What type of state is south africa

View All Projects. Research View All Research. Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly. View All Experts. Stay Connected. What's New. Latest Events. Within these caves, archaeologists have uncovered some of the earliest human fossils ever found. Some are more than two million years old. The find earned the region the nickname "Cradle of Humankind. About 24, years ago, tribes of hunter-gatherers known as the San, or Bushmen, began moving into South Africa. Many San still live, much as their ancestors did, around the Kalahari Desert in the northwest.

In the s, European ships heading to the Far East began stopping on the South African coast for supplies. In , the Netherlands established the southern city of Cape Town, and Dutch farmers, called Boers, began settling in the areas around the city. In , wars in Europe left the British in control of the Cape Town colony. In , the British united four colonies in the region and created South Africa. They established laws that separated whites from black South Africans, a practice of segregation called apartheid, which led to decades of conflict.

In , Nelson Mandela, head of the anti-apartheid African National Congress, was given a life sentence in jail for "terrorist" activities. In , after 27 years behind bars, he was freed by President F. In , Mandela was elected president of South Africa and served until All rights reserved.

They foster an integrated approach to governance that is aimed at improving government planning, decision-making and service delivery. The main objective is to ensure proper coordination of all government programmes at national and provincial levels.

The main functions of the clusters are to ensure the alignment of government-wide priorities, facilitate and monitor the implementation of priority programmes and to provide a consultative platform on cross-cutting priorities and matters being taken to Cabinet. The 12 outcomes identified by Government include:. This was followed by the 9th National Imbizo Fortnight of Activism from 12 to 25 November held under the same theme. He returned as deputy president in , before finally taking the top job from the scandal-plagued Mr Zuma.

Read full profile. South Africa is the continent's major media player, and its broadcasters and press reflect the diversity of its people. Established state-run and commercial TV broadcast nationally, and hundreds of thousands of viewers subscribe to satellite and cable.

Some key events in South Africa's history:. ANC banned. The challenge to white rule escalates over the years. He resigns in over corruption charges.