The structure of the population of South Africa. Indigenous people of South Africa

Square: 1.2 million km2
Population: 49 million people
Capital: Pretoria

Geographical position

The Republic of South Africa (SAR) is located in the extreme south of Africa, south of the Southern Tropic and is washed by the waters of two oceans. The cold Benguela current in the west and the warm current of Cape Agulhas in the east determine the climate and nature of the country. The slightly indented coastline and desert areas of the west coast do not contribute to its intensive development. The south coast has a more favorable geographical position for the development of maritime transport. On the territory of South Africa there are two small independent states - Lesotho and Swaziland. (Find out on the map which countries South Africa borders on.)

Natural conditions and resources

South Africa has the most powerful economic potential in Africa and is the only African country among developed countries peace. The Republic of South Africa was proclaimed in 1961.

Most of the country lies above 1000 m above sea level. Geological structure territory led to the wealth of South Africa in ore minerals and the lack of oil and gas deposits. The bowels of the country are extremely rich in manganese ores, chromites, platinum, diamonds, gold, coal, iron and uranium ores.

The territory of South Africa is located in the subtropical and tropical zones. The climate is arid, but cooler than in the north of the mainland. Average annual temperatures - +20…+23 °С. The difference between the temperatures of the hottest and coldest seasons is only about 10 °C. Annual rainfall ranges from 100mm on the west coast to 2000mm on the slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains.

The territory of South Africa is crossed by several large rivers: Orange, Limpopo, Tugela. largest river South Africa - Orange, the length of which is almost 2 thousand km. The most important industrial and agricultural regions of the country are located in its basin. Large hydraulic structures have been built on the river, including reservoirs and hydroelectric power stations. The Dragon Mountains are crossed by the Tugela River, on which is the highest waterfall in Africa - Tugela (933 m).

The soils are varied and mostly fertile: red-brown, black, gray-brown. A significant part of the territory in the center and in the east is occupied by savannahs. Tropical forests have been preserved along the banks of the rivers. Common in the south subtropical forests and evergreen shrubs. The flora of the country has about 16 thousand species, savanna formations predominate. In the most humid areas - savannahs with palm trees and baobabs, in the Kalahari and Karoo - deserted savannah (dry-loving trees, shrubs and succulents (aloe, spurge, etc.). In the Kalahari, peculiar depressions - pans, in which moisture accumulates after rains, are of particular value and juicy grass appears - good fodder for sheep.

More than 6 thousand plant species are found in the Cape Floristic Region (Cape Town region), most of which are endemic. The flower of the silver tree (protea) has become the national symbol of South Africa. Deserts and mountains, river valleys, a significant length of the ocean coast determine the diversity of the animal and flora SOUTH AFRICA. Most Diverse animal world in national parks, the most famous of them are Kruger, Kalahari-Gemsbok, in which all representatives of the animal world, including endemics, are concentrated. About 200 species of snakes are known in the country, more than 40 thousand species of insects, pockets of malarial mosquitoes and tsetse flies have been preserved.

South Africa is the richest country in Africa in terms of mineral resources. Climatic conditions allow growing cultivated plants all year round.

Population

Very difficult ethnic composition population of South Africa. About 80% of the country's citizens are black Africans who belong to various ethnic groups (Zulu, Xhosa, Suto, etc.). The population of European origin is less than 10%. The third largest population group in South Africa is mulattoes and mestizos. There is a significant population of Asian origin.

Population density 37 people/sq. km. The most densely populated areas are Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. More than 35% of the population lives in cities. Since the end of the 90s. natural population growth due to morbidity has sharply decreased and since 2005 has a negative indicator.

According to the structure of employment of the population, South Africa is a post-industrial country (65% of the working population is employed in the service sector, more than 25% in industry).

