South Africa Flashcards
1
Q
Brief history
A
- discovered by Europeans in 15th century by the Dutch
- the Dutch imported slaves to grow wheat, tend the vineyards etc. (garrison for people sailing to India)
- expansion of Dutch territory caused series of wars with Xhosa tribe
- GB occupied Cape Town 1795-1803
- Boers (dutch settlers) founded 2 republics (Transvaal and Orange Free State) after clashes with British and Zulus
- discovery of diamonds, gold and minerals in 19th century led to economic growth and immigration
- British wanted to prevent blacks from benefitting from the new industries –> discriminatory practices in order to keep black workers cheap and pliable
- Anglo-Boer wars bc GB wanted all of South Africa under their control by uniting the colonies, Boers wanted independence (1880-1881, 1899)
- Boers surrendered in 1902 and British annexed Boer republics
- 1910 formation of Union of South Africa (former British colonies + Boer republics)
- black people second-hand citizens, africans prohibited from owning land in any part of SA outside a small area, jobs lowest possible pay, no right to vote, just enough education to work in factories, separation of races, had to carry passbooks
2
Q
Nelson Mandela
A
- leader of ANC African National Congress, wanted to bring all Africans together fighting for voting rights and end of apartheid
- was classified as terrorist and sentenced to robben island for 27 years
- became first black president in SA in first democratic election in 1994
- tactic: showed generosity and compassion towards whites in order to encourage unity in the country
3
Q
Problem 1: AIDS and HIV
A
- 1/7 of population affected by HIV (7.7 mill.)
- HIV among leading causes of death
- hundreds of thousandds new infections every year
- 2018 ca. 260k children aged 0-14 living with HIV, only ~60% of them on treatment
- spread of HIV accelerated by poverty, no use of protection, ppoor hygiene
- however: huge improvements in testing people, majority of people on treatment
4
Q
Problem 2: Crime
A
- carjacking and robberies, murder rates comparable to that of a warzone
- 2020 over 21k murders
- violence against immigrants, 2015 attacks on African and international migrants in Pretoria and Johannesburg, looting and burning of property and businesses owned by foreigners
- xenophobia distributed equally to all age groups and parts of SA society mainly caused by poverty, economic distress and desperation
5
Q
Problem 3: Racial inequality and tensions
A
- definition apartheid: system from 1948 until the early 1990s which consisted of laws with the motive to oppress the black and colored population
- today still deep poverty in parts of Soweto (families crammed into apartheid-era hostel housing, poor immigrants live in tin shacks)
- Kliptown: people live on dusty streets without access to education or work –> drug abuse and crime prevalent
- unequal income between whites and blacks
- 70% of agricultural land owned by whites (less than 10% of population) –> attacks on farmers, racial hatred fuels torture of victims
6
Q
Problem 4: Education
A
- high-income neighborhoods of Cape Town have excellent school buildings
- other schools characterized by crumbling infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, poor educational outcomes
- some buildings built with hazardous materials
- schools visited by Amnesty International lacked basic equipment such as furniture and textbooks
- SA has one of the most unequal school systems in the world
- deficiencies in education system contribute to high unemployment rate
