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Republic of South Africa

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The seeds of South Africa's modern political history extend back to the mid-seventeenth century when the Dutch East India Company built the first permanent white settlement. By the close of the century a multiplicity of European settlers, including Dutch and German immigrants and French Huguenot refugees, were relocating to the Cape in greater numbers. South Africa's contemporary Afrikaner population is descended from this group of settlers. During the last quarter of the eighteenth century, European settlement had expanded both southward and eastward, the latter of which led to the first Dutch-Xhosa frontier war. The Dutch, however, lost control of the Cape by the turn of the century to the British. This marked the beginning of intense conflict between the Afrikaners (Boers) and the British, propelling the former to embark on a northern bound migration called the "Great Trek." This migration, subsequently, brought them into conflict and competition over land with various indigenous African groups, particularly the Zulu, who by this time had conquered much of the surrounding area under the leadership of Shaka Zulu. The Zulu fought valiantly against both the Afrikaners and the British, before losing their political independence in 1879.

The discovery of immense mineral wealth, particularly in gold and diamonds, brought the Afrikaner community and the British into conflict once again, as they competed for control of the mineral deposits. This led to a series of Anglo-Boer wars in 1880-1881 and 1899-1902. The British emerged victorious and later incorporated the Boer republics into the Union of South Africa. From its inception, in 1910, the Union of South Africa's constitution awarded all political power to the white settler minority. In continuity with historical patterns of resistance, the region's African population quickly organized themselves against this blatantly racist constitutional framework. In 1912 the South Africa Native National Congress was founded; this organization eventually became the African National Congress (ANC). The ANC spearheaded the fight against the increasing disenfranchisement of the Black majority, however, by the mid-twentieth century the Union of South Africa had emerged as a full-blown apartheid state.

In 1961 South Africa became an independent republic of the British Commonwealth, however, a year later it was forced to withdraw because of its stance on apartheid. Willing to risk the criticism of the international community, it is no wonder that South Africa's apartheid regime refused to respond to the non-violent tactics of the early anti-apartheid movement. Following the 1960 Sharpeville massacre the movement increasingly turned to armed resistance. In response to a series of popular uprisings, some members of the ruling National Party (NP) gradually began to modify their position. In 1990, under the presidency of F.W. de Klerk, sanctions were removed from all anti-apartheid groups; including the ANC and weeks later, the Honorable Nelson Mandela was released from prison. A year later the key legislative acts, which upheld the apartheid state, were dismantled. In 1994, the first non-racial national and provincial elections were held and Mandela emerged victoriously as president of the Government of National Unity. In 1999, Mandela retired from elected politics and the second round of elections was held. Thabo Mbeki, who had previously succeeded Mandela as the head of the ANC, was elected to the presidency and is currently serving the South African nation in this capacity.

Chairman's Statement:

Diamonds mined in South Africa are found in both octahedral and dodecahedral forms with faces and edges that are slightly convex. The color of a diamond varies according to the layer from which it is extracted. The diamonds extracted from the Kimberly mines range from colorless to a very light refet yellow, while the diamonds from the Premier mine range from brown, purple, and reddish hues to green-blue. The vast majority of diamonds mined in South Africa are intended for the production jewelry.

President: His Excellency Jacob Gedleyihlekisa ZUMA

Minister of Mineral Resources: Susan SHABANGU

Chamber of Mines of South Africa

P. O. Box 61809

2107, Marshallton

South Africa

Telephone: +27 11 8388211

Fax: +27 11 8341884

Population: 49,109,107

Capital: Pretoria

Major languages: 11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele, Tsonga and Tswana

Major religion: Christianity, Indigenous Belief Systems, Islam, Hindu

Life expectancy: 56 years (men), 60 years (women)

Monetary unit: 1 Rand = 100 cents

Main exports: Gold, diamonds, metals and minerals, machinery

Average annual income: US $3,170

Internet domain: .za

International dialing code: +27