The high level of economic development made it possible to solve many social issues and ethnic relations. Previous majority local population was subjected to oppression. The policy of apartheid existed in South Africa for 45 years. She preached racial oppression of the colored population, the creation of reservations for blacks, the prohibition of mixed marriages, etc. In 1994 political regime apartheid was overthrown as a result of general elections and the refusal of the white monopoly on power. South Africa has been restored to the world community.

Cities

The capital is the city of Pretoria (more than 800 thousand people). Urban population is 64%. South Africa is dominated small towns with a population of up to 10 thousand people. In addition to Johannesburg (3.2 million people) and Pretoria, the largest cities are port cities - Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth.

Industry

The country's economy produces 2/3 of the continent's GDP. The country's economy is determined by its mining industry. About 52% of the country's exports come from mining products. The country ranks second in the world in diamond mining, and third in uranium ore mining. Almost all types of minerals have been found in South Africa, excluding oil. Coal mining is developed - in terms of the use of coal for energy, South Africa ranks 3rd in the world.

The mining industry is closely related to the production of gold bars (25% of world production) and platinum. The main center of gold mining is Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, the “economic capital” of the country. Several dozen gold mines operate here, and an urban agglomeration has formed (about 5 million people). The branch of specialization of the country is ferrous metallurgy. South African steel is the cheapest in the world. Non-ferrous metallurgy It is represented by the production of most non-ferrous metals: from copper, antimony and chromium to rare earth metals.

The service sector is developing rapidly. The banking sector and trade received the greatest development. The service sector provides up to 62% of GDP.

Agriculture

In agriculture, the leading role is played by animal husbandry, primarily wool sheep breeding. Sheep wool and leather make up a significant part of the export. They also breed large cattle and goats. South Africa is the world's largest producer of angora goat mohair (South African mohair is considered the best in the world). They also breed ostriches.

Droughts affect the development of agriculture, 1/3 of all land is subject to erosion. Cultivated land makes up about 12% of the territory. The main crops are corn, wheat, sorghum. South Africa provides itself with all basic food products, exports sugar, vegetables, fruits and berries, citrus fruits. Many lands are marginal and need constant irrigation and fertilization.

Transport

The main inter-district mode of transport in South Africa is rail. Railways connect port cities with industrial centers. The role of road transport is growing, which accounts for 80% of all transportation in the country. The most important seaports- Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, etc.

South Africa is the only highly developed country in Africa. South Africa is known in the world as the leader in gold mining - 25% of world production. The South African economy accounts for 2/3 of the continent's GDP.

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Population structure and size

The population of South Africa is 52 million. The diversity of ethnic and racial composition of the country is one of the first on the continent. On the basis of ethnicity, residents can be divided into blacks, whites, coloreds and Asians. The number of whites is decreasing every year. The reason for this is emigration to other countries, as well as a significant increase in blacks.

The black population of South Africa is almost 80%. Most of them are Bantu peoples. These include the Zulus, Sotho, Tsonga, Xhosa, Tswana, Shangaan, Swazi, and others. Colored people also live in the country. Basically, these are mulattoes - the descendants of mixed European and African marriages. The southeast is home to Asians, the vast majority of whom are Indians. The colored population includes the Cape Malays and the Bushmen with the Hottentots.

Due to the huge national diversity in the republic, 11 official languages. Ethnic Europeans speak Afrikaans. For some Europeans in the country, English is native, at the same time it performs the function of an international language. The rest of the state languages ​​belong to the Bantu group.

Indigenous people of South Africa

The question of who rightfully owns the territory of the Republic of South Africa has always been acute. Black and white populations have long fought for the title of indigenous. In fact, both the Europeans who arrived in the 17th century and the Bantu tribes are colonizers for these lands. The true population of South Africa is the Bushmen and Hottentots.

The tribes of these peoples settled throughout, including South Africa. They belong to the capoid race - a subclass of the large Both peoples are similar in appearance, for example, lighter than that of blacks, skin with a reddish tint, thin lips, short stature, Mongoloid features. Their language belongs to the Khoisan group, differs from all world languages ​​in clicking consonants.

