History of South Africa

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History of South Africa
Introduction
South Africa is country located in the southernmost part of the tip if Africa continent. Her capital city is Pretoria, and the sitting president is Jacob Zuma. The country has distinct features such as varied ecosystems, inland safari destinations, beaches, and cliffs. It is a country with ethnic diversity just like many other African countries. The history of South Africa goes back to more than one hundred thousand years ago whereby there is a belief that the first humans happened to inhabit the area. In this paper, there is an in-depth discussion of the history of South Africa. There is a breakdown of the history into four main parts for easy follow-up. There is also an analysis of the popular tourist sites as well as the celebrities from South Africa.
The History
The history of South Africa is one that bespeaks of a long time divisiveness which has come to diminish with time. The history can be said to be like a journey through many obstacles towards molding of a single nation from incredible diversity. There is an appreciation of the fact that the dream of unity and a common goal in the country is now at an achievable ground despite the various challenges that have been there, (Jerardino, 543). Many people tend to associate the diversity in the history of South Africa with the modern people especially the apartheid era. This conception has skewness because; there has been division in South Africa from as early as during the existence of the Khoisan people who included the Khoikhoi and the Sans.

The two groups lived in the southern tip of Africa before the arrival of the European seafarers who started the recording of the history of Africa.
The pre-colonial history
The scientific studies of the prehistory of South Africa indicate that; the country forms one of the paramount centers of human evolution, (Jerardino, 541). There is the realization that the modern human settlement in South Africa did occur around 125,000 years ago during the middle stone age. Much of such settlement is in association with the Khoisans. This group represents two distinct set of people who had different kinds of lives and therefore, did not have a coordinated coexistence. The Sans were farmers whereas the Khoikhois were pastoral hunters. The Khoikhois are believed to have lived in the Cape peninsular. It is on this cape that there happened to be the discovery of massive animal bones during the early visits of scholars hence; the conclusion that the inhabitants, Khoikhois were pastoralists.
There are indications in the history that; during the precolonial times, South Africa was also inhabited by the Bantu speaking people. There is much connection of the Bantu with the trade which gives the links of the existence of the Bantu people in the Kruger national park, which is believed to have been a trading site. The Bantu people, unlike the Khoisans, get much association with a much sophisticated socio-political system. There is also a linkage of the pre-colonial history of South Africa with the existence of slaves and settlers. The settlers would interact with the Khoisans through bartering. However, as time went by, there developed misunderstandings due to issues such as cattle theft. The saves would find refuge in the coastal area of the old South Africa. With time, they would move to the interior parts and settle down.
Colonial era
The colonialism in South Africa started in the year 1652. The colonialism came with the forces of slavery and forced labor. It is the Dutch who started the colonialism in South Africa. There is acceptance of the reality that; many of the South Africans are descendants of the slaves brought to the Cape Colony. The European colonialism in South Africa brought about changes that were in quick sessions. It is the rapid transformation of the colonialism that brought the distinction between the era of colonialism and those other eras in South Africa, (Jerardino, 539).
However, the transformation was in selective societies hence; not all the parts of South Africa experienced the rapid changes that were enacted by the colonialism. Some communities extended an opposing force towards the intrusion of colonialism, slavery and forced labor. There was a success in the resistance for quite an extended period because there used to be a collaboration of the societies that were against the forces of colonialism and the subsequent slavery and forced labor. Nevertheless, other communities such as the Khoikhoi disintegrated within decades.
The intrusion of colonialism in South Africa was not a one-way aspect whereby the Europeans would force themselves on the South Africans, (Peires, 351). The South African local community leaders perceived that the Europeans held many benefits which they could gain if they allowed them to penetrate in the areas they wished. There was, therefore, agreement on most of the engagements especially in the areas where there was not an established resistance from early. The local leaders, therefore, offered their terms to the Europeans for a continued relationship, and when there was honoring of them same, there would be peaceful coexistence.
Postcolonial and apartheid era
When South Africa gained independence, there were anticipations that the discriminatory laws that were the order of the Europeans would come to an end, (Parsons, 647). However, that height was not in attainment with immediate effect. There continued to be an extension of the discriminatory nd segregation laws. Racial capitalism became the order of the day despite the anticipations that such ailments would end with colonialism. From the year 1948, the successive National parties continued to approve of the existing systems of racial discrimination.
The discriminative legislation continued until as late as the year 1991. The roots of the apartheid were in the law of 1913 in the high native land Act. This act saw the legalization of the so-called reserves that were special dwellings of the Europeans. This law saw the eviction of thousands of Africans from the urban centers in a bid to create reserves for the white people. The sympathizers of the apartheid cited the similar deliberations which had taken place in India and yet had brought no condemnation from the international society.
Although there were many other happenings during this period, there was overshadowing by the apartheid occurrences because they were much pronounced. The apartheid sparked many sentiments and deliberations such as the need to tighten the military operations. The enhancement of the army operations entailed much spending such that; the allocation of the budget to the military shot to as high as twenty-eight percent of the total budget. The Soweto uprising of 1976 formed one of the sparks ignited by the apartheid. The apartheid came to an end in 1991 marking the end of the apartheid era in the history of South Africa.
Post-apartheid era
In 1994, there was a transformative change in South Africa following the abolition of apartheid and adoption of the system of a majority rule. The Africa National Congress party came to power following the elections of the year 1994, with Nelson Mandela sworn in as the president. There was a subsequent establishment of a government denoting national unity. Such heights were in attainment through the inclusion of representatives from diversified parties into the government. The government realized the damages occasioned by the long time practice of the apartheid and therefore, sought to enact amendments to address the weak points of the economy and social aspects.
There was gearing of efforts towards the alleviation of poverty which had gone to high levels as an impact of apartheid. There were also deliberate efforts of making amendments to the highly hit social service areas so as to ensure the right services to the citizens. There was the acknowledgment from the government that such achievements would only be possible through the creation of a robust macroeconomic environment, and therefore, every effort was in place to ensure attainment of the same, (Peires, 337). In an attempt of bringing healing to the people, the government established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a platform of exposing the crimes committed during the apartheid era. The government very well realized that many of the offenses were water under the bridge and nothing much could be done against them. However, there was also the realization that; when the people get a platform for offering their grievances, they will attain half healing, if not much.
Popular tourist sites
In the analysis of the history of South Africa, one comes across some popular tourist locations in the country. The sites have much connection with the history through one aspect or the other. One of such sites is Abbaheigaskop. The name is a translation from Khoi, with the original meaning being red hill tree. The reference is to the pepper trees and berries which usually give a reddish appearance. It is a hill in the Northern Cape of South Africa with much admiration. This site is near the Springbok airport which happens to be a mere 164 km away. As such, it makes it easy for a visitor to access the location from the airport and also to go back there. This view emanates from the assumption of the grounds that, many of the visitors to the site are tourists who are capable of accessing airlines. Nevertheless, even with other forms of transport, it is easy to access the site. Much of the admiration of the hill comes from its connection with the Khoisans who build a rich history of South Africa.
Another famous site in South Africa is the Aba qua. Its location is to the north East of Mata Mata and only 25 KM from Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. Just like with other famous places in South Africa, Aba Qua draws its name from the Khoi. The original meaning of the term is red hollow. This statement follows the shape of the place. It is easy to access Aba Qua from the nearby towns through the various roads. There is an association of this area with the cool weather which makes many people want to visit the site again and again. The nearby towns provide accommodation for the visitors making it an excellent place to visit.
Celebrities
In delving into the history of South Africa, one comes across some famous names, (Parsons, 643). These are the people who have had great influence to other citizens such that their impact is known across the country and beyond. One of such people is John Ronald Tolkien. Born in South Africa, Tolkien moved to England at the age of three following the death of his father. His authoring of an epic on various issues of the society made him rise in fame. The Lord of Rings is a series he composed between the years 1937 and 1949. At the time, there was an escalation of apartheid in South Africa, and no one would have been sure that the vice would come to an end. In the series, Tolkien addressed the issues he felt were ailing the society such as Stalinism, socialism, and racism. There is much conviction that there was a significant influence of his work towards the path of ending apartheid, especially in the consideration that Tolkien was a white who were advancing the vice, yet, he took a different stance.
Elon Musk is another famous person in South Africa. Born in 1971, Musk has brought many transformations not only in South Africa but many other parts of the world. He is a dedicated businessman who happens to be the co-founder of Tesla Motors and X.com which recently merged with PayPal.
Conclusion
South Africa has a rich history. Much of the history has a mark of serious racial and community divisions. The recent end of apartheid brought positive changes to the deliberations in South Africa, and as it is now, there is the existence of peace and harmony across the whole country and among all kinds of people.
Works Cited
Jerardino, Antonieta. “Stranded Rocky Shore Mussels And Their Possible Procurement During Prehistory On The West Coast Of South Africa.” Journal Of Archaeological Science 49.(2014): 536-545. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.
Parsons, Neil. “Nation-Building Movies Made In South Africa (1916–18): I.W. Schlesinger, Harold Shaw, And The Lingering Ambiguities Of South African Union.” Journal Of Southern African Studies 39.3 (2013): 641-659. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.
Peires, Jeff. “‘He Wears Short Clothes!’: Rethinking Rharhabe (C.1715–C.1782).” Journal Of Southern African Studies 38.2 (2012): 333-354. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.