Anyone know anything about SOUTH AFRICA

It has quite a large Jewish community

Kruger National park is amazing

We traveled there back in 2015 including visits to Capetown and Johannesburg and the obligatory “safari” in neighboring Botswana. We found the Chabad shaalichim in both cities to be incredibly helpful and knowledgable so I would suggest contacting them if you plan on traveling anytime soon (although they are still in semi-lockdown mode because of Covid). Also, the security situation has gotten a bit more risky since we were there.

Downhill since the ANC took over.

Kashrus is very organized. People actually agree on one hashgacha (We could learn something from that). Many products are supervised, and unlike some countries, they print the hechsher on the labels, so it is not difficult to find food, even outside major cities, and you don’t have to carry a list. The chief rabbi has achieved much in kiruv.

Substantial numbers of Jews left South Africa in the early to middle 1960’s. The ones I know said they left because they had no heart for apartheid. I know nothing about the Jewish community that is there today.

Maivin. I suspect Yoni S can provide more current information, especially on what you refer to as “ruchniyos” in the schools. However, as to what you refer to as the “main rov”, there is “Chief Rabbi” selected by most of the “orthodox” mosdos in SA. The current Chief Rabbi is the first to hold the position who was born and educated in SA as was appointed in his early 30s. He also holds a PhD in law and is politically progressive and very much involved in social equity efforts across SA society. He is more in the mold of the Chief Rabbi of the UK than the traditional model of a “main rov” your question implies.

I lived and worked there in the late 70s (based in Yeoville neighborhood of JoBurg). It had a vibrant Litvish community with Kollel then.
The country fell apart after the ANC took power and whites fled in droves.

I have been back a number of times, last in 2019, not much to attract young families. Those who can find suitable economic situations abroad, leave. Not just Jews, but whites in general.