South Africa Factbook

South Africa moved into a new era with the passing of Apartheid. Christian influence in strong, but the church faces many challenges.

South Africa covers the entire southern tip of the African continent. The climate is sub-tropical in the east and becomes more desert like in the west.

Approximately 43 million people live in South Africa. The population is predominantly native Africans with a significant number of Europeans. An accurate count is difficult due to a large number, perhaps several million, illegal aliens from other African countries.

South Africa enjoys the strongest economy on the continent. The land is rich in natural resources such as gold and diamonds. However, the wealth is unevenly distributed. The unemployment rate exceeds 35%, and there is a significant amount of poverty.

The British forced out the original Dutch colonists in the late 1800's. The Union of South Africa was formed as an independent state in 1910. Apartheid, which forced separate development of races, became the policy of South Africa until the last of the Apartheid laws were removed in 1991. South Africa operates as a republic with open elections. Although there has been ongoing civil unrest, the transition was achieved with relative peace.

There is freedom of religion. Christianity is well established in South Africa. There are a large number of evangelical believers and churches. Christians make up, by far, the largest religious classification. However, in an effort to give all religions an equal say, the government has granted a disproportionately large amount of influence to non-Christian groups.

The church in South Africa has developed a strong missions vision. Hundreds missionaries have gone out from South Africa to other lands, and their numbers are growing. Pray for the missionaries and for more workers to be called to the field.

The church faces significant challenges. Society has deteriorated over the years. The church has had little apparent influence over the decline in morals. There are tremendous physical needs in the country. Many are suffering from AIDS. Many live in poverty in city slums. Pray for churches and missions involved in helping to meet physical needs and reach people with the gospel.

The Muslim community is small but is growing rapidly. Pray for outreaches to them. Pray also for outreaches to young people.

Pray for various means to reach out with the gospel: Bible and Christian Literature distribution, Christian radio, and Christian television are all used to spread the gospel.

Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison

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