South Africa sits at the very bottom end of the African continent, reaching out into both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and sharing borders with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe in the north, Mozambique in the north east, Swaziland in the east and Lesotho in the centre-east of the country – the small nation is completely enveloped by South African lands. The geography of the country is generally semi-arid, though it becomes subtropical on coastal regions with shrubbery popping up throughout – the mountainous and plateau regions of South Africa truly are the epitome of epic. Whilst the nation was somewhat demonised through a great deal of the 20^th century, post-apartheid years have seen the country become something of a hotspot for tourism and off plan investment, particularly in the Western Cape district.

Evidence of human – or at least humanoid – occupation of the region that is now South Africa stretches back at least a couple of million years, with more definitive evidence of civilisation pointing to the Stone Age, around 40,000 years ago. The Khoisan people are known to have inhabited the land for thousands of years pretty much uninterrupted, until the arrival of the Bantu tribes and the Europeans in 300BC and the 15^th century, respectively. After the discovery of the region as a fine spice trading route by Vasco De Gama, South Africa became a popular stop-off point for many Europeans, and by the 17^th century had become the permanent home of many Dutch settlers. The Dutch spread through the region, occupying modern day Cape Town and wiping out the Khosians as they expanded – with the weakening of the Dutch powers in the 18^th century, the British soon stepped in to the region and, along with the Dutch, contributed to the wiping out of many indigenous tribes and peoples. By 1869, the discovery of diamonds and gold prompted tense relations between the British and Dutch Boers, whom had been pushed out of the Cape Town region years before – by the end of the 19^th century war broke out, with the First Boer War seeing the Boers emerging victorious, but less than a decade later the Second Anglo-Boer War broke out – this time the British emerged victorious in 1902, prompting the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. The establishment of white rule over the country was to have dire consequences, and the policy of apartheid established in 1948 saw every person in South Africa, irrespective of background, classified by their race – their classification dictated where they could live, work, even pray and saw people forcibly made to live in squalor simply because of the colour of their skin. Whilst there was public outcry against apartheid, resulting in sanctions against trading with South Africa imposed by many nations, this didn’t come about until the early 1960s when 69 protestors were killed and members of the main anti-apartheid political group, the African National Congress, were jailed – including the leader Nelson Mandela. South Africa became increasingly introverted over the next few decades, lashing out – sometimes violently – against its often-socialist neighbours, and with increasing internal problems things were certainly looking grim, with the economy seemingly-constantly on the verge of collapse and a nation internationally reviled for its draconian policies. The South African government, feeling discontent from all angles, were soon pressured into changing their policies, and FW De Clerk taking power in the late 20^th century saw all apartheid policies repealed, and all political prisoners released. The free, democratic elections of 1994 saw the ANC emerge victorious and the freed Nelson Mandela president of South Africa. Whilst economic inequality and standards of living are still generally low in black communities, the 90s and recent years have seen South Africa take leaps and bounds towards making the nation a truly successful one. Things are far more relaxed than they have ever been and there is a real air of positivity through the entire nation – there are still problems, true, but the economy is strengthening with each passing year and the country attracts much in the way of international investment and tourism. Progress has been sufficient enough that South Africa will be the first African nation to ever host the Football World Cup in 2010.

South Africa still has problems – decades of apartheid have seen to that – but things are constantly on the up. Crime is still a problem in the nation, but common sense as always will prevail and most visits to the country are trouble-free – if they weren’t, the country wouldn’t be as much of a tourist hot spot as it clearly is. Off plan investors looking to put their money into South Africa are sure to be rewarded – the potential for growth is definitely there and the market in the region is one of the fastest growing in the world today. With things constantly on the front foot through the country and a wonderful natural landscape to back it up, South Africa is a place that all potential off plan investors should at least look.

The standards of healthcare in South Africa are generally excellent. Health insurance is recommended for emergencies.

Mobile phone coverage stretches across most urban areas, though coverage in more remote areas cannot be guaranteed. Landlines are widely available and lines are of a good standard. Internet cafes are widespread throughout the country.