South Africa
 Introduction
The Republic of South Africa is located in southern Africa and has a population of 43,997,828 and a land area of 1,219,912 sq km.
The Republic of South Africa is a unitary state subdivided into nine provinces. The head of state is the president, elected by the National Assembly for a period of five years. The president appoints a cabinet drawn from the ruling party and may appoint members of other parties at his or her discretion. There is a bicameral national legislature consisting of the 400-seat National Assembly and the 90-seat National Council of Provinces, which is elected by each of the 9 provincial legislatures. Elections are held under a list system of proportional representation. The administrative capital is Tshwane (previously called Pretoria) and the legislative chamber is in Cape Town.
Each of South Africa’s 9 provinces contains many local authorities. Local government is divided into three categories: metropolitan councils, district councils and local councils. Local government contributes about 7.5 per cent to GDP.
Summary
Local government in South Africa has been under rapid transition since 1993. As part of the development agenda, concerted efforts have been launched to improve the lives of the poor eg through social grants, the provision of housing, access to clean water and health, improving education and access to it, and boosting the economy.
During the first decade of freedom, major strides forward were taken to reconstruct the state machinery, making it sensitive to the needs of the people, and ensuring that it is able to provide quality services to all South Africans.
Download full profile of South Africa (  137K PDF)
See also
|
