South Africa’s weather and climate
South Africa is a climate patchwork of warm coastal subtropics, hot deserts, humid highlands, snow-topped mountains and an enclave of Mediterranean weather in the southwest.
Mary Alexander
Mary Alexander has more than 30 years of experience in publishing, 20 of them online. She’s worked in newspaper, magazine, educational, book and online publishing in overlapping roles: writer, illustrator, researcher, editor, webmaster, designer and project manager. Her site South Africa Gateway tells the stories of South Africa and the rest of Africa in essays, data, graphics and animation.
Africa from A to Z: fast facts on the 55 states
Africa is home to 55 countries, an ancient and complex history, modern cities, some 3,000 languages and over a billion people. From Algeria to Zimbabwe, here’s a snapshot of each country on a continent you need to know more about.
The languages of South Africa
South Africa has 12 official languages and a multilingual population fluent in at least two. IsiZulu and isiXhosa are the largest languages. English is spoken at home by under 9% of the population, two-thirds of them not white.
Nelson Mandela’s family tree
Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 and died, aged 95, in 2013. His family tree remains, growing from three wives and six children to 17 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and on …
The nine provinces of South Africa
South Africa has nine provinces, each with its own history, landscape, population, languages, economy, cities and government.
South Africa’s population
South Africa is home to 63 million people. About 81.7% of them are black, 8.5% coloured, 2.6% Indian/Asian and 7.2% white. Find out more about birth, death, age, HIV, migration and other population trends.
The plain language guide to South Africa’s Bill of Rights
It protects everyone in the country – not just citizens. The Bill of Rights safeguards the democratic values of dignity, equality and freedom, and demands that basic needs are met.
Mapping poverty in South Africa
Where are South Africa’s poorest places? Two maps find the patterns of poverty: one shows the share of households living in poverty in each municipality, the other the number of poor people living there. And an animation tries to make sense of the maps.
No evidence Uganda has discovered 320,000 tonnes of gold worth $12 trillion – and evidence against it
The claim that the small African country of Uganda has discovered 31 million tonnes of gold ore with a yield of 320,000 tonnes of refined gold is going viral. But its numbers are, simply, impossible.
Kippie Moeketsi at 100: the soul-stirring story of a South African jazz legend
He’s been dismissed as the “sad man” of South African jazz, but the musicians who knew him remember Kippie Moeketsi as a brilliant player and stern mentor, fiercely defiant of his racist world.
High scores for African countries on ‘flourishing’ index
Several African nations rank higher than the US and countries of Europe in a new scientific measure of wellbeing, thanks to strong community ties, purpose and resilience.
Mandela and Tambo: A lifetime as comrades
Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo were friends for 60 years, from student days to partnership in a law firm, through imprisonment and exile, until the final victory over apartheid.
Zimbabwean dies after Dudula members drag him from South African hospital? No, photo unrelated
15 August 2025 – The xenophobic movement has prevented migrants from entering health facilities. But the unconscious man in the photo, denied after-hours emergency care at a clinic, survived and is likely South African.
Trump ally uses four-year-old footage of South Africa’s Zuma riots to justify ‘white oppression’
7 August 2025 – Alex Jones posted an old video of a historic crisis with the suggestion it was a typical day in South Africa – and “the future of ALL Western countries if changes are not made fast”.
Shaka iLembe: finally, a TV series on the Zulu king that’s true to language and culture
Though little is actually known about the 19th century Zulu king, Shaka has long been a fantastical figure in popular culture. The acclaimed TV series Shaka iLembe, however, gets a lot right – especially the language and culture.
The workers who hunt for fossils in South Africa’s Cradle of Humankind
They have found important fossils in the human family. They have no degrees but instruct visiting researchers. Now the fossil technicians of the Sterkfontein Caves may get the recognition they deserve.
South African woman arrested for collecting child support from eight men? No, Facebook post a scam
1 August 2025 – An unrelated photo was used to claim a woman had been getting child support from eight men for the same child for 12 years. But it’s just false clickbait.
The online dictionary of South African English
Mixed with over a dozen African languages for over two centuries, spiced by imports from British, Dutch and Portuguese colonies, South African English has its own rich, varied and sometimes weird flavour.
Gallery: Free State province, South Africa
The Free State’s complicated history has played out across its varied landscape, which runs from the Maloti Mountains in the east through flat central farmlands to the Karoo desert regions in the west and south.
