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Country name: |
Conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
Conventional short form: South Africa
Former: Union of South Africa
Abbreviation: RSA |
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Government type: |
Republic |
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Capital: |
Pretoria;
Note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center |
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Administrative divisions: |
9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape |
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Independence: |
31 May 1910 (from UK); note - South Africa became a republic in 1961 following an October 1960 referendum |
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National holiday: |
Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) |
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Constitution: |
10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases |
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Legal system: |
Based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
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Judicial branch: |
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts |
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Political parties: |
African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP;
African National Congress or ANC;
Democratic Alliance or DA;
Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP;
Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC;
United Democratic Movement or UDM. |
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Political pressure groups: |
Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU;
South African Communist Party or SACP;
South African National Civics Organization or SANCO;
COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC |
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Flag description: |
Two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes |
