South Africa
Republic of South Africa Southern tip of Africa AREA 470.7K mi²; 1.2M km² ARABLE 10% POP 61M (130/mi²; 51/km²) GOV’T Parliamentary republic CAPITAL Cape Town (legislative capital, 5M), Pretoria (administrative capital, 3M) GDP/CAPITA $13,600 UNEMPLOYMENT 33% IN POVERTY 56% % WEALTH HELD BY TOP 10% 86% LIFE EXP 72 years MEDIAN AGE 31 yrs INFANT MORT 20/1K live births LITERACY 91% INTERNET USERS 76% LANGUAGES 11 official languages: isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sepedi, Setswana, English, Sesotho, Xitsonga, siSwati, Tshivenda, isiNdebele, and others RELIGIONS Christian 86%, ancestral/traditional African religions 5%, Muslim 2%, other 2%, none 5% HEALTH 8% of GDP EDUCATION 6% of GDP MILITARY 0.7% of GDP GDP BY SECTOR Agriculture 3%, industry 27%, services 70% PCVs 1997–2027 CURRENT: 0, TTD: >1,700 |  South Africa As we approached the exit gate of South Africa’s Kruger National Park, several juvenile males from a pride of lions took over the middle of the road, creating a lion-sized traffic jam that delayed our school’s departure from the park. Wildlife tourism is a thriving industry in South Africa and groups of schoolchildren often visit wildlife refuges to learn about the importance of conservation and protection, as well as to visit traditional Shangaan lands that are a part of their heritage. At nearly 20,000 square kilometers, Kruger is one of the largest game reserves in Africa, and is surrounded by traditional communities of the Shangaan, or Tsonga, people. |
Adult Books
Weeping Becomes a River
By Siphokazi Jonas
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Penguin Books (South Africa), 2024
Language: English
Print length: 80 pages
ISBN-10: 1776392086
ISBN-13: 978-1776392087
Summary:
In this debut poetry collection, the author explores themes of cultural identity, linguistic alienation, and personal history through the lens of a black learner in post-apartheid South Africa. Jonas incorporates phrases from her mother tongue, isiXhosa, and draws on Bantu folklore. She has received critical acclaim not only for her poetry but also for her work as an actor and playwright.
“It is not often that a volume of poetry captures the public imagination in South Africa. Yet, Siphokazi Jonas’s Weeping Becomes a River has done just that.” —Mphuthumi Ntabeni, Litnet
Kids' Books
Who Was Nelson Mandela?
By Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso, illustrated by Stephen Marchesi
Publisher: New York, NY: Penguin Workshop, 2014
Format: 105 pgs, illus, maps
ISBN-10: 0448479338
ISBN-13: 978-0-44847-933-0
Age Range: 8–12 yrs.
Summary:
A biography about the life of Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa. Mature themes are communicated in a way children can understand, making it educational and age-appropriate. Part of the popular Who Was…? series about historical figures.
Films
Film: Family and Rugby
Director: Thomas Gumede
Genre: Drama
Release Date: 2025
Language: Xhosa
Run Time: 1:35
Synopsis: Dumisani is a seventeen-year-old rugby prodigy who aspires to escape the harsh realities of his township life through his passion for rugby. After his older brother sacrifices himself to protect their mother during a robbery, Dumisani must navigate his grief while caring for his family and resisting the influence of a notorious gangster.
Reviews: “This powerful drama explores the complex life of a young rugby star caught between the allure of the sport and the harsh realities of his township.” —Letterboxd
Available: Streaming on eVOD (not accessible in the US as of January 2026).
Music
Kabza De Small: Ngyozama (feat. Sykes, Young Stunna, Nkosazana Daughter & Tracy)
