First, a little history: During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, South Africa was the scene of much fighting. As the black “tide” of population moved south from central Africa and the white “tide” spread northward from the Cape, they clashed in fierce blood-spilling wars. The worst was the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, between the British and the Boers, the Dutch farmers. As a result, the four colonies of Natal, the Orange Free State, Transvaal and the Cape came under British rule. In 1910 they became one nation. Half a century later, in 1961, the country became the Republic of South Africa. This was by a majority vote of the whites. The blacks have no vote except in some of their “homelands,” large territories set aside for each African tribe.

Twelve and a half million Africans, belonging to at least nine tribes, live in South Africa. The largest tribes​—the Xhosa and Zulu peoples—​each number over three million. Next come the Basuto, then the Tswana, Tsonga, Swazi, Ndebele, Venda and others. Just over half the African population lives in the African “homelands,” the large territories designated for each individual African tribe. Usually the way of life in these “homelands” and in the reserves is quite primitive, with most of the people living in huts having walls mainly of mud, and roofs thatched with grass. The rest of the African population lives in African townships, such as Soweto with its little concrete-and-brick homes built by the municipality. These are located a few miles outside European cities and towns. The government’s policy is that each racial group develop separately and independently. South Africa has come under heavy criticism for its apartheid, or segregation, policy.