| 1st row F.W. de Klerk · Christiaan Barnard · Jan Smuts 2nd row Sharlto Copley · Charlize Theron · Leon Schuster 3rd row Trevor Immelman John Smit · Oscar Pistorius 4th row Tony Leon · J. M. Coetzee · Helen Zille 5th row Graeme Smith · Neill Blomkamp |
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| Total population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 4 565 825 (2011; estimated, ranges between 4.2 and 5 million in various sources. Excluding those abroad)[1]
9% of South Africa's population[1] |
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| Regions with significant populations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Throughout South Africa, but concentrated in urban areas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Languages | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Afrikaans (59%), English (39%), Other (mostly Portuguese) 1% |
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| Religion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Christianity (87%), no religion (9%), Judaism (1%),Other (3%) |
White South African is a term which refers to people from South Africa who are of European descent and who do not regard themselves, or are not regarded as being part of another racial group, for example, as Coloured.[2] In linguistic, cultural and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of mainly Dutch, German and French settlers, known as Afrikaners, and the English-speaking Anglo-Africans who share an Anglophone background (mainly of British and Irish descent). South Africa's white population is divided into about three-fifths Afrikaans-speakers (approx. 60%), with English-speakers constituting the remaining two-fiths (approx. 40%). Approximately 1% of the white population speak another language, most notably Portuguese.
White South Africans differ significantly from other white African groups, due to not only their much larger population, but because they have developed nationhood, as in the case of the Afrikaners, who established a distinct language, culture and church in Africa. The history of the Afrikaner nation can be traced back to the first white settlement of Africa with the arrival of the Dutch under Jan van Riebeeck in 1652. Therefore, their presence in Africa long predates the arrival of other white groups on the continent. White South Africans are also considered to be the last major white population group on the African continent, since the number of white people in other African states has declined to negligible figures. The role of whites in the South African economy and political arena has remained, which differs from other African countries, such as Zimbabwe, where whites retreated from the political spectrum. Whites number approximately 4.5 million, or about 9% of South Africa's population. This represents a significant decline, both numerically and proportionately, since white rule ended. It is estimated that as many as 1 million whites have emigrated from the country since the end of apartheid in 1994.
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Under the 1950 Population Registration Act, each inhabitant of South Africa was classified into one of several different race groups, of which White was one. The Office for Race Classification defined a white person as one who "in appearance is obviously a white person who is generally not accepted as a coloured person; or is generally accepted as a white person and is not in appearance obviously a white person." Many criteria, both physical (e.g. examination of head and body hair) and social (e.g. eating and drinking habits, knowledge of Afrikaans) were used when the board decided to classify someone as white or coloured.[2][3] The Act was repealed on 17 June 1991.
The 1994 Employment Equity Act aimed at achieving equality in South African workplaces. In order to do this, the act required that it be possible to distinguish between black and white South Africans. It was necessary to know if someone was considered to be black or white when evaluating the racial composition of a company's workforce.[2]
Statistics South Africa estimated that, as of July 2011[update], there were about 4,565,825 white people in South Africa, amounting to 9% of the country's population.[1] Roughly 59% of white South Africans speak Afrikaans as their mother language and about 39% speak English.[4] White speakers of Afrikaans sometimes refer to themselves as Afrikaners, but often also as "Afrikaans people" or Boers. 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 to designate them, although 'English South African' or 'English-speaking South African' is used (see Anglo-African).
Approximately 87% of white South Africans are Christian, 9% have no religion, and 1% are Jewish. The largest Christian denomination is the Dutch Reformed Church, with 34% of the white population being members. Other significant denominations are the Methodist Church (8%), the Roman Catholic Church (7%), and the Anglican Church (6%).[5]
Many white people have migrated to South Africa from other parts of Africa following the independence of those African nations or when those nations became hostile to them. Many Portuguese from Mozambique and Angola and white Zimbabweans emigrated to South Africa when their respective countries became independent.
Meanwhile, many white South Africans also emigrated to Western countries over the past two decades, mainly to English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, with others settling in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil.
