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GENERAL ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

VISITING
SOUTH
AFRICA
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1 Warm up
Match the numbers you think might go into the categories to create facts about South Africa. Your
teacher will give you the answers.

11 2 3 58 6

a. capital cities -

b. official languages -

c. population (million) -

d. number of bordering countries -

e. number of bordering oceans -

1. Did any of the facts surprise you? If so, why?

2. In pairs, talk about what comes to mind when you think about South Africa?

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2 South Africa’s landscapes

Part A: Watch the video about Mpumalanga in South Africa, and discuss what you saw.

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Part B: Now read the transcript and choose a word/phrase in bold to match the definitions:

1. : large areas of flat land

2. : large wild animals that are often hunted for sport

3. : a feeling or an understanding of something

4. : the quality of being extremely big

5. : a measurable aspect or feature of something

6. : describing a broken, rocky and uneven surface

Discuss

1. Which two contrasting landscapes does the narrator mention?

2. What does he think is unique about this part of South Africa?

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3 Visual guide

Part A: First read the information about some interesting South African places and match the names
to the images below.

• Swartberg Pass: a road leading through a mountain range, at 5,164 ft above sea level.
• Table Mountain: a landmark looking over Cape Town, which can be reached by hiking or
cable car.
• Three Rondavels: grass-covered mountain tops in Blyde Canyon, which look like a
traditional type of African house.
• Kruger National Park: a popular place for safaris, with savannah landscapes and plenty
of big game.
• Boulders Beach: a place famous for its penguin colony.
• Cape Point: the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent.

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

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Now, using the context of the pictures and descriptions from this task, match the underlined words
from the text (on the previous page) with their definitions:

1. rondavel a. a large rock

2. savannah b. a wide flat open area of land, especially in Africa, that is covered
with grass but has few trees
3. cape c. a round hut with a pointed roof that is usually made from dried
grass
4. boulder d. a piece of high land that sticks out into the sea

5. cable car e. a vehicle that travels along a high, suspended wire and that
carries passengers up and down a mountain
6. landmark f. something that you can see clearly from a distance and that will
help you to know where you are

Work in pairs and discuss these questions.

1. Would you like to go on a safari? Why/why not?

2. Would you consider driving on the Swartberg Pass?
3. Would you prefer to hike or take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain? Why?

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Part B: African Mammals

It is impossible to talk about South Africa without mentioning its great creatures. Read the descriptions
of the animals and choose a word in bold to match each definition:

1. a group of animals of the same type that live and feed together

2. a hard pointed part that grows, usually in pairs, on the heads of some animals

3. the way in which an animal’s color or shape makes it difficult to see

4. an animal, a bird, etc. that is hunted, killed and eaten by a carnivore in the
wild
5. an animal that kills and eats other animals

6. a specific type of animal

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Use the words from above and discuss the animals in the pictures below:

cape buffalo antelope hippopotamus zebra

• Do you think it is a predator, prey for other animals, or both? Does it rely on camouflage?
• Do you think it lives in a herd or alone? Are there more than one species of this animal?

4 Reading for the main idea

You are going to read a text about South Africa (page eight). First, scan the text quickly and tick the
subjects that are mentioned. Two are not needed.

the first people in South Africa where to learn more about history

a former South African leader a popular dance style

how people communicate South Africans living in other countries

5 Focus on vocabulary
Part A: Match the words to their definitions.

1. segregation (n) a. the feel, appearance or consistency of a surface or substance

2. multicultural (adj.) b. hard and making a sharp sound when you bite it

3. uncover (v) c. a shared language of communication used between people

whose main languages are different
4. lingua franca (n) d. for or including people of several different beliefs, languages,
customs and traditions
5. constitution (n) e. the system of laws and basic principles that a state, a country or
an organization is governed by
6. commemorate (v) f. discover something that was previously hidden or secret

7. texture (n) g. remind people of an important event or person from the past
with a special action or object
8. crunchy (adj.) h. the act or policy of separating people from different groups, for
example, people of different races, religions or sexes, and
treating them in a different way

Part B: Choose a word from Part A to fill in the gaps in the text. For verbs, you may have to change
the form.

