Between 1948 and 1992, South Africa enforced a policy of racial segregation called "apartheid," an Afrikaner word that means "separateness." This policy stripped black, colored, and Indian South Africans of their citizenship rights, allowing whites to maintain control in a country with a majority black population. As African nations gained independence from European colonial powers, South Africa, concerned about the potential influence of these newly independent countries on its black citizens, provided financial and military support to rebel groups to undermine neighboring governments. This strategy aimed to sustain apartheid and white supremacy in South Africa's political and economic spheres, leading to the long-term displacement and deaths of millions of southern Africans. Virtually all of Gordimer's writings examine the effects of apartheid on both white and black communities.

Prior to the start of the story, the narrator's parents were casualties of the war. Her grandparents stepped in to care for her. When bandits ruined the grandfather's sole income source, he suffered a mental collapse, leaving the grandmother to shoulder the full burden of supporting the family. Her unwavering commitment to maintaining family unity allowed the narrator and her siblings to travel hundreds of miles through Kruger Park to reach a refugee camp, where they found relative safety.

The apartheid system in South Africa led to the forced relocation of millions of black individuals. Under apartheid laws, black South Africans were restricted in where they could legally live, compelling numerous impoverished families to illegally settle in shanty towns on the fringes of cities in search of employment. These families resided in temporary shelters, essentially rendering them homeless. In the wider southern African region, military actions financed by South Africa drove many villagers to escape to refugee camps, where they endured harsh conditions for many years. At the end of the story, a white journalist asks the grandmother if she wants to go back home. While the young girl fantasizes about being reunited with her mother and grandfather in their native village, the grandmother starkly replies, "There is nothing. No home."

Although many nations worldwide, especially in Africa, have gained independence from European colonial powers, they continue to be economically and militarily vulnerable to external forces. In the southern region of Africa, numerous border areas near South Africa fell into disorder and lawlessness due to frequent invasions by quasi-military groups supported by the South African government. While some of these groups had genuine political grievances, the majority were vigilante factions intent on destabilizing the regions through violent actions, such as raids, looting, and military attacks. This state of lawlessness eventually forced the narrator and her family, along with other refugee families, to embark on a difficult journey through Kruger Park to reach refugee camps in South Africa.

The primary goal of apartheid was to allow the white minority, making up less than 20 percent of South Africa's population, to sustain complete control over the economy and military. The apartheid policies led to extensive oppression of innocent black people, affecting not only those in South Africa but also individuals in nearby nations.

Apartheid allowed whites to exercise complete economic and political dominance over the non-white population in and around South Africa by implementing race-based classification systems and laws. This apartheid system greatly intensified racist attitudes among the population, leading to the dehumanization of black people in the eyes of many whites. Although "The Ultimate Safari" does not directly portray racial conflict, the longstanding racial tensions in the area created conditions that forced entire families and communities into desperate situations. Without such racial strife, it would have been more difficult for whites to justify the widespread refugee crisis,...