Government System of South Africa

OCTOBER 2013 VOL 1 ISSUE 1

The Legislature
The Parliament has two houses, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. The Parliament, also known as the legislature, is where members of Parliament meet to discuss matters and decide on laws.

Parliament

The National Assembly

The voters elect the members of the National Assembly for a five-year term. There are between 350 and 400 Members of the Parliament. The National Assembly has a role of representing the public and ensuring that the democratic laws of the Constitution are kept.

Parliament buildings in Cape Town, South Africa

The National Council of Provinces

The creation of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) was to achieve cooperative governance and participatory democracy. This council represents each of South Africas 9 provinces. Each province has ten representatives in the NCOP. If a province has a suggestion, it asks the NCOP to put it before the Parliament. The Parliament can decide and vote on the suggestion.

The President and The Cabinet

The National Assembly elects the President. The President serves as the executive Head of State and leads the Cabinet. The maximum term for presidency is two five-year terms. The President is part of the Cabinet, along with the Deputy President and 25 Ministers. The President designates the Deputy President and Ministers and also assigns theirs powers and functions. Members of Cabinet are accountable to the Parliament.

Law-making/The Courts

Bills passed in the National Assembly must be referred to the NCOP for consideration. In the NCOP, a member can only introduce legislation. In National Assembly legislation may only be introduce by certain members. Both parties must consider it a Bill for it to pass. The Judiciary is the court system and part of the government that has to ensure that people who do not follow the law are punished. There are many levels of courts but the highest courts are the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal. The court system is independent from the rest of the government.