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Exploring the Rainbow Nation

A taste of the history, culture and cuisine in Africa’s southernmost country

1. Near Johannesburg, you can visit a set of caves
called the Sterkfontein where archaeologists have
(1) some of the earliest human
fossils ever found. South Africa was populated
by the nomadic San people long before the arrival
of the Bantu-speaking nations from West Africa.
South Africa later experienced extensive colonization
by English and Dutch settlers and saw two wars
between the settlers at the beginning of the
twentieth century. There are a number of museums
you could visit to learn more, such as the National
Museum or Anglo-Boer War museum, both in
Bloemfontein.
2. Many people around the world are familiar with the
South African system of racial (2)
known as apartheid which existed between 1948
and 1994. On paper, apartheid called for equal
development and freedom of cultural expression,
but in practice, the non-white majority suffered
discrimination. In 1963, Nelson Mandela, head of the
anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC), was
given a life sentence in jail. He was freed in 1990,
and later served four years as President of South
Africa (1994-1999). Visitors to South Africa can take
a trip to the Nelson Mandela Capture site, which is (3)
with a statue and visitor centre where
you can learn more about this period of history.
3. With this rich history, it’s no surprise that modern-
day South Africa is a (4)
multilingual place. In fact, there are eleven official
languages. Nine of these arrived during the great
expansion of Bantu-speaking people from West
Africa, with IsiZulu the most widely spoken. It is
used by 23% of the population. English is commonly
used in the media, business and government, and is
also frequently spoken as a (5) ,
mainly in urban areas. Afrikaans is a version of Dutch
which has been influenced by African and European
languages. For centuries South Africa’s official
languages were European, but in 1996, South Africa’s
new (6) gave official protection to
all major languages.
4. Due to its history and location on the coast,
South-African cuisine has many influences including
indigenous cultures, Dutch, French and Malaysian.
Meat lovers may wish to check out perhaps the best-
loved snack in South Africa, biltong, which is dried,
spiced meat and is likely to be served at any social
gathering. Non-meat dishes include chakalaka and
pap; chakalaka is a vegetable dish made of onions,
tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beans and spices, often
served cold, and pap is a dish with a similar (7)
to porridge made from corn*. Dessert
fans should try koeksisters, fried pieces of dough
covered in a sugary syrup with a (8)
outer layer and a soft, doughnut-like centre.
5. South Africa has an energetic music scene populated
by a wide variety of styles. Throughout the years,
the country’s political environment has had a major
effect on its music, leading to the birth of original
genres. For example, Isicathamiya is a singing style
and that originated from the South African Zulu* people,
and features unaccompanied singing by a choir which
is traditionally all-male. Ladysmith Black Mambazo,
who arose in the 1960s, became one of the biggest
isicathamiya stars in South Africa’s history.

Glossary
• nomadic (adj.) - belonging to a community that moves with its animals from place to place
• corn(n) - a tall plant grown for its large yellow grains that are used for making flour or eaten as a
vegetable
• dough (n) - a mixture of flour, water and various other ingredients that is made into bread and
pastry
• Zulu (n) - the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa

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6 Reading comprehension

Now look at the questions, read the text again and write down your answers.

1. Who were the original people of South Africa?

2. Which other people are mentioned in the text?

3. How was the theory of apartheid different from the reality?

4. How many of South Africa’s eleven official languages came from Europe?

5. Why is South Africa’s food so varied?

6. According to the text, which food will probably be offered to you at a South African party?

7. What influence has South African politics had on music, according to the article?

7 Talking point

Work in pairs or small groups and discuss any of the given questions.

1. Are you interested in trying any of the foods mentioned?

2. Would you be interested in reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography or watching the film about
his life?
3. What aspects of South African culture, history or geography would you like to learn more about?
Why?
4. Does your country have a written constitution? If so, what do you know about it?
5. How does South Africa’s multilingual culture compare to your country?

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8 South African English (optional task)

Read the short text with African English words in bold.

Like most varieties of English, South African English has some specific vocabulary. You might
say ‘eish!’ if you have to wait too long for the lights to change at the robot. You might say
‘shame!’ when your neighbor shows you their new pet. If you’re lucky enough to get invited
to a braai, you’ll hopefully have a lekker time. Remember to say howzit to everyone you meet!

Now try to match the words in bold to their definitions.

1. a way of saying hello

2. a type of barbecue

3. traffic lights

4. pleasing / enjoyable

5. an exclamation to show sympathy or admiration

6. an exclamation used to express surprise, pain, being annoyed

9 Reporting on a video (optional extension)

Look at the given topics and choose the one that interests you the most. Watch the video and report
back to the class/group.
Braai
cooking

Choose one of the following topics you would like to know more about:

African
• Braai cooking
animals

• African animals
• African dancing

African Take notes on what you saw. Prepare a short presentation for the rest of the class.
dancing

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Transcripts

2. South Africa’s landscapes

Narrator: Exploring Mpumalanga in South Africa is a photographer’s dream.

