Effective Communication Project on South Africa

GROUP MEMBERS:
AMMAN SARAF-123 NIRALEE MEHTA-146 NISHCHAY GUPTA-148 PALASH AGARWAL-151 PRIYANKA KAMATH-154 AYUSH KHETAN-178

INTRODUCTION
South Africa is one of the most geographically varied

countries of the African continent. South Africa has an estimated population of 47 million people and is the worlds 25th largest country. South Africa became a democracy when all people in South Africa, irrespective of their ethnic group, culture, language or religion came together to form an independent nation.

HISTORY
South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological sites in the world Extensive fossil remains at the Sterkfontein, Kromdraai and Makapansgat

caves suggest that various australopithecines existed in South Africa from about three million years ago. Settlements of Bantu-speaking peoples, who were iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen, were already present south of the Limpopo River by the fourth or fifth century. Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for more than 100,000 years. From the 4th-5th century , Bantu-speaking tribes had steadily moved south, where they displaced, conquered and assimilated original Khoikhoi and San peoples of southern Africa. The two major groups were the Xhosa and Zulu peoples.

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

In 1487, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to reach the southernmost point of Africa, initially named the Cape of Storms.
The King of Portugal, John II, renamed the cape the Cabo da Boa Esperana or Cape of Good Hope, as it led to the riches of India.

EUROPEAN INVASION
In 1652, a century and a half after the discovery of the Cape

Sea Route, Jan van Riebeeck established a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope, at what would become Cape Town, on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. Jan van Riebeeck became the first European to settle in South Africa A series of wars, called the Cape Frontier Wars, ensued, mainly caused by conflicting land and livestock interests.

RISE OF BRITISH POWER

Great Britain took over the Cape of Good Hope area in 1795,

ostensibly to stop it from falling under control of the French first, which invaded the Dutch Republic. The British returned Cape Town to the Dutch in 1803, but soon afterwards the Dutch East India Company declared bankruptcy. The British annexed the Cape Colony in 1806 & Cape Town became a British colony. The British continued the frontier wars against the Xhosa, pushing the eastern frontier eastward through a line of forts established along the Fish River.

Cultural background
South Africa has also had a large influence in the

Scouting movement, with many Scouting traditions and ceremonies coming from the experiences of Robert Baden-Powell during his time in South Africa as a military officer in the 1890s. The South African Scout Association was one of the first youth organizations to open its doors to youth and adults of all races in South Africa.

Cultural background
South African culture is diverse; foods from many cultures are

enjoyed by all and especially marketed to tourists who wish to sample the large variety of South African cuisine. In addition to food, music and dance feature prominently. South African cuisine is heavily meat-based and has spawned the distinctively South African social gathering known as a braai, or barbecue. South Africa has also developed into a major wine producer, with some of the best vineyards lying in valleys around Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Paarl and Barry dale. The South African black majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives. It is among these people, however, that cultural traditions survive most strongly; as blacks have become increasingly urbanized and Westernised, aspects of traditional culture have declined.

Cultural background

Decorated houses, Drakensberg Mountains

Traditional South African cuisine

Art
The oldest art objects in the world were discovered in a South African

cave. Dating from 75,000 years ago, these small drilled snail shells were discovered. South Africa was one of the cradles of the human species. One of the defining characteristics of our species is the making of art. The scattered tribes of Khoisan peoples moving into South Africa from around 10000 BC had their own fluent art styles seen today in a multitude of cave paintings. They were superseded by Bantu/Nguni peoples with their own vocabularies of art forms. New forms of art evolved in the mines and townships: a dynamic art using everything from plastic strips to bicycle spokes. The Dutch-influenced folk art of the Afrikaner Trekboers and the urban white artists earnestly following changing European traditions from the 1850s onwards also contributed to this eclectic mix, which continues to evolve today.

The South African black majority still has a substantial

number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives. Blacks have become increasingly urbanised and Westernised, leading to traditional cultures decline. Urban blacks usually speak English or Afrikaans in addition to their native tongue.

Views on education
Under Apartheid, schools for blacks were subject to

discrimination through inadequate funding and separate syllabus called Bantu Education which was only designed to give them sufficient skills to work as labourers. Redressing these imbalances has been a focus of recent education policy. This shows that south Africa is trying to create better conditions for the black who have suffered a lot due to apartheid. Now the thinking gas changed, equality has been preferred even for the education.

Beliefs regarding sexual discrimination

All racial and ethnic groups in South Africa have long-

standing beliefs concerning gender roles, and most are based on the premise that women are less important, or less deserving of power than men. Most African traditional social organizations are male centered and male dominated. Even in the 1990s, in some rural areas of South Africa, for example, wives walk a few paces behind their husbands in keeping with traditional practices, to show a seniority to the men.

SPORTS..
South Africa is one of the leading country when it

comes up to sports. South Africans have given a tough competition to the world when it comes to football, cricket and rugby. South Africans are very passionate and enthusiastic about sports. This has led them to create a landmark in the field of sports.