According to Statistics South Africa, white Africans make up about 9% (July 2011) of the total population in South Africa.[1] Major cities in South Africa themselves actually have a white majority while the municipality they lie in has a black majority due to the inclusion of neighboring townships. Their actual proportional share in municipalities is likely to be higher, given the undercount in the 2001 census.[6]
The following table shows the distribution of white people by province, according to the Community Survey 2007[7]:
| Province | White population | Percentage of province | Percentage of whites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 304,342 | 4.7 | 6.57 |
| Free State | 266,555 | 9.6 | 5.76 |
| Gauteng | 1,923,829 | 18.4 | 41.58 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 452,224 | 4.4 | 9.77 |
| Limpopo | 114,708 | 2.2 | 2.47 |
| Mpumalanga | 249,326 | 6.8 | 5.38 |
| North West | 236,467 | 7.2 | 5.11 |
| Northern Cape | 106,178 | 10.0 | 2.29 |
| Western Cape | 973,115 | 18.4 | 21.03 |
| Total | 4,626,744 | 9.1 | 100% |
White South Africans continue to participate in politics, having a presence across the whole political spectrum from left to right. In general, white people consider themselves to be just as African as the non-white majority in South Africa.
South African President Jacob Zuma, commented in 2009 on Afrikaners being "the only white tribe in a black continent or outside of Europe which is truly African." and said that "of all the white groups that are in South Africa, it is only the Afrikaners that are truly South Africans in the true sense of the word."[8] These remarks have led to the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) laying a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against Zuma.[9]
Former president Thabo Mbeki stated in one of his speeches to the nation that: "South Africa belongs to everyone who lives in it. Black and White."[10] The history of white people in South Africa dates back to the 17th century.
There has been some rivalry and bitter feeling between Afrikaners and English-speaking Anglo-Africans. This is due in part to the Battle of Muizenberg, the First and Second Boer War, Britain's attempt to anglicize the country during the first half of the 20th century, and Afrikaner nationalism.
Prior to 1994, a white minority held complete political power under a system of racial segregation called apartheid. Many white people supported this policy, but some others opposed it; During apartheid, immigrants from Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan were considered honorary whites in the country, as the government had maintained diplomatic relations with these countries. These were granted the same privileges as white people, at least for purposes of residence.[11] African Americans were sometimes granted an 'honorary white' status as well.
Today, the majority of white people support the Democratic Alliance, a liberal party led by Helen Zille, the Premier of the Western Cape.[12] However a minority (especially among the Afrikaners) support the Freedom Front, a conservative party for Afrikaans interests.
In recent decades there has been a steady proportional (and possibly also numerical) decline in the white African population, due to higher birthrates among the non-white population of South Africa, as well as high emigration. In 1977, there were 4.3 million whites, constituting 16.4% of the population at the time.
More recently, the improved counting of the majority black African population has contributed to a sharp decline since 1994. In 1994, upon the abolition of apartheid, white Africans comprised 13.6% of the population, compared to 9.1% in January 2010. According to some previous census data, the highest proportion of white people in South Africa occurred around 1911-41, when they made up between 19-21% of the population. It is estimated that at least 800,000 white Africans have moved abroad since 1995.[13]
Like many other communities strongly affiliated with the West and Europe's colonial legacy in Africa, the white Africans are often economically better off than their black African neighbors and have only relatively recently surrendered political dominance to majority rule. There were also some white Africans in South Africa who lived in poverty--especially during the 1930s and increasingly since the end of minority rule. Current estimates of white poverty in South Africa run as high as 12%.
The new phenomenon of white poverty is often blamed on the government’s affirmative action employment legislation, which reserves 80% of new jobs for black people and favours companies owned by black people (see Black Economic Empowerment). In 2010, Reuters cited Solidarity's said that 450,000 whites lives below the poverty line[14] with some research saying that up to 150,000 are struggling for survival.[15][16]
There have been increasing incidents of racism against white South Africans since 1994. In particular the actions of racist police personnel towards white victims have attracted media attention.[17] White men arrested and held in overcrowded cells on minor or spurious charges have taken legal action against the government, as many have been raped, contracted HIV, and been assaulted by violent criminals (often rape and murder suspects) held in the same cells.[18]
There are 40,000 mostly white commercial farmers in South Africa. Since 1994, close to 3,363 [19] farmers and family members have been murdered in thousands of farm attacks, with many being brutally tortured and/or raped. Some victims have been burned with smoothing irons or had boiling water poured down their throats.[20]
The Anglo-African population has a high relative turnover rate; not just of emigration, but immigration as well: By 2005, an estimated 212,000 British citizens were residing in South Africa. By 2011, this number may have grown to 500,000.[21] Some white South Africans living in predominantly wealthy white suburbs, such as Sandton, have been affected by the 2008 13.5% rise in house robberies and associated crime. In a study, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Dr. Johan Burger, said that criminals were specifically targeting "richer" suburbs. Burger revealed that several affluent suburbs are surrounded by poorer residential areas and that inhabitants in the latter often target inhabitants in the former. Burger also related to an entitlement complex that criminals have; "They feel they are entitled, for their own sakes, to take from those who have a lot". The report also found that residents in wealthy suburbs in Gauteng were not only at more risk of being targeted but also faced an inflated chance of being murdered during the robbery.[22]
The current global financial crisis has slowed down the high rates of white people emigrating overseas and has led to increasing numbers of white emigrants returning to live in South Africa. Charles Luyckx, CEO of Elliot International and a board member of the Professional Movers Association said that in the past six months leading to December (2008), emigration numbers had dropped by 10%. Meanwhile he revealed that "people imports" had increased by 50%.[23]
Despite the decline, between 2009 and 2010, not only did the number of white South Africans increase by 112,000, but even their percentage increased from 9.1 to 9.2%.[24] This made them the fastest growing ethnic group in that period of time, with a growth rate of 2.5%, far higher than the 1.4% for black South Africans.
Statistics for the white population in South Africa vary greatly. Most sources show that the white population peaked in the period between 1989-1995 at around 5.2-5.6 million. Up to that point the white population largely increased due to high birth rates and immigration. However, between the end of apartheid and the mid-2000s the white population decreased overall (because of mass emigration), with some sources showing an overall decline of 1 million whites. However, since 2006 the population has fluctuated, rising and declining occasionally. It should be noted that the white population in some censuses are undercounted. The following table shows data from censuses and other dates, however there are undercounts in some census because farms and whites livings in gated communities reportedly do not receive census forms. The white undercount could be as much as 10%. These following figures should not be taken completely into account as some sources show the white population actually peaked at 5.6 million, rather than 5 million in 1990, and some sources also suggest that the white population still stands above 5 million, albeit 400,000 less than in 1994.
| Year | Total population | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 1,116,805 | 1904 Census |
| 1910 | 1,270,000 | Eugene Larson |
| 1965 | 3,408,000 | Stats SA |
| 1970 | 3,792,848 | 1970 Census |
| 1980 | 4,522,000 | 1980 Census[25] |
| 1985 | 4,867,000 | 1985 Census[25] |
| 1991 | 5,068,300 | 1991 Census |
| 1996 | 4,434,699 | 1996 Census |
