| When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so the saying | | | | further North in the Gauteng and in the KwaZulu-Natal |
| goes, but when in South Africa, it can become quite | | | | Province which is named after them. The Xhosa |
| difficult to follow this with the vast amounts of | | | | language is famous for its clicks which are used in |
| languages and culture that exists here. A truly diverse | | | | speech. The clicks you hear are used for the letters c, |
| nation in every sense of the word, South Africa | | | | x and q. In Zulu you will not have any clicks, although |
| boasts 11 official languages and a multitude of cultures | | | | many of the words are similar. The heritage of the |
| that have over time blended and mixed to create a | | | | Xhosa people lies very closely with the political nature |
| plethora of interesting features and people. The most | | | | of South Africa as the famous Nelson Mandela is |
| widely spoken language in South Africa is of course | | | | from Xhosa descent as is most of the ANC (African |
| English and this is the main platform for businesses and | | | | National Congress) party he formed part of. The |
| industry in the country. The other languages that are | | | | current president, Thabo Mbeki is also Xhosa speaking. |
| official and that are present in the relevant schools | | | | The traditional dress of the Xhosa people is colorful |
| according the region they are located in are Afrikaans, | | | | with lots of beading, embellishments and patterns. They |
| Zulu, Xhosa, Venda, Tswana, Pedi, Tsonga, Swazi, | | | | often wear ankle bracelets which are used for making |
| Sotho, and Ndebele. | | | | sound effects during dance rituals and celebrations. |
| Afrikaans is the languages derived from and still | | | | The Zulu tribe was very powerful in the time of King |
| closely related to Dutch or Flemish. Most of the | | | | Shaka and used to be the main tribe in the land. After |
| Afrikaans speaking people are of Dutch decent, with | | | | the fall of Shaka and Dingaan, there have been less |
| some of the Cape Colored community also adopting | | | | conspicuous Kings / Chiefs with the current Chief |
| this as their native tongue. In the farmland regions, | | | | being Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The Zulu tribes formed |
| Afrikaans is widely spoken and many African people | | | | the IFP or Inkatha Freedom Party during the Apartheid |
| speak this as their second language as opposed to | | | | years and have a strong following. The Zulus are |
| English. The culture of the Afrikaans / Dutch | | | | renowned for their dress. They carry long spears and |
| descendants stems mainly from the arrival in South | | | | body length shields usually covered in some kind of |
| Africa. Jan Van Riebeeck was the first Dutchman to | | | | animal hide. They wear feathered head dresses and |
| land on South African soil and from here more and | | | | are characterized for their unique dancing style. This |
| more people began to descent upon the peaceful, | | | | style was adapted by the Zulu mine workers to |
| beautiful and fertile land. Most of the Afrikaans people | | | | include some Western moves and Gumboot dancing is |
| are farmers and wine makers with Simon Van der | | | | now a popular dance form. |
| Stel being the first person to insist that the Cape | | | | Beside the official languages that are spoken there are |
| Wines could be bottled and sold to create a booming | | | | lots of other cultures and religions that form part of |
| wine industry. | | | | South Africa. Muslims form a large part of the |
| The most famous symbol that Afrikaaners are | | | | community, especially in the Western Cape. There is |
| associated with is the Voortrekker (pioneer). These | | | | also a very large population of Indian people living in |
| were the first of the Dutch immigrants that set off to | | | | Durban and its surrounding towns with many Hindus |
| explore the land of South Africa and acquire new | | | | and Islamic religions being recognized. You will also find |
| frontiers. Women wore smaller versions of the winged | | | | a strong Jewish sector in most of the main cities in |
| Dutch caps while the men wore floppy felt or cowhide | | | | South Africa while other prominent nationalities include |
| hats, and the rode in ox wagons. Music is very | | | | Italian, German, Portuguese, Lebanese, and smaller |
| important in the Afrikaans community as is theater and | | | | Chinese communities. Each nationality and religion is |
| most of the Afrikaans singers and musicians are | | | | celebrated and not discriminated against in any way |
| better supported than the English singers. | | | | according to the new laws and cultural tolerance. |
| The most popular of the African tribal languages is | | | | Cultural tourism is offered throughout the country now, |
| Zulu and Xhosa. The Xhosa tribes come mainly from | | | | as international visitors are eager to learn more about |
| the Eastern Cape regions and this language is spoken | | | | the different cultures and traditional African tribes that |
| more frequently in the Cape. The Zulus are found | | | | they were separate from during the Apartheid regime. |