Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows Quiz

Answer: Big Five

South Africa is blessed with an abundance of wildlife and a safari where visitors are able to view these animals in their natural habitat is one of the most popular tourist activities in the country. Top of most visitors' wish list is the "Big Five". The term is used in the tourism industry to refer to the lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) , the cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and either (or both, if you are lucky) of the two species of rhinoceros, white (Ceratotherium simum) or black (Diceros bicornis). The term originates with the big game hunters who used it to describe the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot.

Some game reserves also offer the "Super Seven" which is the Big Five together with the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus).

Answer: Golf

The Sunshine Tour is a professional golf tour which forms part of the Professional Federation of PGA Tours. The majority of the tournaments which make up the tour are staged in South Africa and include such events as the South African Open, the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Joburg Open.

The Sid Brews Trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the Sunshine Tour Order of merit and former winners include Gary Player, Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel, all of whom have gone on to be successful players internationally.

Answer: Rand

When South Africa became a republic in 1961, the rand was introduced to replace the pound sterling. The currency takes it name from the Afrikaans word "rand" which means ridge. This is very apt as South Africa derives a large portion of its income from gold and the bulk of the country's gold deposits lie on the Witwatersrand (White Water Ridge). The Rand is a decimal currency and is divided into 100 cents. When the government made the change to the rand, it used a mascot called "Decimal Dan, the rand-cent man" to help people adapt to the new system The catchy jingle stated that "Decimal Dan, the rand-cent man gives you cents for pennies where ever he can".

The rand is the currency of the Common Monetary Area which includes South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho.

Answer: Nadine Gordimer

Nadine Gordimer is a South African author and political activist. Educated at home, she published her first story, "The Quest for Seen Gold", in 1937 when she was 15 years old. Her Jewish background made her interested in racial equality, and she was an active part of the anti-Apartheid movement. Her novels explore the effects apartheid had on the lives of ordinary people in South Africa.

Gordimer became the first South African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature when she took the award in 1991 for "having been of great benefit to humanity". More recently, Gordimer has been involved in another fight in South Africa, that against the scourge of AIDS.

Answer: Desmond Tutu

The term "rainbow nation" was first used by the Anglican Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, to describe the multi-cultural nation that South Africa had become following the historic 1994 elections. He called its citizens the "rainbow people of God". South Africa is a country of immense diversity in race, tribe, creed and language and the term was intended to bring all aspects of society together. This was echoed by South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, when he said that South Africa "was a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world". It is interesting to note that the rainbow is also a symbol of hope in certain local cultures.

Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1984 for his opposition to the system of apartheid.

Answer: Miriam Makeba

Affectionately known as "Mama Africa", Miriam Makeba was a South African singer and activist. Makeba was a professional singer in South Africa when she was noticed by Harry Belafonte in 1959 for her role in the documentary "Come Back, Africa". He helped her settle and perform in the United States. However, because of her opposition to apartheid, Makeba was denied re-entry to South Africa by the government and lived in exile for thirty years before finally returning home in 1990. She won a Grammy award for best folk recording with Belafonte in 1966 for the album "An Evening with Belafonte and Makeba". In 1987 she joined Paul Simon as part of his "Graceland" Tour.

She was one of the first artists to popularise African music and is best known for her songs "Pata Pata" and "The Click Song".

Answer: Pretoria

South Africa has three capital cities and Pretoria serves as the executive or administrative capital. It is also considered to be the national capital of the country. Situated in Gauteng province, the city was named after the Afrikaner leader, Andries Pretorius, and is home to the Union Buildings, the seat of government. It is estimated that there are over 40,000 Jacaranda trees in Pretoria and every spring they cover the city with their profuse purple blossoms. It is indeed a sight to behold.

Jacaranda, both the genus and common name, are native to South America and were first imported to South Africa in the 1880s from Argentina. They are now considered to be an alien species and may no longer be planted. There is an urban legend among the students of the University of Pretoria that if a Jacaranda blossom falls on your head, you will pass your year-end examinations.

Answer: Kimberley

Kimberley in the Northern Cape province of South Africa became the first city in the southern hemisphere to install electric street lighting when the lights were first lit on September 1, 1882. The city of Kimberley rose from the diamond rush that started when diamonds were discovered on a farm owned by the De Beer brothers in 1871. By 1872 it is estimated that there were over 50,000 diggers trying to make their fortune and the city of Kimberley developed. It was named after the Earl of Kimberley who was the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. The largest of the diamond mines is known as the Big Hole and, by the time operations ceased in 1914, it had become the largest hand dug excavation in the world. Today it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country.

Kimberley also has the honour of being the home to South Africa's first stock exchange and the first city to switch to an automatic telephone exchange.

Answer: Pinotage

South Africa has an extensive and diverse wine industry with both quality red and white wines being produced. However it is with the red grape varietal, Pinotage, that the country has become most associated. Pinotage was bred in South Africa by Professor Abraham Perold in 1925 and is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. Cinsaut is also known as Hermitage and the name, Pinotage, reflects the roots of the grape. The first wine from Pinotage was made in 1941 and the wine won "Champion Wine of the Cape Wine Show" in 1959.

It is a requirement that Pinotage be included in any wine designated a Cape Blend. Being very versatile, Pinotage is also used in Port-style fortified wines and in the production of a red sparkling wine.

Answer: e'Lollipop

"e'Lollipop" is the story of two boys, one white and one black, who become friends despite the race barrier. Jannie, who is orphaned when his parents die in a car accident, becomes friends with Tsepo when he is sent to live at a mission station in Tsepo's home village. The boys, together with their dog, Sugarball, become inseparable. However, their life is shattered when Jannie is seriously injured in an accident and is sent to New York for surgery. When Jannie pines for his friend, the community clubs together and sends Tsepo to New York to be with his friend. He gets lost at the airport and finds himself in Harlem. He is eventually reunited with Jannie and presents him with a symbol of their friendship - a lollipop he has brought from the village store.

The movie caused much controversy when it was released in a South Africa still firmly entrenched in apartheid. However, it has become one of the country's cult movies.