SOCCER Soccer is the most popular sport in South Africa, and is

very popular among South African blacks. The governing body is the South African Football Association. South Africa's national soccer team is nicknamed BAFANA BAFANA (meaning The Boys) whereas the womans national soccer team is nicknamed BANYANA BANYANA (meaning the girls). South Africa hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first in Africa. FIFA president Sepp Blatter awarded South Africa a grade 9 out of 10 for successfully hosting the event.

Cricket is the 2nd most popular sport in South Africa (after

football)

The national team is known as the Proteas. South Africa is one of the leading cricket-playing nations in

the world and one of ten countries that is sanctioned to play Test cricket. It is ranked second in world in test cricket , fourth in ODI and first in the world in T20 format of the game. It hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the 2007 World Twenty20 Championship. This country has given birth to some of the greatest players of cricket like Allan Donald , Lance Klusener , Jacques Kallis , Shaun Pollock , Dale Steyn and indian cricket teams coach Gary Kirsten.

RUGBY
Rugby is one of South Africa's big three sports, alongside

soccer and cricket. The country has traditionally fared extremely well on the world stage, and South African fans expect their national team to win every game it plays. When the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup on home turf in 1995, Nelson Mandela donned the No 6 shirt of the team's captain - Francois Pienaar, a white Afrikaner - and the two embraced in a spontaneous gesture of racial reconciliation that melted hearts around the country. A single moment, and 400 years of colonial strife and bitterness suddenly seemed so petty.

WOMEN
South Africans of Urban cultures generally

wear western dress. Dress well in public. Traditional African clothing for women mainly constitutes a variety of "Kaftans. It is also known as bobou. The prints are usually very large and consist of traditional tribal designs and symbols It is influenced from the Egyptian clothing.

MEN
The traditional African shirt worn by men is known as "Dashiki Traditional African clothing for men will be incomplete without the mention of "fila", which is the traditional cap worn by men in Africa. Danshikis are usually paired with traditional men's trousers, also known as "Sokoto". Tradition clothes for children is similar to the adults.

 South Africans are by custom polite and

circumspect in their speech, Gift giving is not the norm in business.

Use either both hands or the right hand

when giving and presenting gifts.

Business meetings can be held over lunch

or dinner in a good restaurant. South Africans are by custom hospitable, helpful, sympathetic, and most anxious to avoid verbal conflict or unsociable manners.
Meals at the home of a white South African

will include a barbecue by the pool--called a braaivleis

BUSINESS ETIQUETTES

The handshake is the most common greeting. There are a variety of handshakes between ethnic groups. Personal relationships are important. Use titles and surnames to address people. It is often difficult to schedule meetings from mid December to mid January Appointments should be made starting at 9 a.m.

Do not rush deals. South Africans are very casual in

their business dealings.

Business cards have no formal exchange protocol.

South Africans prefer a "win-win" situation.

Business Aspects
A Brazilian industry survey into doing business in 14

mostly emerging markets shows that South Africa competes well with its peers, particularly when it comes to affordability and availability of capital, financial market sophistication, business tax rates and infrastructure. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund have given South Africa's financial sector the thumbsup following an assessment of the country's adherence to international banking, insurance and securities markets regulatory standards.

Business Aspects
South Africa has world-class infrastructure - including

a modern transport network, relatively low-cost and widely available energy, and sophisticated telecommunications facilities. Now South Africa is moving towards becoming a knowledge-based economy, with a greater focus on technology, e-commerce and financial and other services

Business Aspects
In South Africa business people sometimes shy away

from dealings with others they've never met. Making arrangements to be introduced by a mutual business associate is the best way in to the South African business world. South Africans are more likely to do business with you after they've decided whether or not they like and trust you.

The Government has pinpointed 6 sectors that it considers have the greatest growth potential. 1. Automotive industry 2. Tourism 3. Mining and minerals 4. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) 5. Chemicals industry 6. Infrastruture

Gifts and notions

There are several greeting styles in South Africa depending upon the ethnic heritage of the person you are meeting. When dealing with foreigners, most South Africans shake hands while maintaining eye contact and smiling. In general, South Africans give gifts for birthdays and Christmas. Flowers, good quality chocolates, or a bottle of good South African wine is expected as a gift by the South African residents

Gifts and notions

South Africans are transactional and do not need to

establish long-standing personal relationships before conducting business. Most businessmen in South Africa look for long-term business relationships. There are major differences in communication styles depending upon the individual's cultural heritage. For the most part, South Africans want to maintain harmonious working relationships, so they avoid confrontations.

Gifts and notions

Most South Africans, regardless of ethnicity, prefer

face-to-face meetings to more impersonal communication mediums such as email, letter, or telephone. South Africans generally keep the initial meetings to establish a personal rapport and to determine if you are trustworthy. It is often difficult to schedule meetings from mid

December to mid January or the two weeks surrounding Easter, as these are prime vacation times for them.

Gifts and notions

South African handicrafts