South Africa Country of My People Nkosazana Roxi Kleinhaus Basic Facts for Gr 4 – Gr 6 learners

Learning about our National Identity W e are all familiar with our National Symbols - the National Coat of Arms, the National Anthem, and the National Flag. We see them all around us every day. B ut how much do we really know about their history, their symbolism, and the important values they promote and that we all share as South Africans?

Proudly South African Pride and prejudice Being proud to be a South African does not mean looking down on others. In the same way that being proud of our school or choir does not mean looking down on other schools or learners who are not lucky enough to sing in the choir. Arrogance* and prejudice are the bad brothers and sisters of pride. We even have special words for pre-judging people... from other countries – xenophobia*; from other race groups – racism*; from other sexes – sexism*; and so on. A person’s national identity comes from their sense of belonging to a country, being proud of its history, cultures, languages, landscapes and traditions. Identity is about belonging. We all belong to different social groups. We take on different roles in different social spaces or contexts. Our understanding of ourselves and the different roles we play in different contexts shapes our identity - who we are.

This is Who We Are… The Republic of South Africa, as the name already indicates, is located in the very south of the African continent. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean in the east and the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

The capital is Pretoria, which is in the north of the country. Around 50 million people live in South Africa.

Thousands of plant species grow in South Africa, but woods are very rare. Grasslands and mountainous regions are only one aspect of the country. The protea is named after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape. There are many varieties of protea, different in colour, size and leaf shape. The Giant or King Protea is the largest of all the proteas. It is found in the southern areas of the Western Cape, from the Cedarberg up to just east of Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape. Proteas are uniquely South African and are loved all over the world by botanists*, gardeners and florists. Yellowwood trees are precious*hardwood trees that have been part of the South African landscape for morethan a hundred million years. These trees are found from Table Mountain, along the southern and eastern Cape coast, in the ravines of the Drakensberg, up to the Soutpansberg AND THE "LOUBErg in Limpopo province. Yellowwood trees can grow up to forty metres high. They are slow growing, and this makes their honey-coloured wood strong, heavy and difficult to warp*. In the past, this wood was sought- after* for making furniture, but now these trees are rare* and may not be cut down.

The protea is named after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape. There are many varieties of protea, different in colour, size and leaf shape. The Giant or King Protea is the largest of all the proteas. It is found in the southern areas of the Western Cape, from the Cedarberg up to just east of Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape. Proteas are uniquely South African and are loved all over the world by botanists*, gardeners and florists.

VOCABULARY Botanist – person who studies plants Florist – someone who works with flowers for display Precious – very valuable Rare – not easy to find Sought-after – in demand Surf – waves that crash on rocks or land Warp - bend out of shape

The National Tree Real Yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius) Yellowwood trees are precious* hardwood trees that have been part of the South African landscape for more than a hundred million years. These trees are found from Table Mountain, along the southern and eastern Cape coast, in the ravines of the Drakensberg, up to the Soutpansberg AND THE "LOUBErg in Limpopo province. Yellowwood trees can grow up to forty metres high. They are slow growing, and this makes their honey-coloured wood strong, heavy and difficult to warp*. In the past, this wood was sought-after* for making furniture, but now these trees are rare* and may not be cut down.

KING PROTEA REAL YELLOW WOOD