In important fields, such as engineering or health care, migration statistics show a net loss in highly qualified, economically active inhabitants.

This has led to the South African government encouraging foreign nationals to fill the available positions. So it is no wonder that South Africa has numerous expatriate communities of overseas residents.

While the official figures for the census 2011 have not yet been published, some of the larger foreign communities living abroad in South Africa include British, Chinese, and Dutch citizens, but also Germans, Indians, and US Americans.

The major cities have their own infrastructure of clubs and networks to cater to expats in South Africa, from a German beerhall in Cape Town over the French library of Johannesburg to online portals for expatriates around the Cape.

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have declared Robben Island, the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park and the Sterkfontein Caves (The Cradle of Humankind) as World Heritage Sites. The Drakensberg (Umhlumbo) is also a World Heritage Site.

The Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng, offers the world the most complete evidence of the origin of modern humans, with hominid fossils dating back over 3.3 million years. The site is home to the world famous Mrs Ples, the oldest complete hominid skeleton in the world, as well as the even older Littlefoot which is still being excavated and studied.

South Africa has some 403 protected areas, ranging from the massive and world-renowned Kruger National Park (established in 1898, it is the size of Wales and one of the oldest and best managed nature reserves in Africa), to the tiny and little-known Mkambati Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape.

The Kruger National Park (the world’s 8th largest reserve) has the most innovative management of a national park anywhere in the world – and is the world’s most profitable game park.

In the next 20 years, South African National Parks will expand the country’s protected areas from its current 6% to 8% of our land surface. During the same period, protected marine and coastal environmental areas will be expanded from 5% to 20%. Already, Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape, which used to be one of the smallest of our national parks, has grown 10 fold to over 90 000 hectares. Now known as Greater Addo, it has become a ‘Big 7’ park, including leopard, lion, elephant, rhino and buffalo (the traditional ‘Big 5’) plus dolphins and whales.

There are approximately 12 000 elephants in South Africa. Since 1994 no elephants have been culled due to the new elephant management plan (www.insanetree.com). KPMG is one of the long term sponsors of this highly successful initiative.

South Africa’s Coastal Management policy is one of the best in the world with the country being the first outside Europe to gain Blue Flag status for its coastal management.

One of the most visionary initiatives underway in South Africa is the creation of Transfrontier Conservation Areas, also known as Peace Parks because of their role in improving cross-border relations between neighbouring countries. Six such parks have been identified in Southern Africa, including the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which was created in 2002. The latter joins together Mozambique’s Coutada 16 Park, Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou Park and South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park that spans South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe (incorporating the Kruger National Park) is the world’s first conservation initiative of its kind. The 38 600 km2 park is bigger than the Yellowstone National Park in the US, and even bigger than Switzerland, Belgium or Taiwan.

South Africa is the first country to establish three trans-frontier national parks (with three different countries). SA 2002-3 South Africa at a Glance, Editors, Inc.

South Africa’s” Working for Water” project is the biggest conservation endeavor on the continent, and tackles alien vegetation head on, employing 18 000 people.

The Barberton mountain lands has been declared a national heritage site and christened Nkomazi (“place of water”) Wilderness. The rocks in this area contain evidence of the earliest life to appear on this planet some 3.5 billion years ago. SA 2002-3 South Africa at a Glance, Editors, Inc.

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Sunny South Africa offers between 7.5 and 9.5 hours of sunshine daily, compared with a miserable 3.8 in London and 6.9 in New York. And it rains on fewer than 80 days a year in Johannesburg. With more land than Germany, Italy and France combined, South Africa also offers the most important commodity of the 21st century – space.

