Read complete books and articles on: South African History

South Africa - Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (1995 est. pop. 45,095,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean in the west, on Namibia in the northwest, on Botswana and Zimbabwe in the north, on Mozambique and Swaziland in the northeast, and on the Indian Ocean in the east and south. Lesotho is an independent enclave in

Land

Physical Geography

South Africa has three main geographic regions: a great interior plateau; an escarpment of mountain ranges that rims the plateau on the east, south, and west; and a marginal area lying between the escarpment and the sea. Most of the plateau consists of highveld, rolling grassland situated at 4,000 to 6,000 ft (1,220–1,830 m). In addition, in the northeast are the Witwatersrand (a ridge of rock where gold has been mined since 1886), the Bushveld Basin (a zone of savanna situated at 2,000–3,000 ft/610–910 m), and the Limpopo River basin.

In the north are the southern fringes of the Kalahari desert; and in the west is the semiarid Cape middleveld, which includes part of the Orange River and is situated at 2,500 to 4,000 ft (760–1,220 m). The escarpment reaches its greatest heights (10,000–11,000 ft/3,050–3,350 m) in the Drakensberg Mts. in the east. The marginal area varies in width between 35 and 150 mi (60–240 km) and most of it is bordered by a narrow, low-lying coastal strip. The region also includes considerable stretches of grassland in the east; mountains and the semiarid Great and Little Karroo tablelands in the south; and desert (a southern extension of the Namib desert) in the west. Kruger National Park is in NE South Africa.

Political Geography

South Africa is divided into nine provinces—Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Northern Province, and Mpumalanga. Before 1994, there were four provinces: Cape Province, Natal, Orange Free State, and Transvaal. In addition, during apartheid rule about 14% of the country's land area was set aside for blacks in pseudoindependent territories (originally called "Bantustans"), allegedly to allow them self-government and cultural preservation. In fact, these "homelands" were used to give the white government greater control and to exclude blacks from the political process. Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, and QwaQwa were Bantu national homelands that existed under South African sovereignty. Transkei, the first homeland (1963), Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, and Venda were all granted "independence" by the early 1980s and existed as nominal republics, although none were recognized internationally. With the end of white minority rule in 1994, the black homelands were abolished.

People

The population of South Africa is 75% black (African) and 13% white (European), with about 9% people of mixed white, Malay, and black descent (formerly called "Coloured"), and 3% of Asian (mostly Indian) background. Although these ethnic divisions were rigidly enforced under the policy of apartheid [Afrikaans,=apartness], racial distinctions are often arbitrary. People of African descent fall into several groups, based on their first language.

South Africa has 11 official languages, nine of which are indigenous—Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Sotho, Swazi, Venda, Ndebele, Pedi, and Tsonga. Many blacks also speak Afrikaans (the first language of about 60% of the whites and the majority of those of mixed race) or English (the first language of most of the rest of the nonblacks). A lingua franca called Fanagalo developed in the mining areas, but it is not widely used today. About 68% of the population is Christian; major groups include the Dutch Reformed, Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, and Zionist churches. Over 28% of the population follows traditional African religions, and there are small minorities of Muslims, Hindus, and Jews.

Economy

Until about 1870 the economy of the region was almost entirely based on agriculture. With the discovery of diamonds and gold in the late 19th cent., mining became the foundation for rapid economic development. In the 20th cent. the country's economy was diversified, so that by 1945 manufacturing was the leading contributor to the gross national product (GNP). By the 1990s, services contributed almost 60% of the GNP, while industry contributed over 35% and agriculture only about 5%. The economy is largely controlled by whites, but nonwhites make up more than 75% of the workforce. Working conditions and pay are often poor, and many nonwhites work as subsistence farmers.

South Africa has a limited amount of arable land (about 10%) and inadequate irrigation; production is diminished during periodic droughts. The chief crops grown are corn, wheat, sorghum, potatoes, peanuts, citrus fruits, cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane. In addition, large numbers of dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goats (including many Angora goats), and hogs are raised. There is a large fishing industry and much fish meal is produced.

The main industrial centers are Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria, and Germiston. The principal manufactures include processed food, beverages (including wine), textiles, clothing, forest products, chemicals, iron and steel, metal products, machinery, and motor vehicles. South Africa is a world leader in the production of gold, diamonds, aluminosilicates, chromium, manganese, vanadium, and platinum. Other leading minerals extracted are copper ore, coal, asbestos, iron ore, silver, and titanium. Uranium is also mined.