Gallery: Eastern Cape province, South Africa
In the Eastern Cape you’ll find the Wild Coast, the Valley of Desolation, the coastal cities of Gqeberha and East London, the visionary art of the Owl House of Nieu-Bethesda, Nelson Mandela’s birthplace in the Transkei, and more.
Robert Sobukwe: ‘There is only one race. The human race’
Robert Sobukwe was one of South Africa’s greatest but forgotten heroes of the struggle for human rights and nonracialism.
South Africa’s history uncovered: the thousand-year gap they don’t teach in school
If we abandon 1652 – when Dutch settlers arrived at the Cape – as the historical starting point and go back a thousand years, a different story emerges.
Infographic: The land area of South Africa’s nine provinces
South Africa has nine provinces, which vary in size from the small city region of Gauteng – home to more than a quarter of the population – to the great Northern Cape, by far the largest province but with the smallest population.
Infographic: Local government in the Eastern Cape
Local government in the Eastern Cape is organised into eight major municipalities. Two are metropolitan, and the other six are district municipalities. The districts are further divided into 31 local municipalities.
Infographic: Local government in the Free State
Local government in the Free State is organised into five major municipalities. One is metropolitan, and the other four district municipalities. The districts are further divided into 19 local municipalities.
Infographic: Local government in Gauteng
Local government in the city region of Gauteng is organised into five major municipalities. Three are metropolitan, and two are district municipalities. The districts are further divided into six local municipalities.
Infographic: Local government in KwaZulu-Natal
Local government in KwaZulu-Natal is organised into eight major municipalities. One is metropolitan, and the other 10 are district municipalities. The districts are further divided into 43 local municipalities.
Infographic: Local government in Limpopo
Local government in Limpopo is organised into five district municipalities. The province also has 22 smaller local municipalities, each falling under one of the five district municipalities.
Infographic: Local government in Mpumalanga
Local government in Mpumalanga is organised into three district municipalities. The province also has 17 smaller local municipalities, each falling under one of the district municipalities.
Infographic: Local government in the Northern Cape
Local government in the Northern Cape is organised into five district municipalities. The province also has 26 smaller local municipalities, each falling under one of the five district municipalities.
Infographic: Local government in North West
Local government in North West is organised into four district municipalities. The province also has 18 smaller local municipalities, each falling under one of the four district municipalities.
Infographic: Local government in the Western Cape
Local government in the Western Cape is organised into six major municipalities. One is metropolitan, and five are district municipalities. The province also has 24 smaller local municipalities, each falling under one of the five districts.
The 16 June 1976 Soweto students’ uprising – as it happened
It took one day for young South Africans to change the course of the country’s history. The day was 16 June 1976. Here is an hour-by-hour account of the 1976 Soweto students’ uprising.
Gallery: Africa from space
Explore Africa’s cities, rivers, coasts and wild places with views from above, in a selection of gorgeous astronaut and satellite photography of the continent.
Nelson Mandela 1918-2013: the timeline of a lifetime
A comprehensive timeline of the life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela – revolutionary, soldier, political prisoner, president of South Africa, statesman and global icon of social justice.
The provinces and ‘homelands’ of South Africa before 1996
Before South Africa’s 1996 constitution, the country was divided into four provinces set aside for white people, and 10 “homelands”, tiny states designated for black people.
Africanis, the original dog of Africa
They’ve been dismissed as mongrels, “township dogs”, and worse. But as a breed they are smart, tough, athletic, loyal – and ancient. They are the Africanis, the dog of Africa.
Map: Distribution of South Africa’s population groups
The distribution of South Africa’s population groups reveals the country’s history. Find out more with these maps of where black, coloured, Indian and white South Africans live today, according to the 2011 census.
Infographic: Life expectancy in South Africa from 1960 to 2015
Charting South Africans’ life expectancy is to track the country’s modern history. In 1960, when the state was grimly implementing apartheid laws, an average newborn child was expected to have a lifespan of only 52 years – 50 years for boys. In 2015, life expectancy was 62 years.
The economies of South Africa’s nine provinces
Finance is the biggest industry in Gauteng and the Western Cape. Mining dominates in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape. KwaZulu-Natal’s major industry is manufacturing. In the Eastern Cape and Free State, it’s government services.
What languages are spoken in South Africa’s nine provinces?
The home language of most people in KwaZulu-Natal is, unsurprisingly, isiZulu. In the Eastern Cape it’s isiXhosa. Around half the people of the Western Cape and Northern Cape speak Afrikaans. In Gauteng and Mpumalanga, no single language dominates.
