Politics of South Africa

Political system of South Africa

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Politics of South Africa" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Politics of South Africa

Coat of arms of South Africa

Polity type| Unitary parliamentary republic with an executive presidency
Constitution| Constitution of South Africa
Legislative branch
Name| Parliament
Meeting place| Houses of Parliament, Cape Town
Upper house
Name| National Council of Provinces
Presiding officer| Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces
Appointer| Provincial legislatures
Lower house
Name| National Assembly
Presiding officer| Thoko Didiza, Speaker of the National Assembly
Appointer| National Assembly
Executive branch
Head of state and government
Title| President
Currently| Cyril Ramaphosa
Appointer| National Assembly
Cabinet
Name| Cabinet of South Africa
Current cabinet| Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa
Leader| President
Deputy leader| Deputy President
Appointer| President
Ministries| 32
Judicial branch
Name| Judiciary of South Africa
Constitutional Court
Chief judge| Mandisa Maya
Supreme Court of Appeal
Chief judge| Mahube Molemela
Part of a series on the

Politics of
South Africa

Constitution

* Founding provisions
* Bill of Rights
* Chapter nine institutions

Executive

* President

Cyril Ramaphosa
* Deputy President

Paul Mashatile
* Cabinet
* Departments
* Shadow Cabinet

Legislature

* National Council of Provinces

Chairperson

Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane
* National Assembly

Speaker

Thoko Didiza
Leader of the Opposition

John Hlophe

Judiciary

* Chief Justice

Mandisa Maya
* Deputy Chief Justice

Mbuyiseli Madlanga (acting)
* Courts

Constitutional Court
Supreme Court of Appeal

President: Mahube Molemela
High Court
Magistrate's courts
Electoral Court

Elections

* General

1910 1915 1920 1921 1924 1929 1933 1938 1943 1948 1953 1958 1961 1966 1970 1974 1977 1981 1984 1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 2024

* Municipal

2000 2006 2011 2016 2021

* Referendums

1960 1983 1992

* Political parties

Administrative divisions

* Provinces
* Districts

Metropolitan municipality
District municipality
* Municipalities (list)

Foreign relations

* Department of International Relations and Cooperation

Minister: Ronald Lamola

* * *

* Diplomatic missions of / in South Africa

* * *

* Nationality law
* Passport
* Visa requirements
* Visa policy

Related topics

* Political assassinations
* Repression
* Protests
* Human rights
* National budget
* National debt
* Social welfare
* Taxation

Provincial politics

* Politics of the Eastern Cape
* Politics of the Free State
* Politics of Gauteng
* Politics of KwaZulu-Natal
* Politics of Limpopo
* Politics of Mpumalanga
* Politics of the Northern Cape
* Politics of North West
* Politics of the Western Cape

South Africa portal

* Other countries

* v
* t
* e

The Republic of South Africa is a unitary parliamentary democratic republic. The President of South Africa serves both as head of state and as head of government. The President is elected by the National Assembly (the lower house of the South African Parliament) and must retain the confidence of the Assembly in order to remain in office. South Africans also elect provincial legislatures which govern each of the country's nine provinces.

Since the end of apartheid in 1994, the African National Congress (ANC) has dominated South Africa's politics. The ANC is the ruling party in the national legislature, as well as in most provinces. The ANC received 40.18% of the vote during the 2024 general election. The main challenger to the ANC's rule is the Democratic Alliance (DA), led by John Steenhuisen, which received 21.81% of the vote in the 2024 election. Other major political parties represented in Parliament includes uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK Party), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). The formerly dominant New National Party (NNP), which both introduced and ended apartheid through its predecessor the National Party (NP), disbanded in 2005 to merge with the ANC.

Nelson Mandela served as president from 1994 to 1999 and his successors were Thabo Mbeki (1999−2008), Kgalema Motlanthe (2008−2009) and Jacob Zuma (2009−2018). Zuma was replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa after his resignation in February 2018. The 2024 general election was held on 29 May 2024, with the ANC losing its majority in the national parliament for the first time in South Africa's democratic history, though it still remained the largest political party.[1] Despite losing the majority in 2024, the ANC managed to retain power with a coalition government.[2]

South Africa is a democracy. Universal suffrage was granted in 1994 with the end of apartheid. Since then, elections have been open and competitive, and the lives of South Africans have improved across multiple metrics.[3] However, it has faced challenges as a multi-racial, young democracy.[3] The Economist Intelligence Unit rated South Africa a "flawed democracy" in 2022.[4][needs update]

## Context

[edit]

The Prime Ministers of the British Dominions attending the 1926 Imperial Conference with King George V seated in the center.

Nelson Mandela was the first democratically elected President of South Africa.

On 31 May 1910, the Cape Colony, Natal Colony, Transvaal and the Orange River Colony were united in one state called the Union of South Africa. The Union of South Africa adopted a system of governance based on the political system of the United Kingdom. The British monarch was the ceremonial head of state of South Africa and was represented by a Governor-General. Real political power lay in the hands of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The basic ideas of this system such as a three branch government and strong Parliament remain in force today.

On 15 November 1926, the Balfour Declaration was adopted at the 1926 Imperial Conference. This document made the dominions of the British Empire including South Africa equal to each other and the United Kingdom. In practice, this made the Union of South Africa a self-governing dominion of the British Empire. The Union of South Africa became formally independent in 1931 when the Statute of Westminster was passed. It gave the Parliament of South Africa the power to make laws for South Africa without the approval of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

In 1948, the National Party of South Africa adopted a policy of institutional racial segregation called apartheid. People of colour, especially the majority black population, were deprived of the few rights they had. Racial classification and discrimination was used to distribute economic resources and control political power. The white population, particularly the Afrikaners, controlled the political system. Black people were disenfranchised in all provinces of South Africa.

In 1961, South Africa became a Republic. The British monarch was replaced as head of state by a President elected by the minority of the population through elected representatives. In 1970, the Homeland Citizens Act was passed. It built on the system of reservations for the indigenous black African population to create a system of superficially independent black countries. Many Black people were deprived of their South African citizenship and instead became citizens of the Bantustan of their tribe. They were not recognized by a majority of the world's countries and the extent of their independent control over internal affairs was highly limited.

The African National Congress (ANC) led the fight against this system of apartheid. After intense international pressure and domestic struggle, the De Klerk government repealed or relaxed many apartheid laws. After negotiations between the ANC, Inkatha Freedom Party, NP and other organizations, apartheid was formally abolished and the Interim Constitution was passed. The Bantustans were abolished and reintegrated into South Africa and their citizens regained South African citizenship.

The Government of National Unity (GNU) established under the interim constitution ostensibly remained in effect until the 1999 national elections. The parties originally comprising the GNU – the African National Congress (ANC), the National Party (NP), and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) – shared executive power. On 30 June 1996, the NP withdrew from the GNU to become part of the opposition.

Many of the principles of racial equality, majority democracy and minority rights that it established were translated into the final Constitution of South Africa that was adopted in 1996 and which remains in force. It sets out the structure of the government, protects fundamental human rights, creates mechanisms of accountability and divides legislative and executive power among the national, provincial and local spheres of government.

## Government

[edit]

Main article: Government of South Africa

The Houses of Parliament in the legislative capital of Cape Town is the seat of the Parliament.

The Union Buildings in the administrative capital of Pretoria.

The seat of the Supreme Court of Appeals is located in the judicial capital of Bloemfontein.

South Africa is a parliamentary representative democratic republic, wherein the President of South Africa, elected by parliament, is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. It consists of three branches.

The executive branch consists of the President of South Africa and the Cabinet of South Africa. The President is elected by the Parliament of South Africa for a five-year term. The President may only serve two terms. By convention this position is occupied by the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly. The President appoints other members of the Cabinet called Ministers. Ministers oversee executive government departments. The Cabinet forms and executes policy and most legislative proposals originate from the Cabinet. The President and members of the Cabinet are accountable to the National Assembly. It has the power to remove them from office by passing a motion of no confidence and it has the power to hold them accountable through oral and written replies to questions from Members of Parliament.