Despite the outward similarity, the tribes that make up the indigenous population of South Africa differ. The Hottentots are pastoralists, have a more developed material culture. They are a warlike people. Often they had to fight to defend the right to exist from the colonialists. Bushmen, on the contrary, are peaceful and calm. The colonialists massively exterminated these people, pushing them closer and closer to the Kalahari Desert. As a result, the Bushmen developed excellent hunting skills.

Hottentots and Bushmen are not numerous. The first live in reservations, some live and work in cities and villages. Their number in South Africa is almost 2 thousand people. There are about 1,000 Bushmen in the country. They live in small groups in the desert area and are endangered.

white population

AT given time The number of whites in the country is approximately 5 million. Only 1% of them are immigrants. The rest of the white population of South Africa is represented by the descendants of the colonizers. A significant group (60%) are Afrikaners, about 39% are Anglo-Africans.

The first Europeans to arrive in South Africa in 1652 were the Dutch. They were followed by the Germans, French, Flemings, Irish and other peoples. Their descendants are united in a nationality called Afrikaners. Their native language is Afrikaans, formed on the basis of Dutch dialects. Separately, among the Afrikaners, the subculture of the Boers stands out.

The population of South Africa is also made up of Anglo-Africans; they use English as their native language. Their ancestors arrived on the territory of the state in the 19th century, sent by the British government. Mostly they were English, Scots and Irish.

Apartheid

The population of South Africa was constantly in a state of confrontation. Enmity took place not only between the Bantu peoples and the whites, but also between groups of European settlers. At the beginning of the 20th century, the white population took a dominant position. Over time, the main goal was to separate the white inhabitants of the country from the blacks.

In 1948, the Afrikaners ideologically unite with the Anglo-Africans, heading for a policy of racial segregation, or apartheid. The black population was completely disenfranchised. He was denied a quality education, medical care and a normal job. It was forbidden to appear in white neighborhoods, ride in transport, and even stand next to

The world community and individual groups of people and organizations have been trying to end apartheid for more than 20 years. This was finally achieved only in 1994.

General" population English possessions is about 15 million, the southern part of the Portuguese Mozambique, about 2.5 million. These data are approximate. General censuses, more or less accurately determining the population, are carried out in the Union of South Africa (last census taken May 7, 1946) and in Southern Rhodesia (last census - August 1, 1948). Statistical data for other territories, to a certain extent, fully take into account only the adult male population: this is necessary for taxing and identifying labor reserves. The number of the rest of the population is taken into account by colonial officials very approximately, while allowing great arbitrariness.

Professor Shapera of the University of Cape Town speaks of the population censuses for Bechuanaland as follows: 4 / "None of these censuses can be recognized as accurate, ... earlier censuses cannot be trusted at all." In support of this assessment, he cites two striking examples. In one of the official reports on the population of the Ganzi region, it was indicated that 7 thousand men live there, 3 thousand. women, and only 10 thousand people. The ratio of men to women (7:3) was clearly absurd, nevertheless these data were included in the report. Two years later, another colonial official assigned to the area reported that there were "approximately 2,000 people" living in the Ghanzi area. Another example: a report for 1936 indicated that 42,158 people lived in the Tavana Reserve; in 1939-1940 the commission for the study of sleeping sickness traveled to all the villages of this reserve, counted the population of each village and came to the conclusion that the population of the reserve does not exceed 35 thousand. 1

Even worse is the accounting of the ethnic composition of the population. The accounting is based on the racial principle - by skin color: whites are Europeans, blacks are natives, “colored” are mulattoes, etc. All Bantu speakers are combined into one general group “natives”, and in some cases they are included in it and mulattos, hottentots and bushmen, in others - mulattos, hottentots and bushmen are counted separately under the group "colored". Only Europeans are accurately counted.

