Whites in South Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| White South African | |
|---|---|
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| Total population | 4,240,000+ |
| Regions with significant populations | Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban |
| Language | Afrikaans, English and Portugues |
| Religion | Christian Protestant (Calvinist) |
| Related ethnic groups | Whites and White African |
People of European descent in South Africa not only include the majority Afrikaner, but also a sizeable population of various British or continental European ancestries who identify more with English than other South African languages and more with the Anglophone World and Anglophone Diaspora than with the creole Boer culture more attached to African soil.
There are about 4.24 million whites in South Africa. 60% of them speak Afrikaans as their mother language and about 39% speak English. The Afrikaans speakers refer to themselves as Afrikaners. Unlike the Afrikaners, the English speakers have not constituted a coherent political or cultural entity in South Africa, hence the absence of a commonly accepted term, although 'English South African' or 'English-speaking South African' is used (see Anglo-African). Many whites have immigrated to South Africa, following the independence of the African nations. Many Portuguese from Mozambique and white Zimbabweans emigrated to South Africa, when their countries became independent. Many white South Africans have also emigrated to first world countries during the 90's.
It should be noted that during Apartheid, immigrants from Taiwan, Korea and Japan where considered as honorary white in the country, as the Government had and maintained diplomatic relations with these countries. These where granted the same privileges as whites. African-Americans were sometimes granted an 'honorary white' status as well, based on the government's belief that they were "civilised" and possessed western values.
Whites make up about 9.6% of the total population in South Africa and are a in large minorities in many cities and provinces in South Africa. In Cape Town they are about 18,7%, in Johannesburg 16%, and in Durban 8,9%.
In recent decades there has been a sharp decline in the white population due to emigration. Compared to the official statistic in 2001 when the white population stood at 13%, there is a significant drop of 3.4%.
Like many other communities strongly affiliated with the West and Europe's colonial legacy in Africa, the whites of South Africa are often economically better off than their black African neighbors, but have nonetheless surrendered political dominance to majority rule. It should be noted that, during all times, there are also whites in South Africa who live in poverty.
South African whites continue to participate in politics, having presence across the whole political spectrum from left to right. In general, whites consider themselves to be just as South African as the non-white majority in South Africa. The history of whites in South Africa dates back to the 16th century.
There has been some rivaly and bitter feeling between Afrikaners and English-speaking whites. This is due in part to the Second Boer War, Britain's attempt to anglicise the country during the first half of the 20th century, and Afrikaner nationalism.
Before 1994, the white minority of South Africa had political power under a system of racial segregation called Apartheid. Many whites supported the government and apartheid, but there was a large opposition as well, and white liberals gained large electroral support.
