South Africa
Population: 50 000 000
Concerns
AIDS
The primary cause of death in South Africa. Over 20%
of the adult population and a third of all teachers are
infected. The economy is increasingly affected through
loss of skills and time off work. The age expectancy of
the population has fallen rapidly and medical services
cannot cope.
Poverty
In post-apartheid South Africa, unemployment has been
extremely high. While many blacks have risen to middle
or upper classes, overall unemployment rate of blacks
worsened between 1994 and 2003. Poverty among
whites, previously rare, increased. Since the ANC-led
government took power in 1994, the United Nations
Human Development Index of South Africa has fallen,
while it was steadily rising until the mid-1990s.
Apartheid wounds
The legacy of contempt, mistrust, fear, injustice,
violence, intimidation and deep hurt has scarred the soul
of the nation.
Crime
The escalating crime wave has shocked the nation,
limited foreign investment and restrained the flow of
tourists. The major growth industry is security. Violent
robberies, car-hijacking and rape are commonplace. The
country has a murder rate over seven times that of the
USA and few crimes end up with convictions. There
also is an illegal diamond market. The police force is
discouraged, under-trained and under-equipped to cope.
Suggested prayer topics
• Pray for a decline in HIV/AIDS. Pray also
for the challenges this disease gives on both
the individual and societal level.
• Pray for a better distribution of the wealth,
and that the country’s great recourses can be
for the benefit of all it’s inhabitants
• Pray for the victims of crime and for those
who commit them out of desperate
circumstances
• Pray for healing of the deep wounds caused
by the apartheid.
• Pray for the police and for the court, that they
may have the authority, integrity and training
required to fight for a better society
• Pray for the victims of rape and other blind
violence
• Pray for the political leaders South Africa,
that they may reign wisely for the benefit of
their country and for the world
• Pray for the advancement of justice and
selfless love in South Africa
Life expectancy: 48.98 years
Fertility rate: 2.43 children/woman
School life expectancy: 13 years
Religion: Christian 79.7% (Protestant 72.6%, Roman Catholic 7.1%),
Muslim 1.5%, Hindu 1.3%, Jewish 0.2%, no religious affiliation
15.1%, Other 3.7%
Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in
1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the
Netherlands and the East, founding the city of Cape Town. The
discovery of diamonds and gold spurred wealth and immigration and
intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers, that is
the original Dutch and German settlers, resisted British encroachments
but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British
and the Boers ruled together under the Union of South Africa until
1961. By then, apartheid – the separate development of the races – had
already been institutionalised for over a decade.
In 1990 the government took the first step towards dismantling
discrimination when it lifted the ban on the African National Congress
(ANC) and other political organisations, and it released Nelson
Mandela from prison after twenty-seven years' incarceration on a
sabotage sentence. South Africa destroyed its nuclear arsenal and
acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. South Africa held its
first multi-racial elections in 1994, which the ANC won by an
overwhelming majority. It has been in power ever since.
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Jacob Zuma
Zuma engaged in politics at an early
age and joined the ANC in 1959.
He became an active member of
other parties when ANC was
banned in 1961, and in 1963, he
was arrested with a group of 45
communist recruits. Convicted of
conspiring to overthrow the
government, he was sentenced to 10
years' imprisonment, which he
served on Robben Island with
Nelson Mandela and other notable
ANC leaders who were also
imprisoned there.
Zuma has also faced significant
legal challenges in the post-apartheid. He was charged with rape in
2005, but was acquitted. In addition, he fought a long legal battle over
allegations of racketeering and corruption, resulting from his financial
advisor Schabir Shaik's conviction for corruption and fraud. On 6
April 2009, the National Prosecuting Authority decided to drop the
charges citing political interference.
Zuma has occasionally described himself as socialist, and he has
received support from trade unions and from the Communist Party.
He is a polygamist, and has reportedly 18 children.