The following table, compiled from the latest censuses and estimates of the last five years, gives a rough picture of the ethnic composition of the English dominions (thousands):

In Mozambique, the Bantu population in 1940 was estimated at 5 million, Europeans and other non-Bantu in 1945, there were 60 thousand, including 15 thousand mulattoes and 10 thousand Indians; it is not possible to determine separately the ethnic composition of the population of the southern part of Mozambique.

Bantu

The predominant mass of the population of South Africa (about 78%) are, therefore, the Bantu.

The Bantu speak several languages. The most important of them:

Xhosa is a well-established and most numerous ethnic group of the South African Bantu. All the Spit live in South Africa, mainly (85.3%) in the eastern part of the Cape Province, in the Transkei and Ciskei reserves (“on the other” and “on this” side of the Kei river). The Zulus are also a well-established people. Most of them live in the province of Natal (76% of the total population of the province). Outside South Africa, the Zulus live in Swaziland and Basutoland. In addition to the Zulus proper, the Zulu language is spoken by Matabele in Southern Rhodesia, Ndebele in the northwestern part of the Transvaal. Most of the Swazis (223 thousand) live in the Transvaal; only 160,000 Swazis live in the Swaziland Protectorate. Xhosa, Zulu and Swazi languages ​​are related (they are combined into one group under common name nguni). The total number of peoples speaking them is more than 5 million. They inhabit, excluding Matabele and Ndebele, one continuous territory and have all the prerequisites for merging into one nation. The Basotho live mainly in South Africa, in the provinces of Transvaal and the Orange Free State. About half a million Basotho live in the Basutoland Protectorate. Among the Basotho of the Transvaal, the northern Basotho, or Pedi, stand out in terms of language. More than half (68.9%) of the Bechuans also live in South Africa, mainly in the Transvaal and the Cape. The Basotho, Bechuans and Pedi together make up more than 3 million people, mostly inhabit a continuous territory and form a single ethnic mass. The Mashona live mainly in Southern Rhodesia, constituting, together with the Matabele, the main population of the colony. About 20% of the machon live in Mozambique. The Tsonga inhabit Mozambique and the adjacent regions of the Transvaal and Natal. The Ndonga, Kuanyama and Herero languages ​​are spoken by the Bantu of Southwest Africa and the surrounding areas of Angola.

A review of the Bantu settlement shows a picture typical of the whole of Africa: colonial borders do not correspond to ethnic ones, peoples are torn apart. This circumstance, along with the general colonial regime, greatly hinders the merger of the tribes and peoples of the South African Bantu into national communities.

The table shows the composition of the Bantu population of the South African provinces and protectorates by main ethnic groups (as a percentage of the total) 1 .

On the one hand, compact ethnic arrays of Xhosa, Zulus, Basotho and Bechuans stand out. On the other hand, there has already been a significant interpenetration, mixing of ethnic groups; the territorial boundaries of ethnic groups are erased, crossed. Recently, due to the growth of the population of cities and mining centers, this process is proceeding quite quickly. At present it is still difficult to judge the contours of the emerging nations; they will be finally determined only with the victory of the anti-imperialist forces and the liberation of the Bantu from colonial enslavement.

gender age

The proportion of children under the age of 15 among non-whites is 45%, while among whites it is only 33%. The number of elderly people among non-whites does not exceed 5%, while among whites it is above 10%. These data serve as one of the objective evidence of the difficult conditions in which the majority of the country's population lives.

The number of male and female populations in the country as a whole is approximately the same, although in some areas there is a sharp disproportion (for example, in bantustans, the female population sharply exceeds the male population). Average life expectancy (for 1998): 60 years (men), 65 years (women); for the white population, this figure is 73 years, and for Africans - only 57 years.

National composition

The ethnic composition of the population of South Africa is very complex. The oldest inhabitants of the country are Bushmen, Hottentots and numerous peoples language family Bantu. On the rocks and in the mountain caves of the South Coast, rock paintings of the Bushmen of a thousand years ago were found. Archaeological excavations have discovered a number of Bantu settlements in the central regions of the country dating back to the 1st millennium AD.