Infographic: Population density of South Africa’s provinces in 2017
Gauteng, small but crowded, has an average of 785 people per square kilometre. The empty but enormous Northern Cape has a population density of only three people for each square kilometre.
Animation: How long do South Africans live?
This is an animation to break your heart. In any unequal society, the privileged live long lives and everyone else much shorter lives.
Download: Nelson Mandela’s family tree
Download South Africa Gateway’s detailed infographic of the family and descendants of Nelson Mandela – wives, children, great-grandchildren and more – in a range of sizes and formats.
Moving to the city: Provincial migration in South Africa from 2002 to 2017
South Africans migrate to where the jobs are. They move from poorer provinces to the richer ones, and from rural areas to the cities.
British land laws no model for expropriation – monarch doesn’t ‘own all the land’
22 July 2024 – John Hlophe, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s parliamentary leader, said state ownership of land in South Africa would be no different from England, where “all land belongs to the queen”. He’s wrong, and not just about the late queen.
Creative Commons images of South Africa
Creative Commons is a licensing system that frees creative works for others to publish and transform. The commons drives some of the best projects on the internet, including Wikipedia and South African History Online. Here’s a selection of free and open images of South Africa.
‘Crazy’ tanker truck explosion in South Africa? No, video from Brazil
22 July 2024 – New ways to make money on Twitter, now Elon Musk’s X, could be behind the otherwise inexplicable mislabelling of a dramatic video.
US secret service agents grinning after Trump assassination attempt? No, image altered
21 July 2024 – An iconic photo of secret service agents pulling Donald Trump to safety has been doctored. In the original, the agents weren’t smiling.
Israeli ‘savages’ trying to ‘tear Palestinian child apart’? No, old photo of clash between police and West Bank settlers
20 July 2024 – The person in the middle of the human tug of war is an Israeli West Bank settler, with Israeli police on one side and the settler’s comrades on the other. There is no Palestinian child to be seen.
Infographic: The population of South Africa’s nine provinces
The population of each of South Africa’s nine provinces varies enormously. According to Statistics South Africa’s 2024 population estimates, the most populous provinces are Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, and the emptiest the Northern Cape and Free State.
Infographic: South Africa’s population and age structure from 1960 to 2016
There’s a lot of talk of South Africa’s population being dominated by the youth. But we’re less youthful than we have been for decades. The end of apartheid, better healthcare, widespread social welfare and greater economic opportunities all mean South Africans are now able to live longer lives.
No ‘founding document’ gives WHO exemption from ‘criminal prosecution’
18 July 2024 – Russell Brand’s guest David Martin makes stuff up from a document he may not have read. If the WHO is a “criminal cartel”, all other UN agencies – the International Seabed Authority, for example – are too.
‘Pandemic’ post from ‘parody’ Cape independence X account, not South Africa’s Western Cape DA premier Alan Winde
18 July 2024 – Social media users have reacted angrily to an X post that suggests Alan Winde, the Democratic Alliance premier of the Western Cape, is a “new world order globalist”. But the post is just a clumsy parody.
Infographic: South Africa’s rural and urban population from 1960 to 2016
From 1960 to the late 1980s, apartheid laws kept families and communities in poor rural areas. Young men alone were allowed to move to the cities, where their labour was valuable. After the end of apartheid, from the mid-1990s, urbanisation increased rapidly.
Infographic: HIV and Aids in South Africa 1990 to 2016
In the West the peak of the Aids epidemic was in 1985. But HIV and Aids hit South Africa only in the 1990s, just as we were starting to build a new society out of the ruins of apartheid. Here, the epidemic peaked in 2006.
No, US president Biden hasn’t given citizenship to 1 million illegal immigrants – new process only to ‘keep families together’
15 July 2024 – Some 500,000 noncitizen spouses and 50,000 noncitizen children are likely to benefit from the scheme, not 1 million. And they may only apply for permanent residence, not citizenship.
Bill Gates launches maggot milk? No, Alex Jones nonsense misuses South African dairy alternative EntoMilk
14 July 2024 – “They are feeding the black people the maggots,” the InfoWars founder said as he improvised another false claim. But Gates had nothing to do with EntoMilk, an unsurprisingly discontinued ice cream made from fly larvae.
Ugandan troops sent to suppress ‘treasonous Gen Z demos’ in Kenya? No, old pic from DR Congo
11 July 2024 – The photo of a Ugandan military convoy was shot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a year ago, not during Kenya’s recent youth-led tax protests.
