Capital: Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative);
Bloemfontein (judicial)
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Eastern
Transvaal, KwaZulu/Natal, Northern Cape, Northern Transvaal,
Northwest, Orange Free State, Gauteng, Western Cape
Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)
National holiday: Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Constitution: 27 April 1994 (interim constitution, replacing the
constitution of 3 September 1984)
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: Executive President Nelson
MANDELA (since 10 May 1994); Deputy Executive President Thabo MBEKI
(since 10 May 1994); Deputy Executive President Frederik W. DE KLERK
(since 10 May 1994)
note: any political party that wins 20% or more of the National
Assembly votes in a general election is entitled to name a Deputy
Executive President
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the Executive President
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly: elections last held 26-29 April 1994 (next to be held NA); results - ANC 62.6%, NP 20.4%, IFP 10.5%, FF 2.2%, DP 1.7%, PAC 1.2%, ACDP 0.5%, other 0.9%; seats - (400 total) ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7, PAC 5, ACDP 2 Senate: the Senate is composed of members who are nominated by the nine provincial parliaments (which are elected in parallel with the National Assembly) and has special powers to protect regional interests, including the right to limited self-determination for ethnic minorities; seats - (90 total) ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3
note: when the National Assembly meets in joint session with the Senate to consider the provisions of the constitution, the combined group is referred to as the Constitutional Assembly