The equivalent of South Africa, but one where the Boers never broke free of British control (thanks mainly to the actions of Excalibur, later of the Royal Elite Guard), so that South Africa remained a British colony until 1956 when it was granted its independence by the British government after a period of protests and terrorism. Because the Boers failed to break free of Britain in the 1880's, an overtly racist white minority never gained control, and apartheid, for example, never occurred.
Since independence, Azania has become essentially African dictatorship, ruled by a Zulu elite who came to power in democratic elections after independence, but who then used the excuse of unrest to keep themselves in power, and are quite repressive. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned by the Zulus for promoting a more fully democratic society, for example. Only the great mineral wealth of the country has kept things reasonably stable, both through keeping the populace quiet, and paying for the degree of control necessary to enforce this. This has included the building of large arcology housing projects for the poor, which, although supplying housing of reasonable quality, has also allowed an unprecedented degree of control over the inhabitants.
Over the years Azania has fought a number of wars with its neighbours, with the result that the countries borders now differ significantly from those of South Africa in the real world. In the west Azania stretches north into what was Namibia, while towards the east the border is further south than in the real world, almost the Johannesburg, thanks to acquisitions by Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Along with Biafra, Azania is one of only two African nations with their own independent space programmes.
In the 1990's, there has been some softening of the Zulu elites hard line, with greater freedoms for non-Zulu citizens, and a general democratisation, including the release of various imprisoned opposition political figures, including Nelson Mandela.