South Africa

• claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay exclave and 12 offshore islands administered by South Africa;
• South Africa and Namibia have agreed to jointly administer the area for an interim period;
• the terms and dates to be covered by joint administration arrangements have not been established at this time;
• and Namibia will continue to maintain a claim to sovereignty over the entire area

• mostly semiarid;
• subtropical along coast;
• sunny days, cool nights

noun:

South African(s)

adjective:

South African

conventional long form:

Republic of South Africa

conventional short form:

South Africa

• Pretoria (administrative);
• Cape Town (legislative);
• Bloemfontein (judicial)

• 4 provinces;
• Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal;
• there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US - 4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa)

white political parties and leaders:

• National Party (NP), Frederik W. DE KLERK (majority party);
• Conservative Party (CP), leader NA (official opposition party);
• Democratic Party (DP), Zach DE BEER;
• Afrikaner Volksunie (AVU), Andries BEYERS

Colored political parties and leaders (see Note):

• Labor Party (LP), Allan HENDRICKSE (majority party);
• National Party (NP);
• Democratic Party (DP);
• Freedom Party

Indian political parties and leaders:

• Solidarity, J. N. REDDY (majority party);
• National People's Party (NPP), Amichand RAJBANSI;
• Merit People's Party

note: the Democratic Reform Party (DRP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP) were disbanded in May 1991

• African National Congress (ANC), Nelson MANDELA, president;
• Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president;
• Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Clarence MAKWETU, president

House of Assembly (whites):

• last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by NA March 1995);
• results - NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%;
• seats - (178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34;
• note - by February 1992, because of byelections, splits, and defections, changes in number of seats held by parties were as follows: NP 102, CP 36, DP 28, AVU 5, independent 7

House of Representatives (Coloreds):

• last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held no later than March 1995);
• results - percent of vote by party NA;
• seats - (85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1, independents 2;
• note - by October 1992 many representatives had changed their allegiance causing the following changes

in seating:

NP 44, LP 27, DP 6, Freedom Party 1, independents 6, vacant 1

House of Delegates (Indians):

• last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held no later than March 1995);
• results - percent of vote by party NA;
• seats - (45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's Party 3, independents 6, other 6;
• note - due to delegates changing party affiliation, seating as of October 1992

is as follows:

Solidarity 25, NPP 7, Merit People's Party 2, other 8, independents 3

note: tentative agreement to hold national election open to all races for a 400-seat constitutient assembly on 27 April 1994

chief of mission:

Ambassador Harry SCHWARZ

chancery:

3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

(202) 232-4400

consulates general:

Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, Houston, and New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Princeton N. LYMAN

embassy:

Thibault House, 225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria

telephone:

[27] (12) 28-4266

FAX:

[27] (12) 21-9278

consulates general:

Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

• actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue;
• the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side

• accounts for about 5% of GDP and 30% of labor force;
• diversified agriculture, with emphasis on livestock;
• products - cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables;
• self-sufficient in food

• 20,638 km route distance total;
• 20,324 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track);
• 314 km of 610 mm gauge;
• substantial electrification of 1.067 meter gauge

total:

899

usable:

713

with permanent-surface runways:

136

with runways over 3,659 m:

5

with runways 2,440-3,659 m:

10

with runways 1,220-2,439 m:

221

• the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa;
• it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication stations;
• key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria;
• over 4,500,000 telephones;
• broadcast stations - 14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV;
• 1 submarine cable;
• satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

• males age 15-49 10,294,211;
• fit for military service 6,279,190;
• reach military age (18) annually 425,477 (1993 est.);
• obligation for service in Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18;
• black and white volunteers for service in permanent force must be 17;
• national service obligation for white conscripts is one year;
• figures include the so-called homelands not recognized by the US