The legislative branch consists of the Parliament. The Parliament consists of two chambers: the upper house is the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and the lower house is the National Assembly. In practice, the National Assembly is by far the more powerful house. It controls the composition of the government and its approval is required for most legislative proposals to become law. The NCOP provides equal representation to South Africa's nine provinces and its approval is required for laws that affect South Africa's provinces and cultural communities. Whereas the National Assembly is elected by party proportional representation, the NCOP is elected by the legislatures of each province.

The judicial branch consists of the courts. It interprets and enforces laws. The highest court for constitutional matters is the Constitutional Court of South Africa. It has the power to strike down laws that conflict with the Constitution. The Supreme Court of Appeals is the highest court for non-constitutional matters. The High Court of South Africa is a court of general jurisdiction with appellate powers. It is divided into divisions that have authority over a geographic region of the country. Magistrate Courts serve as courts of first instance. There are specialized courts and tribunals with power that can be equivalent to the Supreme Court of Appeals.

## Constitution

[edit]

Main article: Constitution of South Africa

The Constitutional Court is seated in Johannesburg on Constitution Hill. It is the final arbiter of the constitution and its decisions are binding on all courts in the Republic

Following the 1994 elections, South Africa was governed under an interim constitution. This constitution required the Constituent Assembly (CA) to draft and approve a permanent constitution by 9 May 1996. The present constitution was passed in 1996 and promulgated by President Nelson Mandela in 1997. It is the highest law in the land; all other laws are expected to abide by and conform to the principles of the constitution. The Constitution not only sets out the structure of the three branches of government and the fundamental human rights of all of South Africa's people, but it provides for the management of public funding, the delineation of the boundaries and organization of Provinces, the formation of Chapter 9 Institutions to hold the government accountable.

## Political parties and their current vote share

[edit]

For other political parties, see List of political parties in South Africa. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in South Africa.

General elections take place every 5 years. The first fully non-racial democratic election was held in 1994. Subsequent elections were held in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024. Until 2008, elected officials were allowed to change political party, while retaining their seats, during set windows which occurred twice each electoral term, due to controversial floor crossing legislative amendments made in 2002. The last two-floor crossing windows occurred in 2005 and in 2007.

After the 2009 elections, the ANC lost its two-thirds majority in the national legislature which had allowed it to unilaterally alter the constitution.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) are in a formal alliance with the ruling ANC (the so-called Tripartite Alliance), and thus do not stand separately for election.

During the 2024 general election, the ANC lost its majority in the national parliament for the first time in South Africa's democratic history, though it still remained the largest political party.[5]

