South Africa at a glanceCapital:Tshwane (Pretoria)Area: 1.2 million sq. km Population: 45.8 million Adult literacy: 87% male, and 85.7% female Per capita: US$ 11,000 / annum Languages: 11 official languages, including English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu Religion: Christian 68%, Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5%, indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5% Life expectancy: 43.3 years Following decades of internal strife, President F.W. de Klerk and newly-freed African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela established the Convention for a Democratic South Africa in 1991. In 1993, an interim constitution finally dismantled apartheid and paved the way for democracy. In May 1994, Mandela and the ANC won a landslide victory, and in 1996 a new, democratic constitution was officially ratified. Following Mandela's retirement in 1999, deputy president Thabo Mbeki assumed the presidency. Economically, South Africa is one of the most successful sub-Saharan African nations. It possesses a highly diversified economy dominated by the service sectors and industries, including mining, automobile assembly, textiles, and metals. South Africa also possesses fairly stable infrastructure across sectors, which allows for relatively efficient trade to other urban cities worldwide. However, South Africa is still burdened by deep inequalities, including the poverty faced by its rural population and disadvantaged groups, and endemic unemployment. Additionally, South Africa's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate remains extremely high at 21.5% of the adult population (ages 15-49). An astounding 13% of the world's HIV-positive population lives in South Africa. To learn more about the history of Pact in South Africa, please read The Pact South Africa Story: Investing in Leadership and the Growth of Civil Society. [MS Word document | 187k] Sources:  Click on Malika Magagula, South Africa Country Representative, to learn about our work in HIV/AIDS
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