Unique Features

What sets South Africa apart from other destinations? So many of the world’s holiday hot spots have intriguing features and characteristics which attract curious travellers. We certainly have these too. But what the uninitiated traveller does not know is that South Africa’s special attractions are unusually diverse, and extend to much more than our scenic beauty, our wildlife and African “tribal” cultures. What is there to discover here that you will not encounter anywhere else in the world? Here a few examples:

Eleven Languages in one Country

South Africa has the world’s richest diversity of languages and cultures in one country. There are eleven official languages, although English is the lingua franca and language of business.
Consequently many South Africans are fluent in multiple languages,which makes them unique in their own right. Modern South Africans often employ a blend of languages in everyday conversation, making the spoken word a rich experience and allowing for a lot of expressive variety. More info

A Rainbow of Cultures

How to describe the fascinating melange of culture in South Africa? There are nine official “African” language groups, each with its own heritage and traditions; the culture of those of European descent is still strong; and as with so many colonised countries around the world, immigrant populations to South Africa have brought in strong influences as well. The Indian community of KwaZulu-Natal has had a lasting impact on the cuisine, religion and customs of that formerly British settlement in the heart of the Zulu Kingdom. The influence of South Africa’s early Malaysian immigrants has similarly filtered into the Western Cape, influencing food, faith and family life. And inevitably the mix of peoples – former European colonists, local indigenous people and immigrants from India and Malaysia – has resulted in a strong and vital mulatto or “Coloured” community. In the remote north-western arid regions of South Africa, the ancient San People, the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa, still cling to their traditional hunter-gatherer way of life. No wonder we have dubbed ourselves the “Rainbow Nation”. More info

African Ubuntu

The Zulu world "ubuntu" translates roughly as "we are who we are through others". But it means much more than this. “Ubuntu” is essentially a phrase that defines an African view of the world in which the individual is never alienated. Ubuntu means, in essence, that we are who we are through our interactions with others, without ruling out individual strivings and aspirations. By respecting everyone’s dignity, no matter how humble, and by listening to what people have to say, Ubuntu binds up the wounds of society and makes the whole community a winner. More info

Legacy of our Political Miracle

The negotiated political transition in South Africa from apartheid to a free democracy is rightly regarded as one of the leading political “miracles” of the 20th Century. Nowhere else in recorded modern history has a minority leader ever voluntarily relinquished power and entered into peaceful negotiation.

In the aftermath of the transition to democracy our great statesman, Nelson Mandela, demonstrated a generosity of spirit and a creed of reconciliation that disarmed even the most hardened cynics and opponents. Other divided societies with long histories of racial or religious conflict could only look on in awe.

Furthermore, from a racially-divided, harshly uneven society with an economy on the brink of collapse, South Africa over the past decade has become a thriving market economy based firmly on the highest standards of democracy, free speech, the rule of law and the most advanced liberal democratic constitution in the world, underpinned by an independent judiciary, a free press, and a multi-party democracy. This is truly an inspirational country to visit.

Through the experience of this transition South Africa has become a world leader in the successful conduct of conflict resolution through negotiated compromise towards a “win-win” solution for all parties. These lessons are invaluable for business in a variety of ways, from the attributes of successful business leadership to dealings with key stakeholders, communities, government, organised labour and company workforces.

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	Indigenous flowers (Copyright NBI)

An Entire Plant Kingdom

South Africa is the only country in the world to contain an entire plant kingdom – its glorious indigenous fynbos of the Western Cape. The Table Mountain area alone has more plant species within its 22 000 hectares than the whole of the British Isles or New Zealand. More than 18 000 species of vascular plant (plants with vessels for bearing sap) occur within South Africa's boundaries, of which 80% occur nowhere else. More info

Conservation Giant



	Transvaal Museum Bushman painting

There are 20 national parks in South Africa dedicated to conserving our wild animals, plants and natural environment. South Africa is also leading the way in the development of transfrontier parks: the largest of these, the 35 000 square kilometre Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, combines protected wildlife reserves from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe to create one of the biggest conservation areas in the world.

Rock Art – Richest and Finest



	Rock Art

South Africa has the richest concentration of rock art in Africa and among the finest in the world. Our virtual art gallery showcases the grand masters of the Stone Age. The San inhabited the Drakensberg and elsewhere in South Africa from the Stone Age until the nineteenth century. Living under sandstone overhangs or in temporary grass shelters, they left some of the finest examples of rock art in the world. More info

Home of Mrs Ples



	Kamberg Mrs Ples

"Mrs Ples" is the nickname of a fossil skull which is believed by many scientists to represent the early ancestors of the human race. "Mrs Ples" and her relatives lived on the South African highveld, in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site area between about 2 and 2.5 million years ago. "Mrs Ples" is the most complete cranium of the species Australopithecus africanus. Formerly the skull was known as "Plesianthropus" which means "almost human". "Mrs Ples" was almost human in the sense that she could walk upright like humans, but she had a small brain, similar in size to that of a modern chimpanzee. Many scientists believe that humans and chimpanzees had a common ancestor, which lived on the African continent many millions of years ago. Mrs Ples provides critical corroboration of genetic evidence indicating that modern humans originated in sub-Saharan Africa and migrated to colonise Europe and Asia around 30 000 to 40 000 years ago. More info

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