The history of the formation of the population of South Africa is typical for many resettlement colonies. The influx of Europeans from Holland, England, France, Portugal and other European countries, the importation of slaves from Madagascar and West Africa, the attraction of Indians - these are the factors that contributed to the creation of the modern ethnolinguistic composition of the country's population.

In 2001, the entire population of South Africa, according to official statistics, was divided into 4 racial and ethnic groups: Africans (about 34 million); whites (persons of European origin) (6.9 million); mestizos or, according to the official terminology adopted in South Africa, "colored" (4.4 million) and Asians (1.3 million).

Fearing the rallying of the national liberation forces in the country, the government artificially strives to divide individual ethnic groups, to preserve tribal remnants among Africans, and to kindle national enmity between different peoples.

In South Africa, 11 languages ​​of various nationalities and ethnic groups inhabiting the country are approved as state languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Pedi, Suto, Tswana, Swazi, Venda, Tsonga. According to 1996 statistics, the most widely spoken language is Zulu. The second most popular language is Xhosa; followed by Afrikaans. On the English language spoken by about 8.6% of the population. However, this language is widely used in official and business contacts.

Africans are the most large group(about 77% of the total population). The African population consists of the Bantu, Bushmen and Hottentot peoples. During the Bantu advance to the south, they pushed back the Bushmen and Hottentots, who, having settled in the territory of the Transvaal and the Orange Province, partially assimilated among the Bantu. There are very few Bushmen left today, most of them living in the barren, malarial regions of the northwestern Kalahari.

Numerous Bantu tribes came to South Africa from East Africa and the upper reaches of the river. Congo in the first centuries of our era. By the time of the appearance of Europeans, numerous tribes lived in Natal and the eastern regions of the Cape Province. late XIX in. developed into two ethnic groups - Zulu and Xhosa.

The High and Middle Weld were inhabited by Basotho and Bechuana. North of the Transvaal - bavenda. From the very beginning of European colonization, the South African Bantu waged a struggle against their enslavers, during which the processes of consolidation of a number of South African peoples intensified, public entities Zulu and Basotho led by Chaka, Dingaan, Ketchwayo and Moshesh.

Currently, the most numerous are the Zulu (in the early 90s - 5029 thousand people), the Xhosa (4897 thousand), the Tswana (2013 thousand) and the Swazi (590 thousand). Zulu, Xhosa and Swazi are usually grouped into the Nguni language group. A single language group is made up of Basotho and Bechuans. The number of Basotho exceeds 2 million people, of which approximately? live in South Africa - in the provinces of Transvaal and Orange.

The Bechuans, with a population of more than 0.5 million people, occupy the northeastern regions of the Cape Province and the Transvaal. In the regions of Natal and Transvaal adjacent to Mozambique, the Bavenda are inhabited, and in the northwestern regions of the Cape Province, near the border with Namibia, one can meet Herero-speaking Bantu.

Significant changes have taken place in the social life of Africans: large patriarchal families have been replaced by small ones; the number of polygamous families has sharply decreased; religious beliefs have changed.

Instead of traditional tribal cults, European colonists imposed Christianity on the Bantu. In the Bantustans, the division of labor between men and women, which has long been established among the Bantu, has been violated. If earlier men were engaged in cattle breeding, and women - in agriculture, now almost all work in bantustans is done by women and the elderly. Young men are forced to spend most of their time working outside the bantustans. Africans are the main work force in the economy of South Africa: 58.6% of employees in non-agricultural sectors and 84.9% in agriculture.

Whites (persons of European origin) are the second largest group of the country's population (11%). Its backbone is made up of Afrikaners, or Boers (about 60% of the European population), and the British (38%). People from other European countries and countries of the Middle East also live in South Africa. The most numerous of them are Germans and Jews (1% each). The European community in South Africa is one of the richest in the world. The spiritual kinship between the rulers of South Africa and Israel, the identity of the tasks entrusted to them by world imperialism, explains the ever stronger alliance between Pretoria and Tel Aviv.

Afrikaners, descendants of the first Dutch colonists, have long lost contact with the Netherlands and consider South Africa their homeland.

The Afrikaner language - Afrikaans - has absorbed many elements of German, French, Bantu languages ​​and only very vaguely resembles its basic language - Dutch. Unlike them, the British maintain close ties with their homeland, primarily expressed in the common language. At the same time, language is one of significant differences between Afrikaners and British. Both languages ​​- Afrikaans and English - are called state languages in South Africa. Even in schools, teaching is often conducted in parallel in two languages. Afrikaners and English also differ in religion. Afrikaners belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, while the British belong to the Anglican, Lutheran, etc.

Historically, the Boers were mainly engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding, while the British were engaged in trade and industry. In recent years, the established delimitation of spheres of activity between these ethnic groups is disappearing. Over the last quarter of a century, Afrikaners have intensified the process of mastering key positions in various industries. Afrikaners predominate in the police, the army and among civil servants.

Coloreds (9%) are a very heterogeneous group of the population. Three-quarters of this group are actually colored people, whose racial identity cannot be determined. These are descendants from mixed marriages of Europeans with representatives of the indigenous population of South Africa - mestizos. Along with them, the Cape Malays and others are included in this group. The official South African statistics also incorrectly include the Bushmen and Hottentots.

Colored people speak either Afrikaans or English. The vast majority of them live in the cities of the Cape (about 90%), where they are employed in services, manufacturing and construction.

Asians (mostly South Asians) make up the "youngest" group (3%). It began to form only in the 60s of the XIX century, when, in order to expand sugar cane plantations in Natal and due to a lack of skilled workers, contracted agricultural workers from India began to be imported to southern Africa. In less than half a century, from 1870 to 1911, the number of imported Indians reached 100 thousand, and in 1980 it amounted to 792 thousand people.

Religious composition

Although South Africa is the most Christianized state in modern Africa, the dominant religion among the white and colored population is Protestantism; about 50% of Africans adhere to local beliefs and about 15% are members of Christian-African churches and sects. The rest are Africans and the majority of the white and colored population are Christians.

More than 80% of the population of South Africa are adherents of Christianity: independent African churches unite more than 8 million believers, the Reformed Church occupies the second place in terms of the number of parishioners, and the Roman Catholic takes the third place.

A small percentage of believers are divided between the Methodist, Anglican, Apostolic, Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches. More than 400 thousand people profess Hinduism, 300 thousand - Islam.

Most of the mestizos are Christians and follow a distinctly Western way of life, they speak Afrikaans. About 1.5 million people belong to the Reformed Church (Afrikaners). More than 80 percent of them live in the Cape Province. The people of Asian origin in South Africa are mostly Indians, but there are also people from other countries.

Coloreds are almost 90% Christian; more than 500 thousand of them form a large community in the Reformed Church. In addition, there are many Anglicans, Methodists, Congregationalists and Catholics among them. Cape Malays practice Islam. Most Indians (over 2/3) profess Hinduism, more than 1/5 are adherents of Islam, about 7% are Christians, and about the same number of representatives of other religions - Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, etc.

Despite the fact that Christianity and other introduced religions appeared in southern Africa earlier than in other parts of the continent, a significant number of the African population continues to adhere to traditional beliefs and religions.

Education

The education of whites has the task of preparing them broadly and comprehensively for the performance of leading functions in society. Non-whites, and above all Africans, receive the minimum knowledge necessary to perform work at the lower levels. modern production. Discrimination pervades all spheres of the education system.

