South Africa - At a Glance

South Africa is a beautiful and complex country. South Africa is often referred to as The Rainbow Nation as a metaphor to describe the country's newly-developing multicultural diversity in the wake of separatist apartheid ideology. South Africa is in many respects a developed country, but much of its population lives in poverty. If you want to understand the country, you'll have to deal with the full spectrum. With its post-apartheid identity still in process of definition, issues of poverty, the AIDS pandemic, racism, and violence remain a problem.

Population & Poverty
- Total population of South Africa is estimated 47.4 million (2005)
- 50% live below the poverty line
- South Africa has one of the largest income disparities in the world
- Population of Cape Town is 3 million
- Cape Flats townships have an estimated population of 1 million*
- 75% of those in Cape Flats live below the poverty line

*The term Cape Flats refers to a flat, sandy stretch of land which is located on the outskirts of the city of Cape Town. It has been described as the "dumping ground of apartheid" and it is here that the non-whites were relocated to, in terms of the infamous Group Areas Act.

Race in South Africa:
75% Black
13% White
9% Coloured*
3% Indian/Asian

Race in Cape Town:
50% Coloured*
30% Black
20% White

* The term "Coloured" is still largely used for the people of mixed race descended from slaves brought in from East and Central Africa, the indigenous Khoisan who lived in the Cape at the time, indigenous African Blacks, Whites (mostly the Dutch/Afrikaner settlers and the English) as well as an admixture of Javanese, Malay, Indian, Malagasy and other European and Asian blood (such as Portuguese and Burmese).

HIV/AIDS in South Africa
- Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS is 5.3 million (2003)
- Percent of adult population estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS is 21.5% (2003)
- South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world
- Estimated number of AIDS orphans is 1.1 million (2003)
- Estimated number of AIDS orphans by 2010 is 5 million

Sources: www.wikipedia.com; www.unaids.org; www.capeflats.org; www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu; The Economist, April 8, 2006

Prayer Requests
- That God would use David’s time in Brazil to prepare him for what’s ahead in South Africa
- For housing arrangements for David during his time in Cape Town from January-April 2007
- For continued ministry relationships with those already serving the poor in Cape Town
- For wisdom and discernment in God’s best for future ministry in Cape Town