South Africa after Live Aid

The Republic of South Africa is located at the tip of the continent of Africa. The country is endowed with abundant natural resources, and its economy is the largest in Africa with strong financial and manufacturing sectors. Since the end of the apartheid in 1994, South Africa has made considerable economic progress, but the country continues to face a high unemployment rate - 25% in the final months of 2012.

Other issues that have a considerable impact include poverty, inequality crime, corruption, and HIV/AIDS and the life expectancy at birth decreased by 3.5 years in the period between 1980-2012. 

SOS Children has been involved in caring for South Africa's vulnerable families, children and young people since the early 1980s and now has 8 different projects in the country.

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Time Line

• 1948 Policy of apartheid (separateness) adopted when National Party (NP) takes power.
  

• 1964 ANC (African National Congress) leader, Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment.

• 1985 Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

• 1989 FW de Klerk replaces PW Botha as president. He agrees to meet Nelson Mandela and frees many ANC activists.

• 1990 Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years of incarceration.

• 1991 Multi-party talks begin. International sanctions are lifted. FW de Klerk abolishes many apartheid laws. There is major fighting between the ANC and the Zulu Inkatha movement.   

• 1993 FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
  

• 1994 Nelson Mandela is sworn in as president on 10 May, after ANC win 62.65% of the vote in the national election. SOS Children sets up a Village in Cape Town.  It is the first racially integrated SOS community in South Africa following the end of apartheid. 

• 1999 ANC wins general elections, Thabo Mbeki takes over as president.

• 2005 On the 2nd July, the Live 8 concert is held simultaneously throughout the G8 states and South Africa.  On the 7th July, global leaders decide to increase aid to poor nations from $25 billion, by 2010, to $50 billion. Half of the money pledged would go to Africa.

• 2009 5.6 million South Africans have HIV/AIDS. This is the highest number out of any country in the world.
  

• 2010 The 19th FIFA World Cup kicks off in June 2010 in South Africa, the first African nation to host the finals. Dutch and English football stars visit SOS Orphans in Mamelodi and Rustenburg. The maternal death rate is 300 death per 100,000 live births meaning that South Africa is ranked 40th worst in the world.

• 2012 Economic growth suffers as a result of the effects of social unrest and the euro-crisis. 

• 2013 42.15 deaths per 1,000 live births are recorded as the infant mortality rate, 53rd worst in the world.