South African Culture

The primary author of this profile was the Cultural Atlas Editors, originally published in 2015.
Religion was authored by Chara Scroope in 2019. Nina Evason authored Etiquette in 2019 and Naming in 2024.

• Alexander, M. C. (2018, July 9). South Africa’s population. South Africa Gateway. https://southafrica-info.com/people/south-africa-population/
• Arthur, A. (2016, December 30). Africa’s naming traditions: Nine ways to name your child. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37912748
• Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021a). 4-digit level ANCP Ancestry Multi Response by Australia (UR) (2021 Census of Population and Housing) [Data set]. ABS Census TableBuilder.
• Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021b). People in Australia who were born in South Africa [Data set]. 2021 Census Country of Birth QuickStats. https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/9225_AUS
• Byrnes, M. (2013, December 11). Life in Apartheid-Era South Africa. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-12-10/life-in-apartheid-era-south-africa
• Central Intelligence Agency. (2024, June 26). South Africa. The World Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-africa/
• Commisceo Global Consulting. (2019). South Africa—Culture, Etiquette and Business Practices. https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/south-africa-guide
• Coplan, D. (2001). South Africa. In M. Ember & C. R. Ember (Eds.), Countries and Their Cultures: Saint Kitts and Nevis to Zimbabwe (Vol. 4, pp. 2047–2063). Macmillan Reference USA; Advameg. https://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/South-Africa.html
• CuZZin Curators. (2024). South African Profile Naming Conventions. GENi. https://www.geni.com/projects/CuZZin-South-African-Profile-Naming-Conventions/16231
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. (2022). South Africa. Australian Government. https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/south-africa
• Department of Home Affairs. (2018). South Africa-born Community Information Summary (Census of Population and Housing 2016, Country Data Summary). Commonwealth of Australia. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/mca/files/2016-cis-south-africa.PDF
• Department of Home Affairs. (2024, June 26). Country profile—South Africa. Australian Government. https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/country-profiles/profiles/south-africa
• DeSilver, D. (2013, December 6). Chart of the Week: How South Africa changed, and didn’t, over Mandela’s lifetime. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2013/12/06/chart-of-the-week-how-south-africa-changed-and-didnt-over-mandelas-lifetime/
• Dresser, N. (1996). Multicultural Manners: New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society. J. Wiley & Sons.
• Etiquette Scholar. (2019). South Africa Dining Etiquette. Etiquette Scholar; Yellowstone Publishing. https://www.etiquettescholar.com/dining_etiquette/table-etiquette/africa-s_table_manners/south_african.html
• Giftypedia. (2010, June 2). South Africa Gift Giving Customs. http://www.giftypedia.com/South_Africa_Gift_Giving_Customs
• Global Business Compass. (2016). South African Communication Styles. Doing Business with South Africa. https://www.globalbusinesscompass.com/product/doing-business-with-south-africa-bundle/
• Government of South Africa. (2024). People of South Africa. https://www.gov.za/about-sa/south-africas-people
• Hofstede Insights. (2024). Country Comparison Tool: South Africa. The Culture Factor Group. https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool?countries=south+africa
• JRank. (1997). South Africa—Family Life In Black Communities, Family Life In Asian Communities, Family Life In Colored Families. Marriage and Family Encyclopedia. https://family.jrank.org/pages/1620/South-Africa.html
• Khalidi, S., McIlroy, F., & Neumayer, H. (2012). The Cultural Dictionary and Directory (3rd ed.). Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services of the ACT Inc. https://assets-global.website-files.com/62e8aecf272aa16f066650d8/62e8aecf272aa102fa665156_The_Cultural_Dictionary.pdf
• Language Recruiters. (2015, October 16). Work culture and etiquette in South Africa. https://languagerecruiters.com/work-culture-and-etiquette-in-south-africa/
• Lee, D. W. (2019, May 9). Local Customs and Culture in South Africa. Our Family Travel Blog. https://www.ourfamilytravelblog.com/family-travel/africa/south-africa/local-customs-and-culture-in-south-africa/
• Lewis, R. D. (2006). When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures (3rd ed.). Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
• Louw, E., & Mersham, G. (2001). Packing for Perth: The Growth of a Southern African Diaspora. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 10(2), 303–333. https://doi.org/10.1177/011719680101000204
• Masondo, S. T. (2017). Why do you hate me so much? An exploration of religious freedom from the perspective of African religion(s). HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 73(3), a4628. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v73i3.4628
• Meintjes, K., & Rudolph, A. (2007, October). Traditional Naming Patterns. Genealogical Society of South Africa. https://www.eggsa.org/articles/MeintjesAndRudolph-TraditionalNamingPatterns.htm
• Mitchell, C. (1998). Passport South Africa: Your Pocket Guide to South African Business, Customs and Etiquette. World Trade Press. http://archive.org/details/passportsouthafr0000mitc
• Morris, I. (2018). South Africa—Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture (2nd ed.). Kuperard.
• Museums Victoria. (2017). Immigration History from South Africa to Victoria. Origins. https://origins.museumsvictoria.com.au/countries/south-africa/
• Plessis, J. du. (2020, April 29). South African Etiquette. Afrikaans.Us. https://www.afrikaans.us/afrikaans/culture/oor-suid-afrika/activities-values-perceptions/etiquette/
• ProQuest. (2017). Republic of South Africa. ProQuest & Brigham Young University. https://proquest.libguides.com/culturegrams
• Schoeman, W. J. (2017). South African religious demography: The 2013 General Household Survey. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 73(2), 7. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v73i2.3837
• Simpson, D. (2011). Syncretism in Two African Cultures. The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.5206/uwoja.v2i1.8746
• South African History Online. (2019, August 27). Dutch Reformed Church (DRC). https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/dutch-reformed-church-drc
• Statistics South Africa. (2022). General Household Survey 2021 (Statistical Release P0318). Government of South Africa. https://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/5776/related-materials
• Statistics South Africa. (2023). Census 2022 (Statistical Release P0301.4). Government of South Africa. https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf
• Statistics South Africa. (2024). Census Dissemination. Stats SA Census Portal. https://census.statssa.gov.za/#/
• Suzman, S. M. (1994). Names as Pointers: Zulu Personal Naming Practices. Language in Society, 23(2), 253–272. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4168516
• The Economist. (2022, February 26). Names in southern Africa are both creative and revealing. https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2022/02/26/names-in-southern-africa-are-both-creative-and-revealing
• Transparency International. (2024). Corruption Perceptions Index 2023. https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023
• Waardenburg, L. (2021, December 7). The Dutch Reformed Church and its contribution to Apartheid. European Academy on Religion and Society. https://europeanacademyofreligionandsociety.com/news/the-dutch-reformed-church-and-its-contribution-to-apartheid/
• Wallace, D. (2006). The Construction and Articulation of a Pagan Identity in South Africa: A Study of the Nature and Implications of a Contested Religious Identity in a Pluralistic Society [Doctoral thesis, University of KwaZulu-NataI]. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/7820
• World Elections. (2014). Race, Ethnicity and Language in South Africa. Guide to the 2014 South African Election. https://welections.wordpress.com/guide-to-the-2014-south-african-election/race-ethnicity-and-language-in-south-africa/