| 2001 | 4,293,640 | 2001 Census |
| 2006 | 4,365,300 | Stats SA |
| 2009 | 4,472,100 | Stats SA |
| 2010 | 4 584 700 | Stats SA |
| Province | Percentage in 1996 | Percentage in 2001 | Percentage in 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 5.4% | 4.7% | 4.7% |
| Free State | 12.0% | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Gauteng | 22.0% | 19.9% | 18.4% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 6.5% | 5.1% | 4.4% |
| Limpopo | 2.8% | 2.5% | 2.2% |
| Mpumalanga | 7.9% | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| North West | 8.4% | 6.7% | 7.2% |
| Northern Cape | 11.0% | 12.4% | 10.0% |
| Western Cape | 20.8% | 18.4% | 18.4% |
| National | 10.9% | 9.6% | 9.5% |
| Province | White Population in 1996 | White Population in 2001 | White Population in 2007 | Total change 1996-2007 | Total % change 1996-2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 340,300 | 302,500 | 304,342 | -35,958 | -10.6% |
| Free State | 316,020 | 238,200 | 266,555 | -49,465 | -15.7% |
| Gauteng | 1,616,700 | 1,758,600 | 1,923,829 | 307,129 | +19.0% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 547,100 | 480,700 | 452,224 | -94,876 | -17.3% |
| Limpopo | 138,020 | 126,570 | 114,708 | -23,312 | -16.9% |
| Mpumalanga | 218,500 | 202,990 | 249,326 | 30,826 | +14.1% |
| North West | 281,800 | 245,850 | 236,467 | -45,333 | -16.1% |
| Northern Cape | 92,440 | 102,020 | 106,178 | 13,738 | +14.9% |
| Western Cape | 823,030 | 832,480 | 973,115 | 150,085 | +18.2% |
| Province | White Population in 1904 | White Percentage in 1904 | White Population in 1960 | White Percentage in 1960 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transvaal | 297,277 | 23.4% | 1,455,372 | 23.4 | |
| Orange Free State | 142,679 | 36.8% | |||
| Cape Province | 579,741 | 24.1% | |||
| Natal | 97,109 | 8.76% |
Contraception among white South Africans is stable or slightly falling: 80% used contraception in 1990, while only 79% used it in 1998.[26] The following data shows some fertility rates recorded during South Africa's history. However, there are varied sources showing that the white fertility rate reached below replacement (2.1) by 1980. Likewise, recent studies show a range of fertility rates, ranging from 1.3 to 2.4.
| Year | Total fertility rate[27] | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.5 | SARPN |
| 1970 | 3.1 | SARPN |
| 1980 | 2.4 | SARPN |
| 1989 | 1.9 | UN.org |
| 1990 | 2.1 | SARPN |
| 1996 | 1.9 | SARPN |
| 1998 | 1.9 | SARPN |
| 2001[28] | 1.8 | hst.org.za |
| 2006[28] | 1.8 | hst.org.za |
| 2007[29] | 1.4 | Stats SA |
The average life expectancy at birth for males and females
| Year | Average life expectancy | Male life expectancy | Female life expectancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980[30] | 70.3 | 66.8 | 73.8 |
| 1985[31] | 71 | ? | ? |
| 1997 | 73.5 | 70 | 77 |
| 2009[32][33] | 71 | ? | ? |
| Province | (strict) White unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| Eastern Cape[34] | 4.5% |
| Free State | |
| Gauteng[35] | 8.7% |
| KwaZulu-Natal[36] | 8.0% |
| Limpopo[37] | 8.0% |
| Mpumalanga[36] | 7.5% |
| North West | |
| Northern Cape[38] | 4.5% |
| Western Cape | 2.0% |
| Total |
| Province | Whites % of the workforce | Whites % of population |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cape[34] | 10% | 4% |
| Free State | ||
| Gauteng[39] | 25% | 18% |
| KwaZulu-Natal[36] | 11% | 6% |
| Limpopo[37] | 5% | 2% |
| Mpumalanga | ||
| North West | ||
| Northern Cape[38] | 19% | 12% |
| Western Cape[40] | 22% | 18% |
| Total |
Religion among white South Africans remains high compared to other white ethnic groups, but likewise it has shown a steady proportional drop in both membership and church attendance with until recently the majority of white South Africans attending regular church services.
| Religion | Number | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|
| - Christianity | 3 979 519 | 86.8% |
| - Reformed churches | 1 700 923 | 37.1% |
| - Methodist church | 362 191 | 7.9% |
| - Pentecostal/Charismatic church | 307 175 | 6.7% |
| - Apostolic church | 302 590 | 6.6% |
| - Catholic church | 298 005 | 6.5% |
| - Anglican church | 265 912 | 5.8% |
| - Presbyterian church | 77 940 | 1.7% |
| - Lutheran church | 27 508 | 0.6% |
| - Other Christian church | 618 934 | 13.5% |
| Judaism | 64 186 | 1.4% |
| Islam | 9 169 | 0.2% |
| Hinduism | 2 751 | 0.06% |
| No affiliation | 403 453 | 8.8% |
| Undetermined | 91 694 | 2.0% |
| Total | 4 584 700 |
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