Party| National ballot| Regional ballot| Total
seats| +/–
Votes| %| +/–| Seats| Votes| %| +/–| Seats
| African National Congress| 6,459,683| 40.18|  17.32| 73| 6,231,519| 39.40| —| 86| 159|  71
| Democratic Alliance| 3,505,735| 21.81|  1.04| 42| 3,439,272| 21.75| —| 45| 87|  3
| uMkhonto weSizwe| 2,344,309| 14.58| New| 31| 2,237,877| 14.15| —| 27| 58| New
| Economic Freedom Fighters| 1,529,961| 9.52|  1.28| 17| 1,556,965| 9.85| —| 22| 39|  5
| Inkatha Freedom Party| 618,207| 3.85|  0.47| 8| 688,570| 4.35| —| 9| 17|  3
| Patriotic Alliance| 330,425| 2.06|  2.02| 5| 345,880| 2.19| —| 4| 9|  9
| Freedom Front Plus| 218,850| 1.36|  1.02| 4| 234,477| 1.48| —| 2| 6|  4
| ActionSA| 192,373| 1.20| New| 4| 219,477| 1.39| —| 2| 6| New
| African Christian Democratic Party| 96,575| 0.60|  0.24| 3| 93,581| 0.59| —| 0| 3|  1
| United Democratic Movement| 78,448| 0.49|  0.04| 2| 85,618| 0.54| —| 1| 3|  1
| Rise Mzansi| 67,975| 0.42| New| 1| 70,142| 0.44| —| 1| 2| New
| Build One South Africa| 65,912| 0.41| New| 2| 69,020| 0.44| —| 0| 2| New
| African Transformation Movement| 63,554| 0.40|  0.04| 2| 66,831| 0.42| —| 0| 2|  0
| Al Jama-ah| 39,067| 0.24|  0.06| 2| 53,337| 0.34| —| 0| 2|  1
| National Coloured Congress| 37,422| 0.23| New| 1| 47,178| 0.30| —| 1| 2| New
| Pan Africanist Congress of Azania| 36,716| 0.23|  0.04| 1| 40,788| 0.26| —| 0| 1|  0
| United Africans Transformation| 35,679| 0.22| New| 1| 32,185| 0.20| —| 0| 1| New
| Good| 29,501| 0.18|  0.22| 1| 36,103| 0.23| —| 0| 1|  1
| Hope4SA| 27,206| 0.17| New| 0| 16,872| 0.11| —| 0| 0| New
| Allied Movement for Change| 22,055| 0.14| New| 0| 18,393| 0.12| —| 0| 0| New
| United Independent Movement| 20,003| 0.12| New| 0| 18,907| 0.12| —| 0| 0| New
| African Independent Congress| 19,900| 0.12|  0.16| 0| 3,833| 0.02| —| 0| 0|  0
| National Freedom Party| 19,397| 0.12|  0.23| 0| 22,726| 0.14| —| 0| 0|  2
| Azanian People's Organisation| 19,048| 0.12|  0.05| 0| 18,741| 0.12| —| 0| 0|
| African Congress for Transformation| 18,354| 0.11| New| 0| 348| 0.00| —| 0| 0| New
| African Heart Congress| 16,306| 0.10| New| 0| 3,579| 0.02| —| 0| 0| New
| Congress of the People| 14,177| 0.09|  0.18| 0| 16,768| 0.11| —| 0| 0|  2
| African People's Convention| 13,195| 0.08|  0.03| 0| 14,693| 0.09| —| 0| 0|  0
| Africa Restoration Alliance| 11,108| 0.07| New| 0| 12,651| 0.08| —| 0| 0| New
| Forum for Service Delivery| 11,077| 0.07|  0.03| 0| 7,444| 0.05| —| 0| 0|  0
| Democratic Liberal Congress| 10,904| 0.07|  0.01| 0| 7,022| 0.04| —| 0| 0|  0
| Alliance of Citizens for Change| 9,336| 0.06| New| 0| 11,217| 0.07| —| 0| 0| New
| Action Alliance Development Party [af]| 7,802| 0.05| New| 0| 4,600| 0.03| —| 0| 0| New
| Conservatives in Action [af]| 7,424| 0.05| New| 0| 1,115| 0.01| —| 0| 0| New
| South African Royal Kingdoms Organisation [af]| 6,685| 0.04| New| 0| 3,195| 0.02| —| 0| 0| New
| Northern Cape Communities Movement [af]| 6,629| 0.04| New| 0| 7,016| 0.04| —| 0| 0| New
| People's Movement for Change| 5,539| 0.03| New| 0| 7,045| 0.04| —| 0| 0| New
| Abantu Batho Congress| 5,531| 0.03| New| 0| 3,552| 0.02| —| 0| 0| New
| Economic Liberators Forum [af]| 5,408| 0.03| New| 0| 7,115| 0.04| —| 0| 0| New
| Organic Humanity Movement| 5,241| 0.03| New| 0| 6,457| 0.04| —| 0| 0| New
| African Content Movement| 5,107| 0.03|  0.00| 0| 4,617| 0.03| —| 0| 0|  0
| Sizwe Ummah Nation| 5,016| 0.03| New| 0| 4,869| 0.03| —| 0| 0| New
| South African Rainbow Alliance| 4,796| 0.03| New| 0| 7,645| 0.05| —| 0| 0| New
| African People's Movement| 4,601| 0.03| New| 0| 4,200| 0.03| —| 0| 0| New
| Able Leadership [af]| 3,867| 0.02| New| 0| 3,161| 0.02| —| 0| 0| New
| Referendum Party| 3,834| 0.02| New| 0| 4,206| 0.03| —| 0| 0| New
| All Citizens Party [af]| 3,693| 0.02| New| 0| 1,644| 0.01| —| 0| 0| New
| Africa Africans Reclaim [af]| 3,371| 0.02| New| 0| 2,565| 0.02| —| 0| 0| New
| Citizans [af]| 2,992| 0.02| New| 0| 4,084| 0.03| —| 0| 0| New
| Xiluva| 2,592| 0.02| New| 0| 1,167| 0.01| —| 0| 0| New
| African Movement Congress [af]| 2,141| 0.01| New| 0| 1,550| 0.01| —| 0| 0| New
| Free Democrats| 1,992| 0.01|  0.00| 0| 2,276| 0.01| —| 0| 0|  0
| Zackie Achmat (Independent)| | 10,568| 0.07| | 0| 0| New
Total| 16,076,719| 100.00| –| 200| 15,814,661| 100.00| –| 200| 400| 0
Valid votes| 16,076,719| 98.69| | 15,814,661| 99.02| |
Invalid/blank votes| 213,437| 1.31| | 156,834| 0.98| |
Total votes| 16,290,156| 100.00| | 15,971,495| 100.00| |
Registered voters/turnout| 27,782,081| 58.64| | 27,782,081| 57.49| |
Source: Electoral Commission of South Africa, IOL