Photo of Ukrainian university cadets, not ‘young girls forced to fight Russia’
8 July 2024 – The pic has prompted outrage on social media. But the women are simply student cadets at Kyiv university’s military institute, their heads bowed during a ceremony for fallen graduates.
IEC commissioner arrested for decade-old graft – not for blowing whistle on ‘vote rigging’ in South Africa’s elections
5 July 2024 – Nomsa Masuku, one of South Africa’s four electoral commissioners, was arrested for fraud allegedly committed while she headed a charity a decade ago. The arrest, just weeks after the elections, had nothing to do with false claims of vote fraud.
Wikipedia edit war no proof that South Africa’s new home affairs minister Schreiber is a ‘Zimbabwean foreigner’
3 July 2024 – A Wikipedia edit changed Leon Schreiber’s nationality just 12 minutes after president Cyril Ramaphosa’s unity cabinet appointments were due to be announced. For the previous four years, the page had correctly put the new Home Affairs minister’s birthplace in South Africa.
No, Zimbabwean court hasn’t threatened ‘newly married gay couple’ with death penalty if they don’t get pregnant
23 June 2024 – The absurd and harmful claim has met approval from social media users across the world.
No, study on increased temperatures caused by cut in shipping sulphur emissions doesn’t disprove human-caused global warming
24 June 2024 – Net zero policies apply to greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. Sulphur dioxide is not a greenhouse gas.
Africans selling Africans to work in Congo mines? No, video of Nigerian military academy initiation
23 June 2024 – The false claim tries shift blame for the centuries-long transatlantic slave trade.
False claim about life-saving benefits of drinking hot water resurfaces in Afrikaans
21 June 2024 – It’s soggy old health advice, circulating online in several languages for years. And it remains false.
Video of ‘fun moment’ at Ugandan music festival, not ‘cultural practice in Namibia’
20 June 2024 – The false claim echoes harmful stereotypes about Africa’s many countries, cultures and people. The video doesn’t show a “cultural practice” – it’s just people messing about at a festival.
Zim mom came to South Africa in wheelbarrow and left with millions? No, xenophobic claim a mashup of separate events
20 June 2024 – A legal migrant from Zimbabwe was awarded R17 million in damages after a court found South Africa’s health department “100% responsible” for her child’s severe disability. She is not the woman in the photo, shot nowhere near South Africa.
Tornado video shot in US state of Kansas, not South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province
20 June 2024 – Tornadoes are not uncommon in the east of South Africa. But the video does not show the powerful twister that devastated communities near Durban in June 2024.
Zero evidence video shows boxes of ‘hidden’, ‘uncounted’ votes cast in South Africa’s 2024 elections
18 June 2024 – False claims of election rigging are on the uptick across the world, from Nigeria and Brazil to Slovakia and, notoriously, the United States. These claims undermine democracy and people’s faith in their governments.
Video of vigilante violence in Haiti, not ‘Nigerians burnt alive in South Africa’
17 June 2024 – South Africa has seen decades of xenophobic violence against people from elsewhere on the continent. But the video was shot in Haiti, and shows an attack on suspected members of powerful gangs.
South African women murdered in Nigeria as revenge for xenophobia? No, video of public assault in Uganda
11 June 2024 – The distressing video of two bloodied women being beaten up and sexually assaulted was shot on a road near Kampala. There’s no evidence that anyone involved was South African or Nigerian.
Which Candice King? South African travel influencer in video condemning Gaza bombing, not US actor with same name
10 June 2024 – “Beheaded babies!” the woman shouts into the camera in response to Israel’s airstrike on the Gaza city of Rafah. But she’s not the Vampire Diaries actor.
Russian troops taking over US base in Niger? No, photo shot in Syria
5 June 2024 – The West African country’s new military government has ordered US forces out and welcomed Russian “military trainers”. But the photo is unrelated, taken four years ago during the Syrian civil war.
International Criminal Court hasn’t issued arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu – judges still to decide
3 June 2024 – The ICC’s chief prosecutor has applied for an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu for “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in Israel’s attack on Gaza. But it’s only the first step in a long process, and no actual warrant has been issued.
How big is South Africa?
South Africa is twice the size of France and five times as big as the UK. With an area of 1.2-million square kilometres, it dwarfs the countries of Europe – except Russia – but doesn’t stand up to the giants of Asia and the Americas.
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