Government of South Africa

Politics of South Africa
show Constitution Bill of Rights
show Executive President Cyril Ramaphosa Deputy President David Mabuza Cabinet Departments Shadow Cabinet
show Legislative National Council of Provinces Chairperson Amos Masondo National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise Leader of the Opposition John Steenhuisen
show Judiciary Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng Deputy Chief Justice Ray Zondo Courts Constitutional Court Supreme Court of Appeal President: Mandisa Maya High Court Magistrate's courts Electoral Court
show Elections General 1910 1915 1920 1921 1924 1929 1933 1938 1943 1948 1953 1958 1961 1966 1970 1974 1977 1981 1984 1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024 Municipal 2000 2006 2011 2016 2021 Referendums 1960 1983 1992 Political parties
show Administrative divisions Provinces Districts Metropolitan municipality District municipality Municipalities (list)
show Foreign relations Department of International Relations and Cooperation Minister: Lindiwe Sisulu Diplomatic missions of / in South Africa Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy
show Related topics Human rights National debt Political assassinations Protests Repression Social Welfare Taxation
South Africa portal Other countries
v t

The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa.

Executive authority is vested in the President of South Africa who is head of state and head of government, and his Cabinet.

The President is elected by the Parliament to serve a fixed term.

South Africa's government differs greatly from those of other Commonwealth nations. The national, provincial and local levels of government all have legislative and executive authority in their own spheres, and are defined in the South African Constitution as "distinctive, interdependent and interrelated".

Operating at both national and provincial levels ("spheres") are advisory bodies drawn from South Africa's traditional leaders. It is a stated intention in the Constitution that the country be run on a system of co-operative governance.

The national government is composed of three inter-connected branches:

• Legislative: Parliament, consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces
• Executive: The President, who is both Head of State and Head of Government
• Judicial: The Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, and the High Court

All bodies of the South African government are subject to the rule of the Constitution, which is the Supreme law in South Africa.

Legislative[]

The Houses of Parliament in Cape Town.

This section is an excerpt from Parliament of South Africa.[]

Politics of South Africa
show Constitution Bill of Rights
show Executive President Cyril Ramaphosa Deputy President David Mabuza Cabinet Departments Shadow Cabinet
show Legislative National Council of Provinces Chairperson Amos Masondo National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise Leader of the Opposition John Steenhuisen
show Judiciary Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng Deputy Chief Justice Ray Zondo Courts Constitutional Court Supreme Court of Appeal President: Mandisa Maya High Court Magistrate's courts Electoral Court
show Elections General 1910 1915 1920 1921 1924 1929 1933 1938 1943 1948 1953 1958 1961 1966 1970 1974 1977 1981 1984 1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024 Municipal 2000 2006 2011 2016 2021 Referendums 1960 1983 1992 Political parties
show Administrative divisions Provinces Districts Metropolitan municipality District municipality Municipalities (list)
show Foreign relations Department of International Relations and Cooperation Minister: Lindiwe Sisulu Diplomatic missions of / in South Africa Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy
show Related topics Human rights National debt Political assassinations Protests Repression Social Welfare Taxation
South Africa portal Other countries
v t

The Parliament of South Africa is South Africa's legislature; under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameral Parliament comprises a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces.^[1][2] The current twenty-seventh Parliament was first convened on 22 May 2019.

From 1910 to 1994, members of Parliament were elected chiefly by the South African white minority. The first elections with universal suffrage were held in 1994.

Executive[]

The Union Buildings, the seat of the national executive

South African national government budget for 2019/20.

The President, Deputy President and the Ministers make up the executive branch of the national government. Ministers are Members of Parliament who are appointed by the President to head the various departments of the national government. The president is elected by parliament from its members.

Judicial[]

The third branch of the national government is an independent judiciary. The judicial branch interprets the laws, using as a basis the laws as enacted and explanatory statements made in the Legislature during the enactment. The legal system is based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law and accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations. The constitution's bill of rights provides for due process including the right to a fair, public trial within a reasonable time.

• Magistrates' Courts – The court where civil cases involving less than R100 000, cases.

Provincial government[]

This section is an excerpt from Provincial governments of South Africa.[]

Politics of South Africa
show Constitution Bill of Rights
show Executive President Cyril Ramaphosa Deputy President David Mabuza Cabinet Departments Shadow Cabinet
show Legislative National Council of Provinces Chairperson Amos Masondo National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise Leader of the Opposition John Steenhuisen
show Judiciary Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng Deputy Chief Justice Ray Zondo Courts Constitutional Court Supreme Court of Appeal President: Mandisa Maya High Court Magistrate's courts Electoral Court
show Elections General 1910 1915 1920 1921 1924 1929 1933 1938 1943 1948 1953 1958 1961 1966 1970 1974 1977 1981 1984 1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024 Municipal 2000 2006 2011 2016 2021 Referendums 1960 1983 1992 Political parties
show Administrative divisions Provinces Districts Metropolitan municipality District municipality Municipalities (list)
show Foreign relations Department of International Relations and Cooperation Minister: Lindiwe Sisulu Diplomatic missions of / in South Africa Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy
show Related topics Human rights National debt Political assassinations Protests Repression Social Welfare Taxation
South Africa portal Other countries
v t

The nine provinces of South Africa are governed by provincial governments which form the second layer of government, between the national government and the municipalities. The provincial governments are established, and their structure defined, by Chapter Six of the Constitution of South Africa.

The provincial governments are structured according to a parliamentary system in which the executive is dependent on and accountable to the legislature. In each province the provincial legislature is directly elected by proportional representation, and the legislature in turn elects one of its members as Premier to head the executive. The Premier appoints an Executive Council (a cabinet), consisting of members of the legislature, to administer the various departments of the provincial administration.

The powers of the provincial governments are circumscribed by the national constitution, which limits them to certain listed "functional areas". In some areas the provincial governments' powers are concurrent with those of the national government, while in other areas the provincial governments have exclusive powers. The constitution prescribes a principle of "co-operative government" whereby the various layers of government must co-ordinate their actions and legislation; it also lays down a series of rules for resolving conflicts between national and provincial legislation.

Local government[]

Local government in South Africa consists of municipalities of various types. The largest metropolitan areas are governed by metropolitan municipalities, while the rest of the country^[3] is divided into district municipalities, each of which consists of several local municipalities. After the municipal election of 18 May 2011 there were eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 226 local municipalities.^[4]

Municipalities are governed by municipal councils which are elected every five years. The councils of metropolitan and local municipalities are elected by a system of mixed-member proportional representation, while the councils of district municipalities are partly elected by proportional representation and partly appointed by the councils of the constituent local municipalities.^[5]

Opposition[]

In each legislative body, the party or coalition of parties holding a majority of seats forms the government. The largest party not in the government is recognised as the official opposition.

References[]

External links[]

• South African Government Online
• Constitution of South Africa