South Africa

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South Africa, the southernmost country on continent, is renowned for its varied topography, great natural beauty, and cultural diversity.  South Africa is bordered to the north by Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe; and by Mozambique and Eswatini to the northeast and east. It also completely enclaves the country Lesotho. South Africa’s coastlines border the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest .

Other facts:

  • Area: 471,359 sq mi (1,220,813 sq km).
  • Population: (2022 est.) 60,970,000.
  • Provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape, Western Cape
  • Capitals: Pretoria/Tshwane (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein/Mangaung (judicial).
  • Time zone: UTC+2 (SAST)
Climate

South Africa is known for its long sunny days, hence the title, ‘Sunny South Africa’. Most of the nine provinces have summer rainfall, except for the Western Cape, which experiences winter rainfall. The high-lying areas of the interior can be chilly in winter. The South African Weather Service uses the following dates for seasons:

  • Spring: September, October, November
  • Summer: December, January, February
  • Autumn: March, April, May
  • Winter: June, July, August
Languages

South Africa is a multilingual country and there are 11 official languages, namely: English, Afrikaans, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga. Although only about 10% of the population has English as its mother tongue, English is the language most widely understood, and is the second language of the majority of South Africans.

Currency

South Africa’s currency is the rand (sign: R; code: ZAR), which offers visitors great value for money. The rand comes in a range of coins (R1 = 100 cents) and note denominations of R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200.

Airports

South Africa boasts three major world-class international airports in the three biggest cities OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg); Cape Town International Airport; and King Shaka International Airport (Durban). There are also many regional airports, including the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport in Mbombela (Nelspruit).

Communications

South Africa has a well-developed communications infrastructure. A number of cellphone providers offer national coverage and there are well-established landline phone networks. Internet and Wi-Fi are easily accessible in most urban areas.

South African Tourism
South Africa at a Glance

Preventing, predicting, preparing for, and responding to epidemics and pandemics

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
Session will be a reflection of the roles and responsibilities of epidemiologists during the course of the pandemic, as well as lessons learnt will be important for management of future pandemics.

Meet the editors

Session type: Panel discussion
Session will involve engagement of Editors of epidemiology journals on how they promote inclusive publishing on their platforms and how far have they gone to include the rest of the world in their publications.

Old risk factors in the new era: tobacco, alcohol and physical activity

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
Session will delve into the evolving landscape of traditional risk factors amid contemporary health challenges. The aim is to explore how the dynamics of tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and physical activity have transformed in the modern era, considering technological, societal, and cultural shifts.

Shafalika Goenka
(Public Health Foundation of India, India)

Katherine Keyes
(Columbia University, USA)

Lekan Ayo Yusuf
(University of Pretoria, SA)

Is it risky for epidemiologists to be advocates?

Session type: Debate
In the current climate, epidemiologists risk becoming non-neutral actors hampering their ability to do science as well as making them considered to be less reliable to the public.

Kalpana Balakrishnan
(Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, India)

Neal Pearce
(London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK)

The role of epidemiology in building responses to violence

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
Violence has been given insufficient attention and priority in the arena of public health policy, partnerships and interventions. Session will explore what role can and will epidemiology play in improving responses to violence?

Zinzi Bailey
(University of Minnesota, USA)

Rodrigo Guerrero-Velasco
(Violence Research Center of Universidad del Valle, Columbia)

Rachel Jewkes
(South African Medical Research Council, SA)

Ethics and epidemiology: conflicts of interest in research and service

Session type: Panel discussion
This session aims to dissect the complexities surrounding conflicts of interest in both research and public health practice, emphasising the critical need for transparency, integrity, and ethical decision-making.

Racial and ethnic classifications in epidemiology: global perspectives

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
Session will explore the continued predominance of certain types of studies which influence global practice despite the lack of racial, ethnic and geographic diversity is a major weakness in epidemiology.

Critical reflections on epidemiology and its future

Session type: Panel discussion
Session will explore where is epidemiology headed, particularly given what field has been through in recent times? Is the field still fit for purpose? With all the new emerging threats, important to establish whether field is ready.

Teaching epidemiology: global perspectives

Session type: Panel discussion
Understanding how epidemiology is taught in different parts of the world is essential. Session will unpack why is epidemiology taught differently? Is it historical? Implications of these differences?

Na He
(Fudan University, China)

Katherine Keyes
(Columbia University, USA)

Noah Kiwanuka
(Makerere University, Uganda)

Miquel Porta
(Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, Spain)

Pharmacoepidemiology: new insights and continuing challenges

Session type: Multi-speaker symposium
This session aims to explore recent advancements in studying the utilization and effects of medications on populations, addressing methodological innovations, and novel data sources.

Are traditional cohorts outdated?

Session type: Panel discussion
Session will explore the landscape of traditional cohort studies, touching on their continued relevance in the contemporary research landscape. What are the limitations of traditional cohorts, challenges in data collection, evolving research questions, and potential advancements in study designs.

Karen Canfell
(The Daffodil Centre, Cancer Council NSW/University of Sydney, Australia)

Mauricio Lima Barreto
(Center of Data and Knowledge Integration for Health, Brazil)

Naja Hulvej Rod
(University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

Yuan Lin
(Nanjing Medical University, China)

Have DAGs fulfilled their promise?

Session type: Debate
Critical reflection on why despite their importance in the Methods community, DAGs are not widely included in publications. Session will provide perspective on their utility in future research

Peter Tennant
(University of Leeds, UK)

Margarita Moreno-Betancur
(University of Melbourne, Australia)

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