South Africa Government

What is the capital of South Africa?

Country Name	South Africa
Full Country Name	Republic of South Africa
Abbreviation	RSA
Former Name	Union of South Africa
Etymology- history of name	self-descriptive name from the country's location on the continent; "Africa" is derived from the Roman designation of the area corresponding to present-day Tunisia "Africa terra," which meant "Land of the Afri" (the tribe resident in that area), but which eventually came to mean the entire continent
Government Type	parliamentary republic
Capital Name	Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
Capital - geographic coordinate	25 42 S, 28 13 E
Capital Time Difference	UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence	31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 31 May 1961 (republic declared); 27 April 1994 (majority rule)
National Holiday	Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Constitution	several previous; latest drafted 8 May 1996, approved 4 December 1996, effective 4 February 1997; amended many times, last in 2013

South Africa Capital City Map

Source: Google Maps

South Africa Government and Politics

Who is the president of South Africa?

Executive Branch:	chief of state: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 15 February 2018); Deputy President David MABUZA (26 February 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Jacob ZUMA resigned the presidency on 14 February 2018 head of government: President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 15 February 2018); deputy president David MABUZA (26 February 2018) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 May 2019 (next to be held in May 2024) election results: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposed
Citizenship Criteria:	citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of South Africa dual citizenship recognized: yes, but requires prior permission of the government residency requirement for naturalization: 1 year
Legal System:	mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch:	description: bicameral Parliament consists of: National Council of Provinces (90 seats; nine 10-member delegations, each with 6 permanent delegates and 4 special delegates, appointed by each of the 9 provincial legislatures to serve 5-year terms; note - the Council has special powers to protect regional interests, including safeguarding cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities) National Assembly (400 seats; half the members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies and half in a single nationwide constituency, both by proportional representation popular vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: National Council of Provinces and National Assembly - last held on 8 May 2019 (next to be held in 2024) election results: National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANC 29, DA 13, EFF 9, FF+ 2, IFP 1; composition of permanent members - men 34, women 20, percent of women 37%; note - 36 appointed members not filled National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 57.5%, DA 20.8%, EFF 10.8%, IFP 3.8%, FF+ 2.4%, other 4.7%; seats by party - ANC 230, DA 84, EFF 44, IFP 14, FF+ 10, other 18; composition as of mid-2022 (396 current seats) - men 212, women 184, percent of women 46.5%; note overall Parliament percent of women 45.3%
Judicial Branch:	highest court(s): Supreme Court of Appeals (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 21 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Appeals president and vice president appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), a 23-member body chaired by the chief justice and includes other judges and judicial executives, members of parliament, practicing lawyers and advocates, a teacher of law, and several members designated by the president of South Africa; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the national president on the advice of the JSC and hold office until discharged from active service by an Act of Parliament; Constitutional Court chief and deputy chief justices appointed by the president of South Africa after consultation with the JSC and with heads of the National Assembly; other Constitutional Court judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the chief justice and leaders of the National Assembly; Constitutional Court judges serve 12-year nonrenewable terms or until age 70 subordinate courts: High Courts; Magistrates' Courts; labor courts; land claims courts
Regions or States:	9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape
Political Parties and Leaders:	African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE] African Independent Congress or AIC [Mandla GALO] African National Congress or ANC [Cyril RAMAPHOSA] African People's Convention or APC [Themba GODI] Agang SA [Andries TLOUAMMA] Congress of the People or COPE [Mosiuoa LEKOTA] Democratic Alliance or DA [John STEENHUISEN] Economic Freedom Fighters or EFF [Julius Sello MALEMA] Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter GROENEWALD] GOOD [Patricia de LILLE] Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Velenkosini HLABISA] National Freedom Party or NFP (vacant) Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania or PAC [Mzwanele NYHONTSO] United Christian Democratic Party or UCDP [Modiri Desmond SEHUME] United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]
International Law Organization Participation:	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation:	ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, BRICS, C, CD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, NSG, OECD (Enhanced Engagement, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic Representation in the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Ismail ESAU (since 14 August 2023) chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 413-1953 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607 email address and website: Info.SAembassyDC@dirco.gov.za https://www.saembassy.org/ consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic Representation from US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Reuben E. BRIGETY II (since 11 August 2022) embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Arcadia, Pretoria mailing address: 9300 Pretoria Place, Washington DC 20521-9300 telephone: [27] (12) 431-4000 FAX: [27] (12) 342-2299 email address and website: ACSJohannesburg@state.gov https://za.usembassy.gov/ consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

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