South Africa’s Beautiful Scenery:
The book, “A Beautiful Place to Die“, written by Malla Nunn, tends to portray South Africa as a country of beautiful landscape.
The natural beauty of the land has continued to fascinate tourists. Hundreds of tourist attractions decorate the scenery, including beautiful sun-drenched beaches, magnificent mountain ranges, and a broad variety of mountaineering trails. In the cities, one will find world-class restaurants and shops. The moderate climate adds to South Africa’s Beautiful Scenery and appeal.
Diverse wildlife is a major attraction. The country boasts some 200 species of mammals, 800 species of birds, and 20,000 kinds of flowering plants. People throng to game reserves, such as the famous Kruger National Park. There in the wild, you can see Africa’s “big five”: elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, and buffalo, another of South Africa’s Beautiful Scenery to behold.
The indigenous black people, about 75 percent of the total population, comprise Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Pedi, and Tswana, as well as several other smaller groups. The white population consists mainly of English- and Afrikaans-speaking people. These include descendants of Dutch settlers of the mid-17th century followed by French Huguenots. English settlers arrived in the early 19th century, attracted by South Africa’s Beautiful Scenery .
There is also a large Indian community, descendants of laborers who worked in the sugarcane fields of Natal (now in KwaZulu-Natal). Because of South Africa’s Beautiful Scenery and blend of races and cultures, she is aptly called the Rainbow Nation.
A walk along the street of South Africa reveals a kaleidoscope of skin colour ranging from the darkest black to the palest white. Above the traffic noise, you hear snatches of conversation in a cacophony of tongues.
Amid such variety in a population of over 55 million, it is difficult to pick out a typical South African. The indigenous black people, about 75 percent of the total population, comprise Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Pedi, and Tswana, as well as several other smaller groups. The white population consists mainly of English- and Afrikaans-speaking people. These include descendants of Dutch settlers of the mid-17th century followed by French Huguenots. English settlers arrived in the early 19th century.
There is also a large Indian community, descendants of laborers who worked in the sugarcane fields of Natal (now in KwaZulu-Natal). Because of South Africa’s Beautiful Scenery and blend of races and cultures, she is rightly referred to as the Rainbow Nation.
An unforgettable experience is a visit to one of South Africa’s several indigenous forests. In sheltered tranquility you can admire unusual ferns, lichens, and flowers, as well as exotic birds and insects. As you look up at a magnificent yellowwood tree, you marvel that this giant has grown from a tiny seed. Some of these trees may reach a height of 180 feet and be a thousand years old.
However, a different kind of seed had been sown and cultivated in the country that grew to distort South Africa’s Beautiful Scenery. It was apartheid, a troubled race relations policy that brought international condemnation. In recent years, favorable publicity was given to the dismantling of apartheid and the inauguration of a democratically elected government.
Now all races can mingle freely—they can go to any public place, such as a cinema or a restaurant. A person of any race can live where he chooses, provided he has the financial means.
Nevertheless, after the initial excitement abated, inevitable questions were raised. To what extent would the new government redress the injustices of apartheid? How long would it take?
With the passing of three decades, serious problems remain. Among the great problems the government faces are increasing crime, an unemployment rate of over 51 percent, and an estimated millions HIV-positive individuals. Many people have come to realize that successive governments have not been able to eradicate these ills and have turned elsewhere for solutions.
