POLITICAL

South Africa is a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic, wherein the President
of South Africa, elected by parliament, is thehead of government, and of a multi-party
system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both
thegovernment and the two chambers of Parliament, the Council of Provinces and the National
Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Government is
three-tiered, with representatives being elected at the national, provincial and local levels.
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Independence: The Union of South Africa was created on May 31, 1910; became a sovereign state within
British Empire in 1934; became a republic on May 31, 1961; left the Commonwealth in October 1968; rejoined
the Commonwealth in June 1994.
Constitution: Entered into force February 3, 1997.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state) elected to a 5-year term by the National Assembly. Legislative--
bicameral Parliament consisting of 490 members in two chambers. National Assembly (400 members) elected
by a system of proportional representation. National Council of Provinces consisting of 90 delegates (10 from
each province) and 10 nonvoting delegates representing local government. Judicial--Constitutional Court
interprets and decides constitutional issues; Supreme Court of Appeal is the highest court for interpreting and
deciding nonconstitutional matters.
Administrative subdivisions: Nine provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga,
North-West, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Western Cape.
Political parties: African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), Congress of the People (COPE),
Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Pan-African Congress (PAC), Vryheidsfront Plus/Freedom Front Plus (FF+),
United Democratic Movement (UDM), African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), and Azanian Peoples
Organization (Azapo).
Suffrage: Citizens and permanent residents 18 and older.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2898.htm

http://www.politicalresources.net/south_afr.htm

ECONOMY
South Africa Economy is a flourishing one. During the post apartheid period, the South African economy has
undergone several changes to cope with the rapidly changing global scenario. Today's South Africa is
characterized by the two-tier economic system. The economy of South Africa boasts the features of both
developing and developed nations of the world

• The economy of South Africa is primarily based on its well spread infrastructural network. The
industrial expansion of South Africa has much to do with its improved economic scenario. The post
apartheid South Africa has witnessed the emergence of information technology, agro processing and
electronics industries in the South African economy. Among the other industries of South Africa,
textiles, automobiles and fertilizer are worth mentioning. The machinery and mineralsindustries in
South Africa have gained prominence over the last few decades.
• Labor division is another interesting feature of South Africa economy. The South African labor pool is
classified into two basic categories called formal and informal. Informal labors are primarily
concentrated in the unorganized sector of the South Africa economy, while the formal labors dominate
the service sector.
 • As par the yearly estimate for the year 2006, the Gross Domestic Product of South
Africa amounted to be around $ 576.4 billion. The service sector of South Africa contributes the
largest share in the country's total annual income.

South Africa Economy has emerged as one of the most prominent economies in the world over the passage of
time.

TECHNOLOGY
South Africa sees itself as a technology leader in Africa. The country has even bigger ambitions
for the future:

• To strengthen its bio-economy to become a world leader in biotechnology and

pharmaceuticals;
• To become a key contributor to global space sciences and technology;
• To achieve energy security with clean, affordable and reliable energy supply;
• To play a leading role in formulating scientific and technological solutions to climate
change;
• To contribute to a greater global understanding of shifting social dynamics and the role of
science in stimulating growth and development in developing countries.

One of the main challenges in achieving these ambitions is the erosion of South Africa's
knowledge base due to emigration of highly skilled professionals. Scientists, engineers and
technologists remain in short supply in most sectors. That is one of the reasons why the country
is still dependant in a large measure on natural resources and resource-based industries.

Legal

South Africa's legal system, like the rest of the political system, was radically
transformed as the apartheid-based constitutional system was restructured during the
early 1990s. Nevertheless, many laws unrelated to apartheid continued to be rooted in
the old legal system. Thus, the justice system after 1994 reflected elements of both the
apartheid-era system and nondiscriminatory reforms.

