South African Boundaries

In recent years, South Africa has been increasingly referred to as "The New South Africa"[1]. This term is in reference to the changes in political and social boundary changes in the last several years, particularly since 1994. The changes in South African boundaries have much to do with the apartheid. "South Africa's apartheid regime used boundary demarcations such as 'homelands' and 'group areas' to maintain and enforce political control by a white elite." [2] After the apartheid, the government had to redistribute "homelands" and land parcels in a more fair and justifiable way.

When these new boundaries were created "only one has posed a problem of national security: the provincial boundaries."[2] South Africa currently has nine systems of provincial government. These divisions are proving to cost a great deal. This cost alongside the continued tension about "boundary disputes left unresolved by the state"[2] created some serious tensions over South African boundaries. 

When South Africa entered the Southern African Development Community, the boundaries were all reorganized. This changed state boundaries and many believe the "New South Africa" has the resources to develop a successful nation-state. Many of the divisions of land were related to political party compromises. Some of these divisions proved to be harmful for national security. The substantial amount of "non-viable provinces" and "years of boundary conflicts"[2] left the infrastructure of the region collapsing. Revenue was draining out of the national government and there were continuing social struggles. 

The new regional boundary changes brought a completely new set of problems. "South Africa's new... boundaries are responses to shifting power relations."[1] New boundaries brought a "new distribution of wealth and power"[1] and will continue to affect South Africa for years to come. The boundary changes are a reflection of power shifts and socio-cultural changes. We have yet to see the true impact of the continued struggle for boundaries and a "New South Africa."


Image retrieved from: http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S0030-24652013000100002&script=sci_arttext 

Sources Cited:

[1] Griggs, Richard A. "The Boundaries of a New South Africa." January 1, 1995. Accessed February 28, 2015. https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/publications/full/bsb2-4_griggs.pdf.

[2] "The Security Costs of Party-Political Boundary Demarcations: The Case of South Africa - African Security Review Vol 7 No 2, 1998." The Security Costs of Party-Political Boundary Demarcations: The Case of South Africa - African Security Review Vol 7 No 2, 1998. Accessed February 28, 2015. http://www.issafrica.org/pubs/ASR/7No2/Griggs.html.

Missions in South Africa

The first missionary to arrive in South Africa was Georg Schmidt, a Moravian man sent in 1737 on behalf of the Protestant Dutch church [1]. He ended up converting and baptizing five locals and leaving a Bible behind for them.

Among first missionaries to the region of South Africa were Europeans. Though the Europeans came to South Africa in the 1800's with good intentions, they did not always understand enough about the local culture to be very effective. The missionaries were often highly culturally insensitive and imposed their own beliefs and culture on the locals rather than seeking to understand and integrate current culture with the belief system.

                                          Image retrieved from:http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/mossman/1.html

There is a statue of the famous missionary David Livingstone that "represents the missionary-traveller with a Bible in one hand and the other resting upon an axe"[2]. This mixture of salvation and violence is how many natives perceived missions. As time passed, Christian missionaries learned that they could be far more effective if they introduced practical, helpful skills along with their religious teachings. In Cape Town, they found an outlet for this through farming and were then able to be accepted and share the gospel while teaching practical farming techniques.

There is little information on missionaries from faiths other than Christianity in South Africa, although there is one prominent Jehovah's Witness who came to South Africa. Joseph Booth arrived in Africa in 1892 and established his "Baptist "Zambesi Industrial Mission" near Blantyre in Nyasaland (now Malawi)" [3]. He paid his workers six times more than the government or missions paid and set to sharing his version of the gospel. Jehovah's witnesses still praise him today as a hero of the faith.

Overall, mission work has impacted culture in various ways. It has helped South African trade, developed new farming methods and is credited as the method through which many natives learned to read. Missionaries helped increase education and influenced social attitudes and interactions for peace through the rocky times of the Apartheid and modern violence.



Sources Cited:
[1] "Missionary Heroes of South Africa" http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/missionary-heroes-of-south-africa-11630223.html

[2] "Missionary Settlements in Southern Africa 1800-1925" http://www.sahistory.org.za/missionaries

[3] "Joseph Booth An African Legend" http://users.adam.com.au/bstett/JwJosephBooth.htm

South Africa's "First Contacts"

Most of South Africa's original contacts with other countries came through the slave trade at Cape Town.

Searching for a trade route along the Cape of Good Hope was an important venture for Europeans because trade was less and less beneficial when it took so long to receive the financial return. The first ship to sail around the Cape of Good Hope on their quest east to India and elsewhere sailed in 1487, captained by Bartholomew Diaz. [1] Ten years later Vasco da Gama made a second trip, journeying successfully to India and establishing this trade route.

Picture from: http://www.sahistory.org.za/historical-ships-and-shipwrecks-along-south-african-coast

This flow of ships around the coast occasionally brought visitors to various towns along the coast for supplies, but because the locals were not very welcoming of outsiders, traders generally avoided Africa if possible.

The first permanent trading settlement in South Africa was established by the Dutch. In 1642, the Dutch "built a fort and established a supply station under the command of Jan Van Riebeeck on a site that later became Cape Town."[1] This fort would serve as a stopping point to replenish and rest on the trade route for the Dutch. The dynamic of this small, isolated fort quickly changed when the leaders decided to "allow a group of servants who had worked out their contracts to settle close by as independent farmers and supply the post with their produce."[1] 

With the increased independence of these free servants came a great increase in size of the settlement. A settlement of this growing size was bound to encounter the locals, and that they did, with great intensity. They slaughtered many of the San people in revenge for small disputes.[1] Even more locals were killed by European and Asian disease introduced to the African natives. The most devastating of these diseases was undoubtedly smallpox. 

For the most part, there is very little Asian influence in South Africa. There has always been a limited migration rate between the two countries and until recently with political and financial market involvement, the two nations have had very little interaction. Aside from the occasional trader passing through and bringing disease, Asia has had limited influence in this region.



[1]"Arrival of Europeans in South Africa" http://www.footprinttravelguides.com/africa-middle-east/south-africa/history/arrival-of-europeans-in-south-africa/

Resources and Trade in South Africa

South Africa is a resource rich place! Much of the nation’s economy depends on both global and regional trade of the resources existing in the country. Diamonds, gold, coal and various metals are just a few of the natural resources abounding in the nation.

Much of South Africa’s wealth is in its mining. One major mining export from South Africa is coal. Coal is an enormously valuable export particularly to Europe and Asia as a source for generating electricity. Coal is also the main power source for South Africa’s generation of electricity. South Africa is also “the world’s largest producer of platinum and chromium” and a large producer of diamonds.[1]

Overwhelmingly, however, gold is accepted as the most valuable resource available in South Africa. As a matter of fact, "South Africa is the largest producer of gold" in the world [1]. While the production has decreased in recent years, it is still considered the most important mineral. Many abandoned mines can be seen all over the city of Johannesburg as shown in the picture I took below. Gold production hit its peak in the early 1970s, and centered around the capital city of Johannesburg.[1] In more recent years, gold mining and production has spread and takes place a greater distance from this location and centers around the cities of Klerksdorp and Evander.[1]

African trade routes have always revolved largely around international trade. Because of the need for global trade routes to make a profit from the main export, precious metals, trade routes were arranged to make trade easy with the main international partners: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.[1] While global trade is huge for the nation, regional trade within the borders is becoming increasingly important in recent years. After the massive international ethnic tensions revolving around the Apartheid, South Africans have chosen to support trade within the borders to grow the local economy.

Works Cited:

[1] "South Africa" http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/555568/South-Africa/44033/Resources-and-power#toc260129