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NAVIGATION
Republic of South Africa
Iriphabhuliki Igizimu Africa (Zulu)
Republiek van Suid-Afrika (Afrikaans)
former: Union of South Africa
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa former: Union of South Africa abbreviation: RSA |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center |
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Administrative divisions:
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9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape, Western Cape |
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Independence:
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31 May 1910 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Freedom Day, 27 April (1994) |
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Constitution:
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10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases |
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Legal system:
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based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 2 June 1999 (next scheduled for sometime between May and July 2004) head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation) note: ANC-IFP is the governing coalition |
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Legislative branch:
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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, 10 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 National Council of Provinces - last held 2 June 1999 (next to be held by 2 August 2004) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 66.4%, DP 9.6%, IFP 8.6%, NNP 6.9%, UDM 3.4%, ACDP 1.4%, FF 0.8%, other 2.9%; seats by party - ANC 266, DP 38, IFP 34, NNP 28, UDM 14, ACDP 6, FF 3, other 11; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANC 61, NNP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3 |
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Judicial branch:
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Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts |
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Political parties and leaders:
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African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president]; Democratic Alliance (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the New National Party or NNP; note - NNP split from DP in 2001) [Anthony LEON]; Freedom Front or FF [Dr. Pieter MULDER, president]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president]; New National Party or NNP [Marthinus VAN SCHALKWYK]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, AfDB, BIS, C, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: unfilled as of 29 April 2003
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607 telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400 chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron H. HUME
embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048 FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244 consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg |
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Flag description:
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two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles 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 |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate; and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. High crime and HIV/AIDS infection rates also deter investment. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $432 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 4.4%
industry: 28.9% services: 66.7% (2001) |
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Population below poverty line:
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50% (2000 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 45.9% (1994) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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59.3 (1993-94) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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9.9% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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17 million economically active |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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37% (includes workers no longer looking for employment) (2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $22.6 billion
expenditures: $24.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY02/03) |
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Industries:
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mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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3% (2002 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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195.6 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 93.5%
hydro: 1.1% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 5.5% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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181.2 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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6.91 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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6.2 billion kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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196,200 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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460,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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7.84 million bbl (January 2002 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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14.16 million cu m (January 2002 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products |
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Exports:
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$31.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment (1998 est.) |
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Exports - partners:
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EU 37.9% (UK 12.9%, Germany 9.20%, Italy 6.4%), US 13.0%, Japan 6.9% (2001) |
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Imports:
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$26.6 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs (2000 est.) |
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Imports - partners:
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EU 43.5% (Germany 15.2%, UK 8.6%), US 11.4%, Japan 5.8% (2001) |
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Debt - external:
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$24.7 billion (2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$487.5 million (2000) |
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Currency:
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rand (ZAR) |
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Currency code:
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ZAR |
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Exchange rates:
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rand per US dollar - 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999), 5.5283 (1998) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March |