Under the Bantu Education Act of 1953, schools for Africans were removed from the jurisdiction of the provincial authorities and transferred to the Bantu Ministry of Education (since 1977 - the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training). In 1961, vocational education for colored people was transferred to the Department of Colored Affairs, and in 1963, all primary and secondary schools for colored people were transferred. Later, the same measures were taken against the Indians.

Per capita education spending varies by racial group. At the end of the 1990s, an average of R64 was allocated per African student, and R561 per year for a European.

African parents are forced to pay for the education of their children from their meager means, or else compensate for monetary contributions by personal labor (construction and maintenance of school buildings, etc.). Education of children of white citizens is provided free of charge.

Africans, on the other hand, must pay tuition and examination fees, bear the cost of purchasing textbooks, school uniforms, transport and school lunches.

Education in secondary school is divided into two cycles: the first - 3 years and the second - 2 years, in total 5 years, which are preceded by 2 preparatory years. For African students, there is an 8th year of study in primary school- "standard 6". While for white children schooling is compulsory for nine years (from 7 to 16), for Africans it is compulsory for only four years, and for colored children it is seven years, "where necessary and where facilities permit."

Most Africans entering school receive only primary education, as the cost of education rises sharply in the upper grades. The fourth part is eliminated after the first year, only 1% receive a certificate, and only 0.2% go to universities. Approximately the same situation exists in the school for colored and Indians. Among white students, 63% remain in elementary school, 30% go to high school, and 7% go to university. In 1990, 60.3% of the male and 55.4% of the female population of bantustans did not study at all.

In addition to ordinary schools in South Africa, there are so-called farmer schools, primitive in terms of the level of education and equipment, for the children of Africans working for hire in agriculture. Such schools are entirely dependent on farmers. School education is designed to keep students behind the farm as wage laborers.

Vocational and vocational schools in South Africa are not numerous and, in accordance with the principle of separate development, are strictly delimited in terms of goals and objectives. Those schools that are intended for Africans aim to prepare young people for work in areas where Africans live.

In general, the education system of South Africa provides 100% literacy of the white population. Among the African population it is in 1992 66%.

The organization of schools or classes for the education of the illiterate is prohibited by law unless they are officially "registered". In total, there are 54 night schools in South Africa, including in countryside where there is a particular need for this kind of educational institutions, - about 10. Consequently, not receiving sufficient knowledge at school, the African population is deprived of the opportunity to replenish their education in the future.

healthcare

The health care system in South Africa, like all other areas of social welfare, is an example of the severe racial discrimination that non-white residents of the country are subjected to. South Africa has several health services for each of the racial groups: whites, Africans, people of color and Asians. The level of health care for each of these population groups is quite different.

Medical care for the population in South Africa is better than in some Western developed capitalist countries. In 1991, there was one doctor for every 450 whites (the highest in the west), allowing the South African authorities to advertise South Africa as a "country of health".

At the same time, among Asians, one doctor accounted for 960 people, among colored people - for 6.2 thousand, and among Africans - for 44 thousand people. Thus, in terms of the provision of doctors to the entire population of South Africa, it is inferior to England, France and Germany by approximately 2.5 times.

Medical personnel are subject to pay discrimination. In the 90s wage a colored doctor was 80% and an African 70% of the salary of their white colleague of equal qualification.

A two-week hospital stay for a white man with three children and an annual income of R2,400 costs R1. Treatment of other population groups with a similar family and the same income for the same period costs 37.5 rand. The unavailability of treatment, combined with difficult socio-economic living and working conditions, have the most adverse impact on the health status of these South African citizens.

The state of health of the population is also evidenced by such an important indicator as the mortality of children under the age of one year per 1,000 newborns.

Birth and death rates in 1999 - 2000 (per 1000 people)

Table 4

In 1975-1976 government spending on the health of the white population amounted to 224.6 million rand, African - 394.1 million rand (including 64.4 million rand in bantustans). Private spending on white health care accounted for 94% of all spending in this sector. In bantustans, this figure was 20 times lower.