About

The People

South Africa’s cultural diversity touches almost every aspect of daily life. From sipping a cup of rooibos tea, a beverage drunk by South Africans of all races; to the ancient Khoisan culture; to negotiating a path from apartheid to democracy and creating one of the world’s most liberal and inclusive constitutions.

South Africa's cultural diversity often amazes visitors to the country. They are surprised to learn we have 11 different official languages, astonished to discover a Zulu-speaker of Indian or Chinese descent, and intrigued to see a priest clad in leopard skins reciting psalms.

The 'rainbow nation' is a term coined by Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu which captures the extraordinary diversity of races, tribes, creeds, languages and landscape that characterises modern South Arica.

The 9 national languages of South Africa are: Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and last but not least, Xitsonga!

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Our Heroes

nelson mandela

South Africa's world icon Nelson Mandela has been described by greats as generous, a selfless altruist and the most forgiving person on earth. Our humanitarian icon, was the only member of his family to receive formal education, and so, from a very young age, Madiba started to unknowingly prepare himself for the great task that was bestowed on him. After being imprisoned for 27 years, Nelson Mandela did the unthinkable by forgetting the evils of the past and focussing solely on the unification of a divided nation.

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archbishop desmond tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. He was the first black South African Archbishop of Cape Town and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa .Tutu has been active in the defence of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. He has campaigned to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia.

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charlize theron

Our stunning and talented Charlize Theron! Born on 7 August 1975 in Benoni! She rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, the Silver Bear and many other awards for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), becoming the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category.

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johnny clegg

Johnny Clegg - dancer, anthropologist, singer, songwriter, academic, activist and French knight. Whilst all of these tags are fitting, none of them can accurately describe the energetic, passionate human being who has become one of South Africa's greatest musical exports. He has campaigned against the injustice of apartheid South Africa and been instrumental in putting the new South Africa on the map as a cultural ambassador.

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ladysmith black mambazo
In addition to their work with Paul Simon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo have recorded with numerous artists from around the world, including Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Melissa Etheridge,and many others. Their film work includes a featured appearance in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker video and Spike Lee’s Do It A Cappella. They've provided soundtrack material for Disney’s The Lion King, Part II as well as Eddie Murphy’s Coming To America, Marlon Brando’s A Dry White Season, Sean Connery’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, James Earl Jones’ Cry The Beloved Country and Clint Eastwood's Invictus. A film documentary titled On Tip Toe: Gentle Steps to Freedom, the story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was nominated for an Academy Award.

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