South Africa: Reasons to Stay

• South Africa boasts wonderfully warm summers, deliciously cool winters, the subtropics, the dry bushveld, snow on the mountain peaks…
• South Africa is one of the only 12 countries in the world to supply safe, drinkable tap water. Sawubona Magazine
• The Rand Water Board is the world’s fifth best in quality supply of drinking water.
  Another elephant has been discovered living in the Knysna forest, indicating that Knysna’s elephants may be breeding and are not doomed to extinction. Sourced by Ivan Booth (www.alerts. co.za)
• The Cango Caves (near Oudtshoorn) has the longest underground cave sequence in the world – measuring in at 3km. Fair Lady, April 2003
• The country is endowed with a fabulous store of natural mineral resources. Investment in South Africa, KPMG
• South Africa’s vast proven coal reserves have more than made up for its lack of oil. Investment in South Africa, KPMG
• Government gets a green star after Thor Chemicals became the first firm to be ordered to clean up its pollution under the Environment Act, or face a R60 million fine. Sourced by Ivan Booth (www.alerts.co.za)

Kwazulu-Natal’s Organized Crime Unit is an example of world-class policing. These determined cops arrested 7 000 people and put 1 800 criminals behind bars last year. Sourced by Ivan Booth (www.alerts.co.za)

Law enforcement went high-tech in Johannesburg from 29 March 2003. Metro cops can now enter a driver’s ID number into a cell phone to determine in 30 seconds whether any warrants are outstanding. Sourced by Ivan Booth (www.alerts.co.za)

The Employment Equity Act is one of the world’s best on empowerment legislation.

South Africa’s labor legislation is among the most progressive in the world, providing for institutions to settle disputes and ensure fairness in the workplace. Department of Labor

“Not only is our constitution one of the newest in the world, but it is also one of the most progressive. The process of writing it included the largest public participation program ever conducted in South Africa, involving intensive consultations with ordinary citizens, civil society and political parties. The constitution is a living document which exists to prevent abuses of government privilege as were seen before…The rights of all South Africans are protected by the Bill of Rights, which ‘affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom’.”

South Africa: Reasons to Believe

With the promulgation of our new constitution, South Africa was the first country in the world outlawing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and guaranteeing freedom of sexual association. “Gay Planet: All things for all gay men”, Eric Chaline, St Martin’s Press

There is arguably no place better to be gay than in South Africa. In the fundamental areas of gay rights, including among the most basic of human rights, South Africa scores full-marks throughout. Specifically, South Africa:

• Provides protection from discrimination and vilification on the grounds of sexual orientation (as do 18 other countries)
• Gives protection against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the workplace (as do 8 other countries) – -Protection from discrimination at work on the grounds of gender, race or sexual orientation is one of the most basic human rights.
• Allows gay men and women the right to serve in the armed forces (as do 19 other countries)
• Allows men and women to request asylum because of their sexual orientation (as do 17 other countries)
• Has immigration rights for same-sex partners (as do 12 other countries)
• Recognizes some form of same-sex partnership (as do 15 other countries)
• Allows gay men and women to adopt children (as do 6 other countries)”Gay Planet: All things for all gay men”, Eric Chaline, St Martin’s Press

This puts us in a far stronger position than virtually any of the former colonies in Africa, which were left devoid of tarred roads, airports, harbors, telecommunications, educational institutions, and so on. We can use our existing infrastructure and build on it to grow South Africa from a good economy into a great one.”

South Africa: Reasons to Believe
South Africa’s infrastructure includes (Investment in South Africa, KPMG):
Over 30 000km of rail track. South Africa: The Good News
Nine state airports, with three classified as international (Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban).

South Africa: The Good News

Thirteen independent operators provide internal flights that link up with the internal networks in South Africa.

Seven commercial ports that have a significant role to play in ensuring and facilitating sustainable economic growth in the region.

Situated as it is on the African continent, South Africa is ideally placed to export to any part of the world. Similarly, South Africa enjoys the many benefits of being within the Central European time-zones, falling between the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Investment in South Africa, KPMG South Africa’s top class transport and communications network support the flow of goods into and out of the country.

The country’s infrastructure is equal to that of any developed nation.
“Our transport infrastructure is the envy of the developing world … and indeed some of the developed world” Mafika Mkwanazi, GCEO – Transnet, South Africa: The Good News
The country has a highly sophisticated transport infrastructure, which is constantly being improved. Investment in South Africa, KPMG South Africa’s freight clearing and forwarding, legal services, and engineering and other technical services are sophisticated and widely available.

South Africa’s modern infrastructure supports an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region.

