Proudly.co.za Real South Africa

Written by Pieter Boshoff and edited by Claire K

We are a country that was for many decades known mainly for its mineral riches and the system of Apartheid.

Since 1990 South Africa has been going through a lot of changes; the country was given the name of “Rainbow nation” by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, because of the diverse people. The world still stands amazed at the way South Africa went through the transition. Everybody expected civil war and a total collapse of all services. Instead of this, the Miracle happened, the miracle of South Africa. South Africans started working together, voted Nelson Mandela in as their first democratic president. Someone that has achieved the status of “Legend” in his own lifetime, not only in his country, but also all over the world. Nelson Mandela personifies what South Africans are striving for.

South Africa was also blessed with beauty beyond anything else, anywhere else. From Cape Point past the majestic Table Mountain that overlooks and embraces the city of Cape Town, you can travel up the West Coast, where once a year the whole world turns into a magical land full of flowers all over. You will be amazed by the beauty of the Fish River Canyon, and you can travel into Mpumalanga meaning the place where the sun rises-, and visit places like God’s Window and the Kruger National Park, a national game park twice the size of the state of Texas. In Kwazulu Natal, the majestic ancient Zulu Kingdom, the natural beauty continues with the Valley of a Thousand Hills, and then you will get the popular coastal city of Durban. The tropical climate here makes this the ideal year-round family destination. You just need to travel South for a short while and you will see the Wild Coast, and like the name suggests, it is wild and rugged and beautiful. This is also where Nelson Mandela was born, grew up and played in the fields. Traveling back to Cape Town you will pass the world-famous surfing spot, Jeffreys Bay and then suddenly enter another magical world: The Garden Route. Indigenous Forests, amazing coastlines and Majestic mountains form part of this magical land.

South Africa has many problems, we know that, and we believe we should not hide them, but rather that we all must work together to overcome them. The biggest of these are poverty, crime and HIV/Aids. The most important thing is to encourage investment and job creation as this will be the first step in healing all the legacies we have from an era of suffering.

We are a nation of courage, of optimism, of love and caring. The thing most tourists comment on about South Africa is the smiles and friendliness of the people.

“Ubuntu” is an ancient South African word, meaning “humanity to others” and also meaning “I am what I am because of who we all are” that is installed in most of our population.