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South Africa Government 1996
Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)
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Administrative divisions:
9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Eastern Transvaal, KwaZulu/Natal, Northern Cape,
Northern Transvaal, Northwest, Orange Free State, Gauteng, Western Cape
Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
27 April 1994 (interim constitution, replacing the constitution of 3
September 1984)
based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
18 years of age; universal
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)
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 appointed by the Executive President
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
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
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
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Political parties and leaders:
African National Congress (ANC), Nelson MANDELA, president; National Party
(NP), Frederik W. DE KLERK, president; Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP),
Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president; Freedom Front (FF), Constand VILJOEN,
president; Democratic Party (DP); Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), Clarence
MAKWETU, president; African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), leader NA
in addition to these seven parties which received seats in the National
Assembly, twelve other parties won votes in the national elections in April
1994
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Other political or pressure groups:
BIS, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC,
UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
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Diplomatic representation in US:
3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, and New York
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US diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Princeton N. LYMAN
877 Pretorius St., Arcadia 0083
P.O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a
central green band which splits into a horozontal Y, the arms of which end
at the corners of the hoist side, embracing a black isoceles triangle from
which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands
are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes
prior to 26 April 1994, the flag was actually four flags in one - three
miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former
flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal bands of orange
(top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of
the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the
hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on
the other side
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