Introduction

Background

Among the oldest human fossils discovered are those from South Africa. By approximately A.D. 500, Bantu-speaking populations began to inhabit what is now northeastern South Africa, resulting in the displacement of Khoisan-speaking communities to the southwest. In 1652, Dutch merchants arrived at the southernmost point of contemporary South Africa, establishing a resupply station along the spice route connecting the Netherlands to the Far East, which led to the founding of Cape Town. Following the British takeover of the Cape of Good Hope in 1806, numerous Dutch-descended settlers, referred to as "Boers" or farmers at the time and later known as Afrikaners, migrated northward to establish their own republics, namely Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The 1820s marked the onset of several decades of conflict as the Zulus sought to expand their domain, moving from what is now southeastern South Africa and engaging in conflicts with other indigenous groups and the encroaching European settlements. The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1886 prompted a surge in immigration, mainly from Europe.

The territory of the Zulu kingdom was integrated into the British Empire following the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879, while the Afrikaner republics were annexed after their defeat in the Second South African War (1899-1902). From 1910 onward, the British and Afrikaners governed jointly under the Union of South Africa, which transitioned to a fully self-governing republic outside the British Commonwealth in 1961 following a Whites-only referendum. In 1948, the National Party gained power and implemented an apartheid policy, referred to as "separate development" of the races, which favored the White minority and marginalized the Black majority along with other non-White populations. The African National Congress (ANC) spearheaded the opposition to apartheid, and numerous prominent ANC figures, including Nelson MANDELA, spent decades imprisoned in South Africa. Domestic protests, insurgency, and international boycotts from various Western nations and organizations ultimately led to the regime's readiness to lift the ban on the ANC and engage in negotiations for a peaceful transition to majority rule.

The inaugural multi-racial elections in 1994 marked the beginning of majority rule under a government led by the ANC. Since then, South Africa has faced challenges in rectifying the disparities in wealth, housing, education, and healthcare stemming from the apartheid era, under various administrations. President Cyril RAMAPHOSA, re-elected as the ANC leader in 2022, has made strides in combating corruption.