Safari Holidays to South Africa and Namibia for independent travellers.

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People and Language

Introduction

There is a tangible sense of pride and optimism amongst the vast majority of South Africans after the 10th anniversary celebrations of the 1994 democratic elections in 2004, and the recently awarded 2010 soccer World Cup.

Lesedi Cultural Village A decade ago it seemed almost unbelievable that a huge and ethnically diverse nation could move from the nightmare of apartheid to majority rule without a continuation of the violence that preceded the elections.

Many white South Africans left the country at that time, and there were widespread forecasts of impending failure for the fledgling democracy.

Now many of those that left are trying to return, South Africa has a booming economy driven by exports and the tourist trade, and the Rand is close to an all-time high on the international currency markets.

People

Phezulu Dancing 77% of the population is black, 10% white, 8% mixed race, and 3% of Asian descent.

There are still strong cultural differences not only between these ethnic groups, but also within them.

Long standing tribal rivalries and the rivalries between the whites of British and Afrikaner descent are never far from the surface, however there is an increasing appreciation that these differences should be celebrated rather than irradiated.

Some visitors will undoubtedly be dismayed by some of the political views that they will encounter, especially amongst older Afrikaners, however this minority is becoming increasingly marginal over time.

Languages

There are literally dozens of languages in South Africa, however the 11 official languages are Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Pedi, English, Tswana, Sotho, Tsonga, Swati, Venda, Ndebele.

Shangana Chief Whilst many visitors will hear at least a couple of the tribal languages during the course of there stay, it is possible to travel extensively and comfortably without having to speak or understand anything other than English.