## Party Vote by region

[edit]

* The ANC's performance by region in the 2024 South African general election.

* The Democratic Alliance (South Africa) performance by region in the 2024 South African general election.

* The uMkhonto we Sizwe (political party) performance by region.

* The Economic Freedom Fighters performance by region in the 2024 South African general election.

* The ANC's seat loss by region and national ballot in the 2024 election.

## Human rights

[edit]

See also: Human rights in South Africa and Constitution of South Africa Chapter 2: Bill of Rights

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Politics of South Africa" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

The constitution's bill of rights provides extensive guarantees, including equality before the law and prohibitions against discrimination; the right to life, privacy, property, and freedom and security of the person; prohibition against slavery and forced labour; and freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and association. The legal rights of criminal suspects also are enumerated. It also includes wide guarantees of access of food, water, education, health care, and social security. The constitution provides for an independent and impartial judiciary, and, in practice, these provisions are respected.

Citizens' entitlements to a safe environment, housing, education, and health care are included in the bill of rights, and are known as secondary constitutional rights. In 2003 the constitutional secondary rights were used by the HIV/AIDS activist group the Treatment Action Campaign as a means of forcing the government to change its health policy.

Violent crime, including violence against women and children, and organised criminal activity are at high levels and are a grave concern. Partly as a result, vigilante action and mob justice sometimes occur.

Some members of the police are accused of applying excessive force and abusing suspects in custody; as a result, the number of deaths in police custody remains a problem. In April 1997, the government established an Independent Complaints Directorate to investigate deaths in police custody and deaths resulting from police action.

Some discrimination against women continues, although it has improved overall, and discrimination against those living with HIV/AIDS has been becoming a serious issue.

There has been a growing political intolerance and repression, especially with regard to grassroots activists[6][7]

## Notable politicians

[edit]

Many leaders of former bantustans or homelands have had a role in South African politics since their abolition.

Mangosuthu Buthelezi was chief minister of his Kwa-Zulu homeland from 1976 until 1994. In post-apartheid South Africa he has served as President of the Inkatha Freedom Party. He was a Minister in President Mandela's cabinet. He also served as acting President of South Africa when President Nelson Mandela was overseas.

Bantubonke Holomisa, who was a general in the homeland of Transkei from 1987, has served as the president of the United Democratic Movement since 1997. Today he is a Member of Parliament.

General Constand Viljoen was a former chief of the South African Defence Force, who, as a leader of the Afrikaner Volksfront, sent 1500[8] of his militiamen to prop up the government of Lucas Mangope and to contest the termination of Bophuthatswana as a homeland in 1994. He co-founded the Freedom Front in 1994. He retired from being a Member of Parliament before his death in 2020.

Lucas Mangope, former[9] chief of the Motsweda Ba hurutshe-Boo-Manyane tribe of the Tswana, ex-president of the former bantustan of Bophuthatswana, was the leader of the United Christian Democratic Party.

