Learn English in South Africa
WAR LIKE ORIGINS
The founding of Cape Town in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company was the start of European penetration of South Africa. Captain Johan Antonie van Riebeek just wanted to establish a base on the long voyage to the east, but the supply base quickly developed into a flourishing settlement and the area of Dutch colonization expanded. Over the next century, the Dutch farmers (Boers) and some of the native peoples fought on the banks of the Fish River, which formed the boundary of Dutch settlement. When the British occupied the rich, strategically important country at the beginning of the 19th century and made it a crown colony, the Boers felt oppressed by the British government and the changes forced upon them that they moved north in a mass exodus in search of new land. The “Great Trek” of 1835-1838, which the Dutch immortalized in the powerful Vortrekker Monument at the gates of Pretoria, took some 14 000 Boers north-eastwards into country that was occupied by the war like Zulu kings Shaka and Dingaan. The Boers were victorious in the bloody battles on the banks of the Blood River, which cost many lives on both sides. The Boers founded Natal, Transvaal and several republics in the area of the Orange River.
ENGLISH VS AFRIKAANS
The discovery of gold and diamonds in this region again aroused British interest, resulting in the Boer War (1899-1902) in which Britain finally overcame Boer resistance. The British, however, then attempted to settle the problem of Boer nationalism by founding the Union of South Africa in 1910- as an independent part of the British Commonwealth, but with full Boer participation in government. The desire of the Boers for independence did not fade, however, and after decades of effort, resulted in the complete separation of the Republic of South Africa from Britain in 1961. The division of the White population into the two language groups, Afrikaans and English, still persists, and even today the Afrikaans and English-speaking groups regard each other with a degree of reserve. South Africa was repeatedly in the headlines in its initial years as an independent republic, due to unrest and bloody demonstrations against apartheid.
THE END OF APARTHEID
The apartheid system was not relaxed until 1986, but the great change began in 1990, when Nelson Mandela was released after many years of imprisonment. He is undoubtedly the most famous South African and was elected president in the first free, democratic election in 1994.
LANGUAGE TRAVEL IN SOUTH AFRICA:
Language travel Cape Town
Country Information
Official Name: Republic of South Africa
Population: 47 Mio.
Capitals: Tshwane/Pretoria
Language: 7Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, North-Sotho, South-Sotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga
Staatsform: Präsidialrepublik