The country has good road and rail networks. The chief seaports are Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Saldonha Bay, and Mossel Bay, where natural gas is now extracted offshore. The Orange River Project, a major hydroelectric and irrigation scheme, began in 1963 in central South Africa and was fully operational by the mid-1980s.

The main imports are machinery, transport equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, industrial raw materials, and foodstuffs. The chief exports are manufactured goods, precious metals, chemicals, arms, foodstuffs, and diamonds. The principal trade partners are Germany, the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. South Africa carries on a large-scale foreign trade and generally maintains a favorable trade balance. It is a member of the Southern African Development Community.

Disapproval of apartheid policies and increasing social unrest among black South Africans in the 1970s and 80s led to the withdrawal of investments by some members of the international business community. A number of nations (European Union members, Japan, and the United States) imposed sanctions on South Africa, banning new investment and selected South African exports. These trends were reversed with the political changes of the 1990s, and tourism also began to make a comeback.

Government

South Africa is a federal state. Until 1994 it was governed by the white minority with minimal mixed-race and Asian representation and virtually no black representation. In Apr., 1994, the country became a fully multiracial democracy, under an interim constitution; a permanent constitution was adopted in 1996. It provides for a strong central government headed by a president, who is elected for a five-year term and serves as both the chief of state and head of government. The bicameral parliament consists of a 400-member National Assembly, which is elected by proportional representation, and a 90-seat National Council of Provinces (formerly the Senate), which is elected by the nine provincial legislatures. Legislators serve five-year terms. The constitution contains an extensive bill of rights and provides for an independent judiciary; the 11-judge Constitutional Court is the highest court of appeal. Provinces are given exclusive powers in only a few areas, such as roads and recreation. The leading political parties are the African National Congress, the predominantly white Democratic party and New National party, and the Zulu-based Inkhata Freedom party.

History

Early History

The San (Bushmen) are among the oldest indigenous peoples of South Africa. About 2,000 years ago, the pastoral Khoikhoi (called Hottentots by Europeans) settled mainly in the southern coastal region. By at least the 8th cent., Bantu speakers moving southward from E central Africa had settled the N region of present-day South Africa. These Bantu-speaking groups developed their own complex community organizations. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias, a Portuguese navigator, became the first European to round the Cape of Good Hope (so named by King John II of Portugal). The diaries of shipwrecked Portuguese sailors attest to a large Bantu-speaking population in present-day KwaZulu-Natal by 1552.

Colonialism and African-European Relations

Although European vessels frequently passed by South Africa on their way to E Africa and India, and sometimes stopped for provisions or rest, no permanent European settlement was made until 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck and about 90 other persons set up a provisioning station for the Dutch East India Company at Table Bay on the Cape of Good Hope. Soon van Riebeeck began to trade with nearby Khoikhoi, gave Europeans land for farms, and brought in Africans (from W and E Africa) and Malays as slaves. By 1662, about 250 Europeans were living near the Cape and gradually they moved inland, founding Stellenbosch in 1679. In 1689 about 200 Huguenot refugees from Europe arrived; they established a wine industry and intermarried with the earlier Dutch settlers. By 1707 there were about 1,780 freeholders of European descent in South Africa, and they

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: South African History

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

The History of South Africa » Read Now
by Roger B. Beck. 252 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

To quote the title of Nelson Mandela's 1994 autobiography, it has been a "long walk to freedom." The history of South Africa, one of the oldest inhabited places on earth, is also the story of one of the newest nations, made and remade over the last century. This compellingly written history of South...
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To quote the title of Nelson Mandela's 1994 autobiography, it has been a "long walk to freedom." The history of South Africa, one of the oldest inhabited places on earth, is also the story of one of the newest nations, made and remade over the last century. This compellingly written history of South Africa, from prehistoric times through 1999, is the only up-to-date history of the nation. Beginning with an overview of the modern nation, this narrative history traces South Africa from prehistory through the European invasions, the settlement by the Dutch, the imposition of British rule, the many internecine wars for control of the nation, the institution of apartheid, and, finally, freedom for all South Africans in 1994 and the Mandela years 1994-1999.
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2.

The New South Africa » Read Now
by Guy Arnold. 213 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The orderly transfer of power from the white minority to the black majority in South Africa was something of a political miracle. This book looks at the tasks facing the new government of Thabo Mbeki.
3.