The Apartheid-Era Legal System

The principles embodied in the legal system were adapted from Roman-Dutch law
with an admixture of English law introduced after 1806. The influence of English law
is most pronounced in criminal legal procedures, in constitutional or statutory law,
and in corporate and mercantile law. Roman-Dutch law predominates in private law--
for example, the law of persons, of property, of succession, and the law of sale and
lease. Despite the influence of these universally accepted laws, however, a prominent
feature of the former legal system was the pervasive role of discriminatory apartheid-
based laws, regulations, and codes (see The Legislative Implementation of Apartheid,
ch. 1), and the extensive judicial apparatus required to enforce them.

Judicial authority is vested in the state, and the minister of justice is responsible for
administering the justice system. The president appoints the attorneys general, who
order public prosecutions on behalf of the state, and whose authority in the lower
courts is delegated to public prosecutors. Similarly, the president also appoints judges
from among members of the bar. Until the 1990s, all judges were white. The legal
profession is divided broadly, as in Britain, into advocates (barristers) and attorneys
(solicitors); only the former can plead a case in a higher court.

The judicial system is headed by the Supreme Court, the decisions and interpretations
of which are considered an important source of the law. The Supreme Court
comprises an Appellate Division and six provincial divisions. Each provincial division
encompasses a judge president, three local divisions presided over by judges, and
magisterial divisions presided over by magistrates. Separate traditional courts
administer African traditional law and custom; they are presided over by traditional
leaders, often chiefs or respected elders.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is the highest court in the country and is
seated in Bloemfontein, the country's judicial capital. The Appellate Division is
composed of the chief justice and the judges of appeal, whose number varies, as
determined by the president. Supreme Court members can be removed only on
grounds of misbehavior or incapacity. The Appellate Division's decisions are binding
on all lower courts, as are the decisions--within their areas of jurisdiction--of the
provincial and the local divisions. Lower courts, which are presided over by civil
service magistrates, have limited jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. In 1995,
there were 309 district magistrates' offices, presided over by 1,014 magistrates, 1,196
prosecutors, and 3,717 officers.

The Legal Aid Society, an independent statutory body, provides advice and assistance
to indigent persons. Other programs offer aid or rehabilitation to prisoners. Until the
mid-1990s, a few private voluntary organizations, such as Black Sash, offered legal
assistance to people who faced legal problems arising out of the pass laws or other
apartheid-era legislation.

The New Legal System

The postapartheid legal system introduced by the interim constitution of 1993

embodies the supreme law of the land and is binding on all judicial organs of the state.
It establishes an independent judiciary, including a Constitutional Court with the
power to review and to abolish legislation inconsistent with the constitution. It
includes provisions not found in apartheid-era laws, such as a prohibition on all forms
of discrimination and an emphasis on individual rights. These rights include "equality
before the law and equal protection of the law"; freedom of expression, assembly,
demonstration, petition, and association; the right to "choose a place of residence
anywhere in the national territory"; the right not to be deprived of citizenship without
justification; full political rights; full access to the courts; and fair and lawful
administrative justice mechanisms, including rights concerning detention, arrest, and
accusation. Other provisions provide for specific rights in areas such as economic
activity, labor relations, property, environment, children, language and culture,
education, and conditions under which a state of emergency can be declared.

In 1994 the government established the new Constitutional Court, a Human Rights
Commission, and a Judicial Services Commission that forwarded to the president its
ten nominees to the Constitutional Court. Legislation in 1994 also set forth operating
procedures for these bodies and established the Office of the Public Protector (public
defender).

The new legal system also deals with the consequences of apartheid-related abuses
and crimes, although it aims primarily to promote a spirit of national reconciliation
and a new "culture of human rights," rather than to resolve long-standing grievances.
In June 1994, the government announced that a Truth and Reconciliation Commission
would investigate accusations of human rights abuses and political crimes by both
supporters and opponents of apartheid, and that it would consider related issues such
as amnesty and reparation to survivors and their dependents. The government
established guidelines for the commission's operations in 1994 and 1995, and the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission began hearing testimony by both victims and
perpetrators of apartheid-era violence in early 1996.