Introduction - on this page you will find links to details
of South African villas for sale, South African rental accommodation and shared
housing in South Africa.
Purchasing Holiday Homes and Apartments - With the
increasing demand for tourism, a market in holiday homes has resulted in South
Africa. There are certain factors to take into consideration when purchasing a
property in South Africa as a non resident. Namely that the fees for the sellers
solicitor are paid for by the purchaser, and on top of which as a non resident,
there is a transfer duty to be paid which is eight percent of the final purchase
price. If funds have to be raised for purchasing the property through a
mortgage, then normally in South Africa, a non resident will be able to raise up
to fifty percent of the purchase price through a mortgage within South Africa.
The rest of the funds will have to be raised externally and transferred into a
South African bank from a foreign bank. If having bought the property, you wish
to sell the property, you must ensure that the deeds of title when you purchase
the property state that you are a non resident, as this will make the process of
transferring any profit made out of South Africa upon sale. Please note that
capital gains tax is also payable on South African properties owned then sold by
non residents and this must be paid before any profit leaves South Africa.
History and Culture of South Africa - What can be learned
about South Africa that was actually recorded, began with the first arrival of a
Portuguese explorer to South Africa in the middle of the 1400's. To have reached
South Africa was an opening up of an alternative trade route via the Cape of
Good Hope, from Europe to India. The Cape of Good Hope is renowned for its
stormy conditions and many ships have perished in this stretch of water where
the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. South Africa was an attractive place for
Europeans, in the main, Portuguese, Dutch and English to colonize due to its
strategic trade route position. Along with its rich mineral deposits. Its
history of being colonised heavily from Europe and the influx of slaves brought
there by the Europeans, means today that there are eleven officially recognised
languages spoken in South Africa. Commonly spoken is English, Dutch and
Africaans, however English is in fact spoken less than the many of the other 11
languages, it is the one used for commerce.
Geographic - South Africa not only has coastal borders
with the Atlantic and Indian oceans, but also have land borders with other
African countries, including Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It is a land very rich in
minerals, from diamonds and gold to emeralds and rubies. South Africa's
topography is varied and it is well known for its mountainous regions, as well
as its flat desert areas to the North West. Its vast coastline where the Indian
and Atlantic oceans meet, have meant that South Africa has a varied and in the
most part temperate climate. There are sub tropical lush areas in the East of
the country.
Politics - South Africa is a member of the Commonwealth
nations, however since 1961 it is no longer within the actual Commonwealth.
After centuries of often violent and bloody battles between the Europeans and
South African natives, as well as slaves from places such as Indonesia that were
brought to South Africa by the British and Dutch, the Union of South Africa was
finally formed in 1910 when it gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
In the following 20 years or so, the English speaking white people of South
Africa and the Africaners sought some level of harmony culminating in two
political parties merging. However, strict and unfair laws still prevailed
concerning land ownership by non whites and much un rest remained. The National
Party was brought into power through elections, however the majority of non
white natives were not given voting rights at this time. The National Party
began a series of actions, policies and legislative measures regarding the
segregation of blacks from whites with led ultimately to Apartheid in 1948.
Worldwide sanctions were brought to bear on South Africa, anti-apartheid
demonstrations held both within the country itself and in Western nations.
Nelson Mandela who had stood up as a black South African against Apartheid, was
imprisoned, but with western pressure was finally released in 1990. He became
president of the ANC, African National Congress, and Apartheid was abolished in
1994. The ANC have once again been elected to power (since voting rights have
been given to non white South Africans) and the current president Mbeki is
incumbent in the role until 2009. With Apartheid ending, the states that had
been set up, had to be abolished and new integrated provinces set up in their
place. There are now nine provinces in South Africa, each with its own capital
town. Within South Africa overall, there are three Captial cities, the largest
of which is Cape Town, which is the legislative capital, the other two are
administrative and judicial.
Economy - South Africa's economy is the largest in Africa
and worldwide it ranks amongst the top 30. Its currency is the South African
rand. Its population in 2008 was estimated at nearly 44 million. Although it is
a rich country the black majority are still under privileged in many ways, and
vast shanty towns exist where hundreds of thousands of people live in poverty.
Disease in these towns is rife and due to many years of neglect and non
governmental intervention, diseases such as Aids go unchecked. Although economic
policies have been changing and better dispersement of wealth has meant an
improvement in health care and disease prevention. Even so, it is estimated that
nearly five million people are infected with HIV in South Africa. Although South
Africa's economy is strong, it is still regarded as a developing country and a
two tiered economy exists in South Africa with the gap between the richest and
poorest citizens is one of the greatest in the World. The average income for a
black household has been recorded as much as six times less than that of an
average white south African household income. This in itself has contributed
crime and associated social problems that go along with such a marked difference
in the rich and the poor average incomes. Agriculture and tourism make up a
large proportion of the economic production of South Africa, along with its
gemstone and gold industries. Its wine production and exports are known around
the globe. Outsourcing of work from the West has reached South Africa, and many
young graduates within South Africa are being trained and employed to answer the
telephone in call centres for Information Technology, Insurance and Banking
customers in Europe and America.
Tourism -The plant life of South Africa is a real draw to
tourists and visitors. Its diversity in its plant life is astonishing and is
greater than several countries whose land mass is much greater than its own.
This diversity can be attributed to its geographic position, but also to
imported foreign species of plants. In recent times with increases in
population, deforestation and urbanisation the imported foreign species are
fighting for survival with the indigenous species and unfortunately the foreign
plants are winning. Other attractions to South Africa by tourists are its big
game reserves, and the wine produced in South Africa and the topography itself
with visits made to such places as Victoria Falls.