After Apartheid: The Solution for South Africa » Read Now
by Frances Kendall, Leon Louw. 253 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
4.

South Africa in Southern Africa: Reconfiguring the Region » Read Now
by David Simon. 262 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

David Simon is Reader in Development Geography and Director of the Centre for Developing Areas Research (CEDAR) at Royal Holloway, University of London.
5.

The Apartheid State in Crisis: Political Transformation in South Africa, 1975-1990 » Read Now
by Robert M. Price. 309 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Despite the considerable attention paid to South Africa in recent years, this work is unique in providing a comprehensive analysis of South Africa's politics through the 1980's. Robert Price argues that the apparent stability of South Africa's apartheid regime has masked a profound political...
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Despite the considerable attention paid to South Africa in recent years, this work is unique in providing a comprehensive analysis of South Africa's politics through the 1980's. Robert Price argues that the apparent stability of South Africa's apartheid regime has masked a profound political transformation underway since 1975. The work examines how government policy, economic development, domestic opposition, and international actors have gradually but inexorably eroded the foundation of white political power. Price elucidates the dynamic relationship between these factors and their combined role in altering the political substructure underlying South Africa's official political system. He provides a novel framework for assessing the likely mode of political transition in the 1990's and draws lessons from the South African case for our understanding of political transformation worldwide.
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6.

Lessons of Struggle: South African Internal Opposition, 1960-1990 » Read Now
by Anthony W. Marx. 347 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This work provides an in-depth analysis of thirty years of South African opposition paying particular attention to the development of the Black Consciousness movement founded by Steve Biko, the ANC-aligned United Democratic Front, and the burgeoning trade unions. Marx demonstrates how each group's...
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This work provides an in-depth analysis of thirty years of South African opposition paying particular attention to the development of the Black Consciousness movement founded by Steve Biko, the ANC-aligned United Democratic Front, and the burgeoning trade unions. Marx demonstrates how each group's ideology, focusing respectively on racial assertiveness, national unity, and class organization, influenced each other, and shaped popular activism. His findings help to explain both the recent initiation of negotiations and possible future developments.
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7.

Mandela, Tambo, and the African National Congress: The Struggle against Apartheid, 1948-1990: A Documentary Survey » Read Now
by Sheridan Johns, R. Hunt Davis Jr. 354 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...Sources. 3. Blacks--South Africa--Politics...government--Sources. 4. African National Congress--History--Sources. 5...black role in South African political history from an...
8.

Opposition in South Africa: The Leadership of Z.K. Matthews, Nelson Mandela, and Stephen Biko » Read Now
by Tim J. Juckes. 210 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This book tells the story of three Black men--Z. K. Matthews, Nelson Mandela, and Stephen Biko--who committed their lives to win freedom for all South Africans. Using a sociopsychological retrospective, Juckes interweaves accounts of the lives of these three men with sociopolitical developments to...
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This book tells the story of three Black men--Z. K. Matthews, Nelson Mandela, and Stephen Biko--who committed their lives to win freedom for all South Africans. Using a sociopsychological retrospective, Juckes interweaves accounts of the lives of these three men with sociopolitical developments to reveal the complex interaction that occurs between social processes and individual actors, revealing how leaders come into being and how their actions influence social developments. Each man's political character captured the demands of the time and used the available resources of his age in the quest for freedom; the pressure--over time--from the activities of these three men and the movements they supported made liberation inevitable.
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9.

Fighting Years: Black Resistance and the Struggle for a New South Africa » Read Now
by Steven Mufson. 360 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
10.

White Man's Justice: South African Political Trials in the Black Consciousness Era » Read Now
by Michael Lobban. 288 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This major new study examines the use of political trials by the apartheid regime in South Africa against its opponents in the 1970s, the decade when the ideology of apartheid was reaching its apogee. After tracing the early history of the South African Students Organization and the Black People's...
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This major new study examines the use of political trials by the apartheid regime in South Africa against its opponents in the 1970s, the decade when the ideology of apartheid was reaching its apogee. After tracing the early history of the South African Students Organization and the Black People's Convention, it shows how the state reacted to the threat posed by the black consciousness movement by launching a major trials of ideas, using the notorious Terrorism Act. It examines how, at the same time, the authorities sought to crack down on white dissent by prosecuting the leaders of the National Union of South African Students. By making a detailed study of trial transcripts in addition to other materials, it explores how the state sought to infiltrate and crush nascent ANC and PAC structures which were re-emerging in the mid 1970s within South Africa. It shows how the prosecution policy and the legal stategy of the state changed during the decade as the nature of the threats it faced altered, culminating in the trial of the leaders of the Soweto Students Representative Council in 1979 for sedition. Arguing that the political trial was perhaps the only venue where white ideology had to engage directy with black protest, this original and thought-provoking account demonstrates how the trials became platforms for competing views of society and politics, which give a unique insight into the conflict between the political ideals held by blacks and whites in this era. It also reveals how large a part politics played in securing the conviction of many dissenters, and how large a part events beyond the courtroom played, in the detention and torture of many activists.
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11.

Black Mountain: Land, Class, and Power in the Eastern Orange Free State, 1880s to 1980s » Read Now
by Colin Murray. 344 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
12.

The Emergence of Modern South Africa: State, Capital, and the Incorporation of Organized Labor on the South African Gold Fields, 1902-1939 » Read Now
by David Yudelman. 320 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...turning points" in modern South African history the other is the election...revision of twentieth-century South African history as a whole. This is because...seen as a...
13.

Class and Consciousness: The Black Petty Bourgeoisie in South Africa, 1924 to 1950 » Read Now
by Alan Gregor Cobley. 266 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

A valuable source for anyone interested in modern South African history, this is the first book to discuss the emergence and nature of the black bourgeoisie in South Africa in its historical context as a class in itself and for itself.' The book investigates the economics background, social origins...
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A valuable source for anyone interested in modern South African history, this is the first book to discuss the emergence and nature of the black bourgeoisie in South Africa in its historical context as a class in itself and for itself.' The book investigates the economics background, social origins, and cultural consciousness of the black petty bourgeoise and how it deployed a wide range of class-specific social and cultural networks. It also considers the influence of special cultural factors, entrepreneurial ideologies and experiences, and radical ideologies and experiences.
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14.

Status and Respectability in the Cape Colony, 1750-1870: A Tragedy of Manners » Read Now
by Robert Ross. 203 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This compelling example of the new cultural history of South Africa is a subtle and wide-ranging study of status and respectability in the colonial Cape. Focusing on domestic relationships, gender, education, and religion, it analyzes values and modes of thinking current in different social strata...
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This compelling example of the new cultural history of South Africa is a subtle and wide-ranging study of status and respectability in the colonial Cape. Focusing on domestic relationships, gender, education, and religion, it analyzes values and modes of thinking current in different social strata, arguing that these cultural factors were related to high political developments. The result is a rich account of changes in social identity that accompanied the transition from Dutch to British overrule, and the development of white racism and ideologies of resistance to white domination.
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15.

Education and Independence: Education in South Africa, 1658-1988 » Read Now
by Simphiwe A. Hlatshwayo. 132 pgs.

Collections: Education, Entire Library

Public education can be one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of a government wanting to maintain power, as it is the realm in which children are taught the social values and norms that will sustain the culture when they become adults. In South Africa, education was kept separate, unequal...
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Public education can be one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of a government wanting to maintain power, as it is the realm in which children are taught the social values and norms that will sustain the culture when they become adults. In South Africa, education was kept separate, unequal, and decidedly undemocratic, and as Hlatshwayo explains, it was used specifically to preserve and perpetuate inequality. In a work designed for historians and education professionals alike, he examines the tumultuous and highly politicized history of South African education and evaluates the prospects for its hopefully nonracialized future.
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16.

Minority Protection in Post-Apartheid South Africa: Human Rights, Minority Rights, and Self-Determination » Read Now
by Kristin Henrard. 311 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Accommodation of population diversity is a vital issue for any multinational society. The legacy of Apartheid in South Africa complicates this effort considerably. Henrard introduces a theoretical framework regarding how to accommodate minority protection in the most appropriate way and analyzes the...
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Accommodation of population diversity is a vital issue for any multinational society. The legacy of Apartheid in South Africa complicates this effort considerably. Henrard introduces a theoretical framework regarding how to accommodate minority protection in the most appropriate way and analyzes the respective contributions of individual rights, minority rights, and the right to self-determination. Subsequent chapters examine the case study of post-apartheid South Africa and attempt to investigate its constitutional development. Henrard finds that provisions within the 1996 Constitution do acknowledge an interrelation between these three important factors; however, implementation of minority protection policy is often quite a different matter.
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