Religion in South Africa

Overview

South Africa’s population boasts a mix of religious beliefs, varying from the original Khoisan practices to Christianity, Islam and Hinduism.  The Khoisan religion included mythological tales of gods and heroes.  The other indigenous religion in South Africa was the set of practices followed by the Bantu civilization.  Although many of these traditional spiritual practices were eroded when Christianity arrived in the country, some rituals still remain, and these have mingled with Christian beliefs.

Christianity

Christianity arrived in this medical tourism destination with the Portuguese explorer, Bartholomew Diaz.  However, the religion only began to spread with the arrival of missionaries almost a century later.  Today, about 80% of the population claims to adhere to the Christian faith.  The vast majority of these are Protestants, with the Pentecostals forming the largest Protestant group in the country.  Roman Catholics comprise about 6% of the total South African population, and most of these are of Irish or Portuguese descent.

Islam

Islam has a presence in South Africa that dates back to before the arrival of the Europeans.  It arrived with east African and Arab traders and is currently one of the fastest growing religions in South Africa with most new converts coming from the Black townships.  There are about 400,000 Moslems in this medical tourism center, a majority of them of Indian descent.

Hinduism

Hindus form just over 1% of the population in South Africa.  The religion came here with the indentured laborers brought in from the Indian subcontinent to work on the sugar cane plantations.  The Hindu population is especially dense in the Kwa – Zulu Natal area where most of the earliest sugar cane plantations were located.  There are a number of Hindu temples scattered around Johannesburg and Durban.

Many of the Indian laborers who arrived in the 19^th century also brought with them Buddhism.  The Zen and Tibetan schools of Buddhism, in particular, have expanded their spheres of influence in South Africa. 

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