Narrator: You sense the vastness of the place.

Narrator: It’s probably one of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen.

Narrator: In a single day, you can go from rugged mountains to these vast plains.

Narrator: You add this dimension of "big game" and it makes it a totally unique experience.

Narrator: This landscape is really meant to be explored and experienced, and doing things like this
really gives me a sense of the place.

Narrator: There’s something unique about watching the sunset over a South African landscape.

Narrator: It gives this incredible light that you don’t see anywhere else.

Narrator: It’s truly a spectacular experience.

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Key
1. Warm up

5 mins.
Students work in pairs or small groups to match the numbers to the categories.
Notes:
South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial)
The population of South Africa is around 58 million
The bordering countries are Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, and eSwatini. Lesotho, which
is surrounded by South Africa, is an enclave
The South Atlantic Ocean is off the west coast and the Indian Ocean is off the east coast
South Africa’s Constitution recognizes 11 official languages: Sepedi (also known as Sesotho sa Leboa), Sesotho,
Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.

a. 3 b. 11 c. 58 d. 6 e. 2

Students may know about African animals, apartheid and Nelson Mandela (will be discussed later in the lesson).

2. South Africa’s landscapes

10 mins.
This stage introduces South Africa’s natural landscapes and some famous South African places. Students work in
pairs to discuss the video and match the words to the definitions.
Note: Mpumalanga is a province in eastern South Africa, bordering eSwatini and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5%
of South Africa’s land area.
landscapes: mountains, flat plains, waterfall, river
activities: taking photos, kayaking
1. plains 2. big game 3. sense
4. vastness 5. dimension 6. rugged

Discussion
1. rugged mountains and vast plains
2. The landscapes combined with the chance to see the big game.

3. Visual guide

8-10 mins.
Part A introduces students to some landmarks and icons of South Africa, and Part B provides a visual guide to the
animals that live in that part of the continent.
1. Swartberg Pass 2. Boulders Beach 3. Cape Point
4. Three Rondavels 5. Table Mountain 6. Kruger National Park

Context

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1. → c. 2. → b. 3. → d. 4. → a. 5. → e. 6. → f.

Part B
8 mins.
Students learn and practice some vocabulary which is commonly used when describing animals.
Notes:
The word herd is commonly used for many African mammals (bison, antelope, elephant, giraffe, zebra) but it cannot
be used for every animal. It isn’t usually used to talk about groups of predators, so we can’t say ‘a herd of lions’.
A group of lions have a specific name: pride. Buffalo, zebra and antelope are prey for larger animals and are not
predators. Lions, hippos and hyenas are predators, but could also be prey in certain circumstances. All of the animals
may rely on camouflage to some extent to hide from prey or predators.

Explain that a carnivore is any animal that eats meat.

1. herd 2. horn 3. camouflage
4. prey 5. predator 6. species

note: hippopotamus is also knows as hippo

4. Reading for the main idea

5 mins.
Encourage students to read quickly and check their answers in pairs
✓ the first people in South Africa ✓ where to learn more about history
✓ a former South African leader ✓ how people communicate

5. Focus on vocabulary

10 mins.
Students work in pairs for Part A, then complete Part B individually before the discussion in Part C.
1. → h. 2. → d. 3. → f. 4. → c. 5. → e. 6. → g. 7. → a. 8. → b.

Article gaps:
(1) uncovered
(2) segregation
(3) commemorated
(4) multicultural
(5) lingua franca
(6) constitution
(7) texture
(8) crunchy
Part B

6. Reading comprehension

5-8 mins.

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Students answer the questions individually and then check in pairs before whole class feedback.
1. The San.
2. Bantu people from West Africa, Dutch and British settlers, Zulu.
3. In theory, it gave equal rights to different racial groups; in reality, the non-white majority suffered discrimination.
4. 2 – Afrikaans (related to Dutch) and English.
5. Due to its history and location on the coast.
6. Biltong.
7. It has led to the birth of new types of music.

7. Talking point

5-10 mins.
Students discuss subjects from the article. Monitor the task. Help if needed.

8. South African English (optional task)

This stage introduces students some words which are specific to South African English, or are used in a different
context in South Africa.
eish/eIS/, howzit/"haUzIt, lekker, /"lek@(r)/, braai/braI/

1. howzit 2. braai 3. robot

4. lekker 5. shame! 6. eish!

9. Reporting on a video (optional extension)

20 mins.
In this optional extension, students choose a topic which interests them and watch a video before reporting back
to the class.

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