Government & politics — South Africa
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for South Africa: Republic of South Africa
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Identity & names
- Full Country Name
Republic of South Africa
- Country Name
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
- Independence
- 31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State)
- 22 August 1934 (Status of the Union Act)
- 31 May 1961 (republic declared)
- 27 April 1994 (majority rule)
- National Holiday
Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Political system
- Government Type
parliamentary republic
- Constitution
- history: several previous; latest drafted 8 May 1996, approved by the Constitutional Court 4 December 1996,
- effective 4 February 1997 amendments: proposed by the National Assembly of Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional sections on human rights and freedoms, non-racism and non-sexism, supremacy of the constitution, suffrage, the multi-party system of democratic government, and amendment procedures requires at least 75% majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council of Provinces, and assent of the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting the Bill of Rights, and those related to provincial boundaries, powers, and authorities requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council, and assent of the president; amended many times, last in 2020
- Legal System:
mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: President Mat
- amela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024) head of government: Pr
- esident Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024) cabinet: Ca
- binet appointed by the president election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-yea
- r term (eligible for a second term) most recent election date: 29
- May 2024 election results: 2024: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (A
- NC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposed 2019: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by t
- May 2029 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
- 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 on 29 May 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 as of February 2024 - men 30, women 24, percentage women 44.4%;
- note - 36 appointed seats 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 February 2024 - men 210, women 181, percent age women 46.3%; total Parliament percentage women 46.1%
- 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 ch
- ief 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:
Summary
9 provinces
Regions or States
- 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]
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship Criteria:
- no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent
- must be a citizen of South Africa dual citizenship recognized: yes, but requires prior permissi
- on of the government residency requirement for naturalization: 5 year
Capital & time
- 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)
International role
- International Organization Participation:
ACP, AfDB, AIIB, 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, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
- 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
- Diplomatic Representation in the US:
chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Ndumiso Ndima NTSHINGA (since 30 October 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