## See also

[edit]

* Internet censorship in South Africa
* Hate speech laws in South Africa

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2024 ELECTIONS | eNCA Project ANC Will Take 45% Of National Vote". eNCA. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
2. ^ Savage, Rachel (14 June 2024). "South Africa's ANC strikes coalition deal with free-market DA". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
3. ^ a b Lieberman, Evan (2022). Until We Have Won Our Liberty: South Africa after Apartheid. Princeton University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv244ssrw. ISBN 978-0-691-20300-3. JSTOR j.ctv244ssrw.
4. ^ Democracy Index 2023: Age of Conflict (PDF). Economist Intelligence Unit (Report). 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
5. ^ "IEC election results home - Electoral Commission of South Africa". results.elections.org.za.
6. ^ Political tolerance on the wane in South Africa, Imraan Buccus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, SA Reconciliation Barometer, 2011
7. ^ ‘The Politic of Blood’: Political Repression in South Africa, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Dossier 31, August 2020
8. ^ Waldmeir, Patti (1998). Anatomy of a Miracle: The End of Apartheid and the Birth of the New South Africa. Rutgers University Press. p. 232\. ISBN 978-0-8135-2582-2.
9. ^ "Mangope, Lucas Manyane - The O'Malley Archives". www.nelsonmandela.org. Retrieved 11 September 2016.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* South Africa. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. Available at https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution-republic-south-africa-1996.
* United Kingdom. South Africa Act, 1909. Available at https://media.law.wisc.edu/s/c_8/jzhy2/cbsa1.pdf
* United Kingdom. Statute of Westminster, 1931. Available at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1931/4/pdfs/ukpga_19310004_en.pdf
* United Kingdom. Balfour Declaration, 1926.
* South Africa. Bantu Homeland Citizenship Act, 1970. Available at http://disa.ukzn.ac.za/leg19700309028020026
* South Africa. Constitution of South Africa, Act 200 of 1993. Available at https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/constitution-republic-south-africa-act-200-1993
* South Africa. Status of the Union, Act 69 of 1934.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Habib, Adam (2013). South Africa's suspended revolution - Hopes and prospects. Wits University Press. ISBN 978-1-86814-608-6.
* Plaut, Martin; Holden, Paul (2012). Who Rules South Africa?. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1849544085.
* Thuynsma, Heather, ed. (2017). Political Parties in South Africa - Do They Undermine or Underpin Democracy?. Africa Institute of South Africa. ISBN 978-0-7983-0514-3.

## External links

[edit]

* Dynamics in the slow reform legislations
* Institute for Democracy

* v
* t
* e

Elections and referendums in South Africa

General elections|

* 1910
* 1915
* 1920
* 1921
* 1924
* 1929
* 1933
* 1938
* 1943
* 1948
* 1953
* 1958
* 1961
* 1966
* 1970
* 1974
* 1977
* 1981
* 1984
* 1987
* 1989
* 1994
* 1999
* 2004
* 2009
* 2014
* 2019
* 2024
* Next

Provincial elections|

* 1910
* 1917
* 1935
* 1936
* 1943
* 1949
* 1954
* 1959
* 1965
* 1970
* 1974
* 1981
* 1994
* 1999
* 2004
* 2009
* 2014
* 2019
* 2024

Municipal elections|

* 1995–96
* 2000
* 2006
* 2011
* 2016
* 2021
* 2026

Referendums|

* 1960
* 1983
* 1992

* See also: Elections and referendums in the Boer republics and South African colonies
* Elections and referendums in South African Bantustans

* v
* t
* e

South Africa articles

History|

* Timeline
* Years
* Early history
* Kingdom of Mapungubwe
* Kingdom of Mutapa
* Kaditshwene
* Dutch Cape Colony
* Mthethwa Paramountcy
* Ndwandwe
* Cape Colony
* Zulu Kingdom
* Orange Free State
* Transvaal Republic
* First Boer War
* Second Boer War
* Great Depression
* World War II
* Apartheid
* Border War
* Democratic South Africa

By topic|

* Economy
* Military

Geography|

* Biodiversity
* Climate
* Climate change
* Districts
* Earthquakes
* Estuaries
* Forests
* Islands
* Lakes
* Mountain ranges
* Municipalities
* National parks
* Populated places
* Provinces
* Rivers
* Wildlife

Politics|

* Constitution
* Courts
* Corruption
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Government
* Human rights
* Intergovernmental relations
* Law
* Law enforcement
* Military
* Parliament
* Political parties
* President
* timeline
* Public administration
* State security
* Traditional leaders

