Transcript Document

The Republic of South Africa
Area: 1,228,376 sq. km
Population: c. 46 million
Capital City: Pretoria (1.25 million)
People: African/Black – 76.7%, White – 10.9%, Coloured –
8.9%, Indian/Asian – 2.6%
Languages: South Africa has eleven officially recognised
languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Sepedi, Setswana,
Sesotho, Zitsonga, Siswati, Tshibenda, Ndebele
Religion(s): All principle religions are represented in South
Africa
Head of State: President Mr Thabo Mbeki
Foreign Minister: Dr Clarice Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Membership of international groupings/organisations:
United Nations (UN), African Union, Commonwealth, Non
Aligned Movement (NAM), Southern African Development
Community (SADC).
Evelin Aavik
The Political System in South
Africa
Legislative Authority
Parliament
1.National Assembly
(350 -400 members)
Executive Authority
Judical Authority
Cabinet
Constitutional Court
Supreme Court of Appeal
High Courts
Magistrates' courts
President
Deputy Pesident
Ministers
Judical Sevice Commission
2.National Council of
Provinces (90 delegates)
Deputy ministers
Mediation Committee
Evelin Aavik
THE PARLAMENT
Parliament is the legislative authority of South Africa and has the power to
make laws for the country in accordance with the Constitution. It consists of
the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
Parliamentary sittings are open to the public.
National Assembly (NA)
The National Assembly consists of no fewer than 350 and no more than 400
members elected through a system of proportional representation. The
National Assembly, which is elected for a term of five years, is presided over by
a Speaker, assisted by a Deputy Speaker.
The National Assembly is elected to represent the people and to ensure
democratic governance as required by the Constitution. It does this by electing
the President, by providing a national forum for public consideration of issues,
by passing legislation, and by scrutinising and overseeing executive action.
National Council of Provinces (NCOP)
The NCOP consists of 54 permanent members and 36 special delegates, and
aims to represent provincial interests in the national sphere of government.
Delegations from each province consist of 10 representatives.
Evelin Aavik
THE CABINET
The Cabinet consists of the President, as head of the Cabinet, the Deputy
President and Ministers. The President appoints the Deputy President and
Ministers, assigns their powers and functions, and may dismiss them.
The President may select any number of Ministers from among the members of
the National Assembly, and may select no more than two Ministers from
outside the Assembly.
The have 46 ministers, 29 of the are members of the Cabinet, the other
17 are Deputy ministers.
Evelin Aavik
THE PRESIDENCY
The President is the Head of State and leads the Cabinet. He or she is
elected by the National Assembly from among its members, and leads
the country in the interest of national unity, in accordance with the
Constitution and the law.
The President has the powers entrusted by the Constitution and
legislation, including those necessary to perform the functions of Head
of State and head of the national executive
The President of South Africa is Mr Thabo Mbeki.
The Deputy President
The President appoints the Deputy President from among the members
of the National Assembly. The Deputy President must assist the
President in executing government functions. South Africa’s Deputy
President is Mr Jacob Zuma.
Evelin Aavik
The History of Apartheid in
South Africa
The discovery of diamonds in these lands around 1900 resulted
in an English invasion which sparked the Boer War. Following
independence from England, an uneasy power-sharing between
the two groups held sway until the 1940's, when the Afrikaner
National Party was able to gain a strong majority. Strategists in
the National Party invented apartheid as a means to cement their
control over the economic and social system. With the enactment
of apartheid laws in 1948, racial discrimination was
institutionalized. Race laws touched every aspect of social life,
including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and
whites, and the sanctioning of ``white-only'' jobs. In 1950, the
Population Registration Act required that all South Africans be
racially classified into one of three categories: white, black
(African), or colored (of mixed decent). The coloured category
included major subgroups of Indians and Asians.
Evelin Aavik
Classification into these categories was based on appearance,
social acceptance, and descent. For example, a white person was
defined as ``in appearance obviously a white person or generally
accepted as a white person.'' A person could not be considered
white if one of his or her parents were non-white.
In 1951, the Bantu Authorities Act established a basis for ethnic
government in African reserves, known as ``homelands.'' All
political rights, including voting, held by an African were
restricted to the designated homeland. The idea was that they
would be citizens of the homeland, losing their citizenship in
South Africa and any right of involvement with the South African
Parliament which held complete hegemony over the homelands.
From 1976 to 1981, four of these homelands were created,
denationalizing nine million South Africans. The homeland
administrations refused the nominal independence, maintaining
pressure for political rights within the country as a whole.
Nevertheless, Africans living in the homelands needed passports
to enter South Africa: aliens in their own country.
Evelin Aavik
The penalties imposed on political protest, even non-violent
protest, were severe. During the states of emergency which
continued intermittently until 1989, anyone could be detained
without a hearing by a low-level police official for up to six
months. Thousands of individuals died in custody, frequently
after gruesome acts of torture. Those who were tried were
sentenced to death, banished, or imprisoned for life, like
Nelson Mandela.
Evelin Aavik