Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)
National holiday: Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Constitution: 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases
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: President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994); Deputy Executive President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994); Deputy Executive President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet : Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and deputy executive presidents elected by the National Assembly; election last held 9 May 1994 (next to be held in April 1999) election results: Nelson MANDELA elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation); Thabo MBEKI and Frederik W. DE KLERK elected deputy executive presidents; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation) note: the initial governing coalition, made up of the ANC, the IFP, and the NP, which constituted a Government of National Unity or GNU, no longer includes the NP which was withdrawn by DE KLERK on 30 June 1996 when he voluntarily gave up his position as deputy executive president and distanced himself from the programs of the ANC
Legislative branch: bicameral parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, ten members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 3 February 1997 the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution elections: National Assembly and Senate - last held 26-29 April 1994 (next to be held NA April 1999); note - the Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces on 6 February 1997 election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - 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 by party - ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7, PAC 5, ACDP 2; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High
Courts; Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders: African National Congress or ANC [Nelson MANDELA, president]; National Party or NP [Frederik W. DE KLERK, president]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; Democratic Party or DP [Tony LEON, president]; Freedom Front or FF [Constand VILJOEN, president]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president] note: in addition to these seven parties which received seats in the National Assembly, 11 other parties won votes in the national elections in April 1994
Political pressure groups and leaders: South African National Civics
Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president];
Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [John GOMONO,
president]; note - both SANCO and COSATU, as well as the South African
Communist Party, are in a formal alliance with the ANC