The New South Africa doesn’t mean crumbling infrastructure. Zoo Lake Fountain has been restored after not working since the 1970′s and Jo’burg Metro is set to invest R24 million in street lights during this year alone. Sourced by Ivan Booth (www.alerts.co.za), February 2003 South Africa provides nearly 50,6km of paved roads per 1 000 square kilometers of land – 15 times the African average, and approximately 17km of railway track per 1 000 square kilometers of land – 10 times the African average.

Road
South Africa’s national road system includes over 1 400km of dual-carriage freeway, 292 kilometers of single carriage freeway and over 4 400km of single-carriage main road.

Air
South African Airways carries more than 5 million passengers a year to 503 destinations, either on its own or in partnership with other airlines.
SAA provides technical support for other international airlines.

The commercial air route between Cape Town and Johannesburg is the 11th busiest “city pair” route in the world.

Cape Town International Airport was declared Africa’s Leading Airport for four successive years between 1998 and 2001 in the Annual World Travel Awards. Johannesburg International Airport won the African Airport of the Year Award in 1999, 2000 and 2001 as a result of ACSA’s sustained efforts in modernizing the sub-Saharan region’s leading airport. In 1999 Johannesburg International Airport was recognized for the first time as the most profitable airport in the world and Cape Town International Airport as the third most profitable.

Rail
South Africa represents some 80% of Africa’s rail infrastructure. Investment in South Africa, KPMG

Shipping
We have the sixth largest shipping container industry in the world.
Strategic ports grant access to both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

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We produce 53% of the continent’s electricity, while Eskom is the world’s fifth biggest electricity utility company. We are prepared for large-capacity users with a 9000mW surplus generation capacity installed until the year 2006.

The country is acknowledged as a world leader in “oil from coal” technology with numerous plants presently in operation together with an “oil from off-shore natural gas” operation. Investment in South Africa, KPMG

The country’s first nuclear power station came on stream in 1984.

Investment in South Africa, KPMG South Africa is leading the way in the development of a new type of nuclear power plant, the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor, which is believed to offer the safest, cleanest and most cost-effective nuclear power source.

South Africa is today a net exporter of energy. Investment in South Africa, KPMG

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South Africa’s 10 million cellphone users put it among the top 20 out of 170 countries with GSM networks.

Excellent telecommunications networks exist, consisting of both mobile and fixed line technology.

South Africa is the first country in the world to have its own official internet portal (www.southafrica.info). The Sunday Independent, 3 March 2002
MTN serves as the SMS gateway for PC-to-mobile messaging for AOL (America Online), the world’s biggest internet service provider.

Information technology firsts

Mark Shuttleworth’s innovative approach to digital certification through his company Thawte, which was sold to VeriSign for US$575 million;

Saswitch was the world leader in allowing remote ATM access by any institution with any institution, regardless of network protocol (the next country in the world took over 5 years to launch a similar service);

Nedcor was the first bank anywhere in the world to strategies and implement Microsoft technology on teller platforms;

Standard Bank was a pioneer in the world of banking by allowing ‘securitisation’ of an asset online to gain access to funds in other environments by using ‘Access Bond’;

UBS was the first bank in the world to use IMS Fastpath for simplified banking transactions, allowing it at that stage to process more transactions per second than any other bank coping with similar volumes;

Computicket’s technology for providing online ticketing across multiple geographic locations and for multiple venues / categories was a world first;

Multichoice was the second company in the world to launch satellite TV;

Paul Maritz, the man behind the global NT software, is a graduate of the University of Cape Town and the University of Natal;

Ivan Epstein, CEO of Softline, started with R5 000 – today they provide accounting software available in 8 languages and sold in over 38 countries;

Omnipless (launched in 1994), manufacture world-class antennas in a niche market for satellite communication and nearly 100% of its product is exported;

A Stellenbosch-based company called Electronic Development House has a three-year rolling contract with the Association of Tennis Professionals, which runs 67 tournaments in more than 30 countries, to supply its innovative electronic scoring system.

Located in the Karoo, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in Sutherland will be the biggest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere when it’s completed in 2005. It will also be the third largest in the world. Fair Lady, April 2003

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