South Africa has a democratic system of government framed by one of the most progressive constitutions to be found anywhere in the world. The constitution embodies judicial independence and freedom of speech and the press in the interests of responsible government.

South Africa’s government is structured in three tiers: national, provincial and local. While these are distinct levels of government with specific areas of responsibility they do overlap in certain areas. Judicial, legislative and executive structures are independent of one another.

The President is the head of state, appoints the Deputy President and leads the Cabinet whose members are chosen from members of the National Assembly. The Deputy President assists the President in the execution of government functions.

South Africa’s executive capital is Pretoria where most government departments are based. The country’s legislative capital is Cape Town with the country’s parliament consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. The National Assembly consists of no less than 350 and no more than 400 members, elected through a proportional representation system. Their mandate to uphold the principles of democracy includes the election of the president and the effective representation of the interests of their constituents. The National Council of Provinces is responsible for the representation of provincial interests at a national level and is composed of 54 members and 36 special delegates.

Presidential and parliamentary elections are held every five years and the next election is scheduled for 2004.

The interests of traditional leaders are represented on both the national and provincial levels. The National House of Traditional Leaders was established in 1997 and consists of three members from each province. The national body advises the government on the role of traditional leaders and customary law. Each of the nine provinces has a provincial House of Traditional Leaders.

Each of the nine provinces has its own legislature responsible for drawing up legislation in areas specifically designated under provincial capacity.

There are six metropolitan municipalities in South Africa, namely Tshwane, Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela. There are 231 local municipalities and 47 district municipalities.

The courts, particularly the Constitutional Court, and a range of other bodies provide checks and balances and perform ombudsman-like duties.

Reference Resources

Cabinet

Constitution

Government Departments and Organisations

Government Personalities

Legal System

Political Parties

Politics

Notes

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