South African Sports

South Africa was absent from international sport for most of the apartheid era due to sanctions, but started competing globally after the country's white electorate voted in a referendum in favour of a negotiated settlement of the apartheid question.

South Africans love almost all sport activities rugby, cricket and soccer being the most popular sports. There are more than 400 golf courses in South Africa, including a course designed by G Gary Player at Sun City in the Northwest Province.

Rugby in South Africa

The Danie Craven Museum in Stellenbosch is one of the most comprehensive rugby museums in South Africa. In front of the museum is the memorial statue of Danie Craven and his dog, Bliksem, one-and-a-half times larger than life. Did You Know? Stellenbosch University's rugby club is the largest rugby club in the world.

The most important rugby stadiums in South Africa are:

• Newlands, Cape Town
• Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch

The national rugby team is the Springboks.

Cricket in South Africa 

Cricket is extremely popular in South Africa. When South Africa plays a five-day test, almost the whole male South African population comes to a standstill, most of them glued to the TV or radio, even during business hours.

The main cricket fields of South Africa are:

·         Newlands, Cape Town

·         St George's Park, Port Elizabeth 

Soccer in South Africa

Soccer is the most popular spectator sport in the black community. The only stadium is the FNB Stadium. The national team's name is Bafana Bafana, meaning 'boys boys'. 

South African Tradition

South Africa is a very multicultural society and therefore has many different customs. South Africa has 9 provinces and 11 official languages and so you can imagine all the different cultures and customs. To name some of these languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Sotho and Xhoza. South Africa has a democratic government and has three capitals, namely Cape Town, the legislative capital, Pretoria, the administrative capital and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.

South Africa is proud of its diverse cultural wealth and traditions.  Although some cultural traditions and customs have been forsaken others still form an integral part of their daily life, often blending with each other and with modern elements to present a fascinating combination of old and new. 

All traditions are based on beliefs in male deities in ancient spirits and supernatural forces. Old customs like animal sacrifice and polygamy are still maintained. What is the art of the indigenous population is one way to be connected to these ancient cultures today and lost. Rocks and sand painted caves, some of which have some 26,000 years back, fall into this category.

South African Myths and Legends

I've always been intrigued by legends, myths and tales that have been passed on from generation to generation.
Every country, land and all kinds of people have their own stories to tell.

Sometimes these stories transcend geographical, ethnical and cultural barriers.
Some of these stories have travelled across the globe by explorers who share them by means of word or writing.
These stories are sometimes taken from real events or simply just plain myths

Van Hunks & The Devil

Jan van Hunks, a Dutch pirate in the early 18th century, retired from his eventful life at sea to live on the slopes of Devil's Peak, Table Mountain. To escape from his wife's sharp tongue he often walked up the mountain where he settled down to smoke his pipe. One day a mysterious stranger approached him and asked the retired pirate to borrow some tobacco. After a bit of bragging, a smoking contest ensued, with the winner's prize a ship full of gold. After several days, Van Hunks finally defeated the stranger, who unfortunately turned out to be the devil. Suddenly, thunder rolled, the clouds closed in and Van Hunks disappeared, leaving behind only a scorched patch of ground. Legend has it that the cloud of tobacco smoke they left became the "table-cloth" - the famous white cloud that spills over Table Mountain when the south-easter blows in summer. When that happens, it is said that Van Hunks and the Devil are at it again.

The South African economy

South Africa is Africa's largest economy and plays an important role in the development of the region. The South African economy has a large amount of capital (public and private) in close collaboration with global economic grids.

Its currency is the rand divisible into 100 cents, which is also used in other countries of the Common Monetary Area of Southern Africa.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange is the largest in Africa.

A major industry is mining, especially coal mining and minerals and precious metals such as diamonds, gold and platinum. It is one of the countries with larger reserves of mineral wealth and diversity.

The literature of South Africa

The literature of South Africa has a varied history. Many black writers were educated by Anglican missionaries and most of them wrote their works in both English and Afrikaans. One of the first novels written by famous black writer in this language is Mhudi of Sol Plaatje (1930). The peculiarities of the South African society and political history have made ​​it possible for writers whose themes appear beyond apartheid, being interested in people's lives in contemporary society.

The traditional literary forms or sources that have influenced contemporary literary creation are mainly: proverbs, short stories, fables and historical narrative.

Oral or written poetry in indigenous language or in a foreign language continues to represent the most vivid literary form in South Africa and covers various subjects, from traditional medicine to comment on the laws or the latest news to marital problems or the rate of inflation.