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Banking
* Companies
* Communications
* Economic history
* Energy
* Foreign trade
* Income inequality
* Mining industry

* Rand (currency)
* State-owned enterprises
* Stock exchange
* Taxation
* Tourism
* Trade unions
* Transport
* Water and sanitation
* Wealth inequality

Society|

* Cannabis
* Crime
* Disability
* Education
* Feminism
* Health
* Healthcare
* Immigration
* Intersex
* Land invasion
* Languages
* LGBT
* Life expectancy
* Poverty
* Racism
* Religion
* Sexual violence
* Slum clearance
* Smoking
* Social issues
* Social movements
* Women
* Xenophobia

Culture|

* Architecture
* Art
* Cinema
* Cuisine (wine)
* HIV/AIDS
* Homelessness
* Flag
* Literature
* Media
* Music
* National symbols
* Public holidays
* Sports
* World Heritage Sites
* heritage sites

Demographics|

* South African Bantu-speaking peoples
* Ndebele
* Pedi
* Sotho
* Swazi
* Tsonga
* Tswana
* Venda
* Xhosa
* Zulu
* Khoisan
* Khoekhoe
* San people
* Whites
* Afrikaners
* British
* Coloureds
* Cape Coloureds
* Cape Malays
* Griquas
* Indians
* Chinese

* Outline
* Index

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Politics of South Africa

By province|

* Eastern Cape
* Free State
* Gauteng
* KwaZulu-Natal
* Limpopo
* Mpumalanga
* North West
* Northern Cape
* Western Cape

Flag of South Africa

Political
movements|

| Ideologies|

* African nationalism
* Afrikaner nationalism
* Anarchism
* Anti-war
* Black consciousness
* Environmentalism
* Federalism
* Feminism
* Liberalism
* Pan-Africanism
* Non-racialism
* Trotskyism

|

Political parties|

see South Africa political parties

Other political
organisations|

* AfriForum
* Afrikanerbond
* Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB)
* Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA)
* Congress of South African Students (COSAS)
* Earthlife Africa
* Keep Left
* Khanya College
* Koeberg Alert
* Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP)
* People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (PAGAD)
* South African Liberal Students' Association (SALSA)
* South African Students Congress (SASCO)
* South African Wine Initiative
* Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF)

Trade unions and
Social movements|

see South Africa trade unions

* Equal Education
* Mandela Park Backyarders
* People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP)
* Poor People's Alliance
* Abahlali baseMjondolo
* Landless Peoples Movement
* Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign
* Reclaim the City
* Social Justice Coalition
* Treatment Action Campaign
* Unemployed Peoples' Movement

Law|

see South African law

Political culture|

* African Renaissance
* Alternative media
* Azania
* Corruption
* (Don't) touch me on my studio
* Freedom Charter
* Proudly South African
* Rainbow nation
* Renaming
* Tenderpreneurs
* Toyi-toyi
* Ubuntu
* UnFreedom Day
* White monopoly capital
* Ungovernability
* Xenophobia

* Anti-Chinese sentiment
* Anti-Indian sentiment

| Slogans|

* "Amandla Ngawethu!"
* "No Land! No House! No Vote!"
* "Dubul' ibhunu" (Shoot the Boer)
* "One Settler, One Bullet"
* "Each One, Teach One"

|

Books and
periodicals|

* African Communist
* Amandla
* ANC Today
* Biko
* I Write What I Like
* Long Walk to Freedom
* Molotov Cocktail
* No Land! No House! No Vote!

Other|

* Corrective rape
* Crime
* Cape Independence
* Elections
* e-tolling
* Farm attacks
* Gupta family
* HIV/AIDS
* Labour brokering
* Land occupations
* Legacies of apartheid
* Lindela
* Phala Phala robbery
* Political assassinations
* Political repression
* Protests
* Sexual violence
* Shack fires
* Terrorism
* Third Force

Category

* v
* t
* e

Politics of Africa

Sovereign states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with limited
recognition

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Dependencies and
other territories

* Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain)
* Madeira (Portugal)
* Mayotte / Réunion (France)
* Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
* Western Sahara

Authority control databases

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template