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Do not fill this in! == Government and Politics == {{Main|Government of South Africa|Politics of South Africa|Law of South Africa}} {{Seealso|LGBT rights in South Africa|Human rights in South Africa}} [[File:Uniegebou.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of the Union Buildings|[[Union Buildings]] in Pretoria, seat of the executive]] [[File:Cape_Town,_Houses_of_Parliament.JPG|thumb|Houses of [[Parliament of South Africa|Parliament]] in Cape Town, seat of the legislature]] [[File:Constitutional_Court_of_South_Africa.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of the Constitutional Court|[[Constitutional Court of South Africa|Constitutional Court]] in Johannesburg]] South Africa is a [[parliamentary republic]], but unlike most such republics, the [[President of South Africa|president]] is both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]] and depends for their tenure on the [[Confidence and supply|confidence]] of [[Parliament of South Africa|Parliament]]. The executive, legislature, and judiciary are all subject to the supremacy of the [[Constitution of South Africa]], and the [[Courts of South Africa|superior courts]] have the power to strike down executive actions and acts of Parliament if they are unconstitutional. The [[National Assembly of South Africa|National Assembly]], the lower house of Parliament, consists of 400 members and is elected every five years by a system of [[party-list proportional representation]]. The [[National Council of Provinces]], the upper house, consists of ninety members, with each of the nine [[provincial legislature (South Africa)|provincial legislatures]] electing ten members. After each parliamentary election, the National Assembly elects one of its members as president; hence the president serves a term of office the same as that of the Assembly, normally five years. No president may serve more than two terms in office.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/node/6772433|title=Term Limits in Africa|newspaper=The Economist|date=6 April 2006|access-date=26 June 2013|archive-date=19 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019194644/http://www.economist.com/node/6772433|url-status=live }}</ref> The president appoints a [[Deputy President of South Africa|deputy president]] and [[Minister (government)|ministers]] (each representing a [[Ministry (government department)|department]]) who form the [[Cabinet of South Africa|cabinet]]. The National Assembly may remove the president and the cabinet by a [[motion of no confidence]]. In the [[2019 South African general election|most recent election]], held on 8 May 2019, the ANC won 58% of the vote and 230 seats, while the main opposition, the [[Democratic Alliance (South Africa)|Democratic Alliance]], won 21% of the vote and 84 seats. The [[Economic Freedom Fighters]], founded by [[Julius Malema]], former president of the [[African National Congress Youth League|ANC Youth League]] who was later expelled from the ANC, won 11% of the vote and 44 seats. The ANC has been the governing political party in South Africa since the end of apartheid.<ref>{{cite news |title=South Africa election: ANC wins with reduced majority |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-48211598 |work=BBC News |date=11 May 2019}}</ref> {{Anchor|Capital}}South Africa has no legally defined capital city. The fourth chapter of the constitution states "The seat of Parliament is Cape Town, but an Act of Parliament enacted in accordance with section 76(1) and (5) may determine that the seat of Parliament is elsewhere."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.info.gov.za/documents/constitution/1996/96cons4.htm#42|title=Chapter 4 – Parliament|date=19 August 2009|access-date=3 August 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530232314/http://www.info.gov.za/documents/constitution/1996/96cons4.htm|archive-date=30 May 2013 }}</ref> The country's three branches of government are split over different cities. Cape Town, as the seat of Parliament, is the legislative capital; Pretoria, as the seat of the president and cabinet, is the administrative capital; and Bloemfontein is the seat of the [[Supreme Court of Appeal (South Africa)|Supreme Court of Appeal]], and has traditionally been regarded as the judicial capital;<ref name="Marais Twala 2020 pp. 49–62"/> although the highest court, the [[Constitutional Court of South Africa]] has been based in Johannesburg since 1994. Most foreign embassies are located in Pretoria. Since 2004, South Africa has had many thousands of popular protests,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alexander |first1=Peter |title=Protests and Police Statistics: Some Commentary |url=https://www.amandla.org.za/protests-and-police-statistics-some-commentary-by-prof-peter-alexander/ |work=Amandla |date=27 March 2012 }}</ref> some violent, making it, according to one academic, the "most protest-rich country in the world".<ref>{{cite web|first=Imraan|last=Buccus|url=http://abahlali.org/node/1898|title=Mercury: Rethinking the crisis of local democracy|date=27 August 2007 |publisher=Abahlali.org|access-date=30 October 2011|archive-date=19 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019160241/http://abahlali.org/node/1898|url-status=live }}</ref> There have been numerous incidents of [[Political repression in post-apartheid South Africa|political repression]] as well as threats of future repression in violation of the constitution, leading some analysts and [[civil society]] organisations to conclude that there is or could be a new climate of political repression.<ref>{{cite web|author=J. Duncan|url=http://www.sacsis.org.za/site/article/489.1|title=The Return of State Repression|publisher=South African Civil Society Information Services|date=31 May 2010|access-date=26 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630181604/http://www.sacsis.org.za/site/article/489.1|archive-date=30 June 2013|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fxi.org.za/content/view/47/51/|title=Increasing police repression highlighted by recent case|publisher=Freedom of Expression Institute|year=2006|access-date=26 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120181236/http://www.fxi.org.za/content/view/47/51/|archive-date=20 January 2013}}</ref> In 2022, South Africa placed sixth out of 48 sub-Saharan African countries on the [[Ibrahim Index of African Governance]]. South Africa scored well in the categories of [[Rule of law|Rule of Law]], [[Transparency (behavior)|Transparency]] and Corruption, and [[Public participation (decision making)|Participation]] and Human Rights, but score low in Safety and Security.