SOUTH AFRICA: The branch facilities in Krugersdorp seemed more than adequate when they were completed in 1987. Why, just 12 years later, were they dedicating an enlargement of the office block, three new residence buildings, a trucking garage, and a spacious new export shed?

One reason is the increased freedom enjoyed by Jehovah’s people as a result of the end of the Cold War. Bans on Jehovah’s Witnesses were lifted in such countries as Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, and Angola. Since the completion of the branch facilities in 1987, ten of the countries to which South Africa sends supplies have seen a total increase in publishers of 148 percent! (Mozambique alone had a 523-percent increase in those 12 years.)

Furthermore, a new government in South Africa and the dismantling of apartheid resulted in greater freedom of movement to and from other countries in Africa. The South Africa branch has thus been able to do more to send supplies to neighboring branches. In addition to printing magazines, brochures, and other material, this branch stores literature and processes congregation orders for a number of nearby countries. As the construction of Assembly Halls and Kingdom Halls gains momentum in Africa, more branches are obtaining building supplies from South Africa.

Other factors: The South Africa branch territory itself enjoyed a 62-percent increase in Kingdom proclaimers since 1987. In the last few years, the Translation Department had to be enlarged to handle the additional work of translating the Bible into seven local languages—Afrikaans, Sepedi, Sesotho, Tsonga, Tswana, Xhosa, and Zulu. Little wonder, then, that crucial areas of the South Africa branch had to be expanded.

Thus, on October 23, 1999, enlarged branch facilities were dedicated in South Africa. On hand for the occasion was Daniel Sydlik, a member of the Governing Body, who delivered a stimulating discourse entitled “Dedications Reflecting God’s Glory.”

(3) South Africa,