MyWeku

Introduction

South Africa is one of the trade and economic powerhouses of Africa. When the Republic of South Africa finally had its first, free and independent election in 1994 it was not only a great day for South Africa, it was a great day for the rest of Africa.  During the apartheid period, South African goods and expertise were banned from most African countries.  Today her products can be found on the shelves of  most African supermarkets and her franchised restaurants and businesses are found on main streets in sister African countries. One third of South Africa’s population of close to 50 million live in urban centers: Johannesburg (3.6 million), Cape Town (3.3 million), Ekurhuleni (3.1 million), Durban (2.8 million) and Pretoria (1.4 million).  These cities are modern by world standards.  The country has a large middle class and is an emerging market with many natural resources and the 18th largest stock market in the world.  Yet, if one strikes out beyond the main cities a country that is stricken with poverty and hunger will be found. The country remains the most ethnically mixed country on the continent: black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored (mixed racial) 8.9%, and Indian/Asian 2.5%.   There are eleven official languages, but English is spoken widely. Dutch traders in search of new, profitable ports landed at the southern tip of South Africa in 1652 and soon established a stopover point for their spice route between the Netherlands and the Far East. This port became city of Cape Town. The Dutch, followed by the British, settled in and dominated the country’s politics and economy for more than three hundred years.  The first multi-racial elections in 1994 ended the oppressive, apartheid regime The Republic of South Africa is the world’s leading producer of gold and has a plentiful supply of chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, and natural gas. A skilled labor force in mining and technology, as well as expertise in all major business disciplines, coupled with a government friendly to foreign investment make it an ideal African destination for entrepreneurs. Tourism is a major South African industry due to the draw of Cape Town and the national game reserves.