President of South Africa

==Origins==
A number of manifestations of the office of president have existed. Aspects of these offices exist within the presidency today. The executive leadership of the British colonies of [[Colony of Natal|Natal]] and the [[Cape Colony|Cape of Good Hope]] were vested in their governors. Likewise, it was invested in the presidents of the Boer republics of the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]] and the [[Orange Free State]]. Alternating sovereignty as a result of wars culminated in the [[Treaty of Vereeniging]] which concluded the [[Second Boer War|South African War]].

The [[Union of South Africa]], a British Dominion, was established on 31 May 1910<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://sahistory.co.za/topic/1900s/1910s
|title=General History of South Africa Timeline: 1910s
}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> with the [[Monarch of the United Kingdom|British monarch]] as titular head of state, represented by a viceroy, the [[Governor-General of the Union of South Africa|governor-general]].

Following the [[1960 South African republic referendum|1960 referendum]] and subsequent declaration of the Republic of South Africa on 31 May 1961, the office of [[State President of South Africa|State President]] was created.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://sahistory.co.za/topic/general-south-african-history-timeline-1960s
|title=General History of South Africa Timeline: 1960s
|access-date=29 November 2014
|archive-date=6 December 2014
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206040602/http://sahistory.co.za/topic/general-south-african-history-timeline-1960s
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> It was originally a ceremonial post, but became an executive post in 1984 when a new [[South African Constitution of 1983|constitution]] abolished the post of [[Prime Minister of South Africa|Prime Minister]] and transferred its powers to the state president. The country ended minority rule in 1994. The office of the president, and the roles that come with it, were established by chapter five of the Constitution of South Africa.<ref name="info.gov.za" />