1910 to form South Africa. The country gained independence from Great Britain in 1934.

South Africa is the most industrialised and urbanised country in Africa with a high standard of living for most of the whites, but grinding poverty for the majority of the black population.

The government's enforcement of apartheid from 1948 condemned most of the population to live in ill provided urban settlements like Soweto or Kwazulu, in Natal.

After years of agitation from the African National Congress apartheid ended in 1994. Nelson Madela was released after 27 years of imprisonment and succeeded President F.W. De Clerk to become President of South Africa.

Nelson Mandela retired in 1999 and was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki. South Africa is now a multi-ethnic democracy.