<ref>{{cite web|title=South Africa's recent performance in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance|url=http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/south-africa/|publisher=Mo Ibrahim Foundation|access-date=16 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218132708/http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/south-africa/|archive-date=18 February 2013 }}</ref>{{update inline|date=September 2023}} In 2006, South Africa became the first and only African country to legalise [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6159991.stm|title=SA marriage law signed|work=BBC News|date=30 November 2006|access-date=26 June 2013|archive-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120235651/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6159991.stm|url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="NYTimes"></ref> The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme rule of law in the country. The primary sources of [[Law of South Africa|South African law]] are [[Roman-Dutch law|Roman-Dutch mercantile law]] and personal law and [[English law|English Common law]], as imports of Dutch settlements and British colonialism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.llrx.com/features/southafrica.htm|title=Researching South African Law|access-date=23 June 2008|first1=Pamela|last1=Snyman|first2=Amanda|last2=Barratt|name-list-style=amp|date=2 October 2002|publisher=w/ Library Resource Xchange|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617154356/http://www.llrx.com/features/southafrica.htm|archive-date=17 June 2008 }}</ref> The first European-based law in South Africa was brought by the Dutch East India Company and is called Roman-Dutch law. It was imported before the [[Codification (law)|codification]] of European law into the [[Napoleonic Code]] and is comparable in many ways to [[Scots law]]. This was followed in the 19th century by English law, both [[Common law|common]] and [[Statutory law|statutory]]. After unification in 1910, South Africa had its own parliament which passed laws specific for South Africa, building on those previously passed for the individual member colonies. The judicial system consists of the [[Magistrate's court (South Africa)|magistrates' courts]], which hear lesser criminal cases and smaller civil cases; the [[High Court of South Africa|High Court]], which has divisions that serve as the courts of [[general jurisdiction]] for specific areas; the Supreme Court of Appeal; and the Constitutional Court, which is the highest court. === Foreign relations === {{Main|Foreign relations of South Africa}} [[File:Leaders BRICS summit 2019.jpg|thumb|left|President of South Africa, [[Cyril Ramaphosa]] (far left), poses with the [[BRICS]] heads of state and government during the [[11th BRICS summit]], 2019]] As the Union of South Africa, the country was a founding member of the United Nations (UN), with Prime Minister [[Jan Smuts]] writing the [[preamble to the United Nations Charter|preamble to the UN Charter]].<ref name="gildersleeve">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Summer2001/Gildersleeve.html|title=Virginia Gildersleeve: Opening the Gates (Living Legacies)|first=Rosalind|last=Rosenberg|date=Summer 2001|magazine=Columbia Magazine|access-date=14 December 2009|archive-date=2 January 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040102153832/http://www.columbia.edu/cu/alumni/Magazine/Summer2001/Gildersleeve.html|url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Schlesinger">{{cite book|author=Schlesinger, Stephen E.|title=Act of Creation: The Founding of the United Nations: A Story of Superpowers, Secret Agents, Wartime Allies and Enemies, and Their Quest for a Peaceful World|publisher=Westview, Perseus Books Group|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|year=2004|pages=236–7|isbn=978-0-8133-3275-8 }}</ref> South Africa is one of the founding members of the [[African Union]] (AU) and has the [[List of African countries by GDP (nominal)|third largest economy of all the members]]. It is a founding member of the AU's [[New Partnership for Africa's Development]]. After apartheid ended, South Africa was readmitted to the [[Commonwealth of Nations]]. The country is a member of the [[Group of 77]] and chaired the organisation in 2006. South Africa is also a member of the [[Southern African Development Community]], [[South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone]], [[Southern African Customs Union]], [[Antarctic Treaty System]], [[World Trade Organization]], International Monetary Fund, [[G20]], [[G8+5]], and the [[Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa]]. South Africa has played a key role as a mediator in African conflicts over the last decade, such as in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Comoros, and Zimbabwe. President [[Jacob Zuma]] and Chinese President [[Hu Jintao]] upgraded bilateral ties between the two countries in 2010 when they signed the Beijing Agreement which elevated South Africa's earlier "strategic partnership" with China to the higher level of "comprehensive strategic partnership" in both economic and political affairs, including the strengthening of exchanges between their respective ruling parties and legislatures.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://capetown.china-consulate.org/eng/gdxw/t726883.htm|title=China, South Africa upgrade relations to "comprehensive strategic partnership"|publisher=Capetown.china-consulate.org|date=25 August 2010|access-date=26 June 2013|archive-date=31 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731050004/http://capetown.china-consulate.org/eng/gdxw/t726883.htm|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southafrica.info/global/brics/brics-080411.htm|title=New era as South Africa joins BRICS|publisher=Southafrica.info|date=11 April 2011|access-date=26 June 2013|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110418004139/http://www.southafrica.info/global/brics/brics-080411.htm|archive-date=18 April 2011}}</ref> In 2011, South Africa joined the Brazil-Russia-India-China ([[BRICS]]) grouping of countries, identified by Zuma as the country's largest trading partners and also the largest trading partners with Africa as a whole. Zuma asserted that BRICS member countries would also work with each other through the UN, G20, and the India, Brazil South Africa ([[IBSA Dialogue Forum|IBSA]]) forum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southafrica.info/global/brics/brics-140411.htm|title=SA brings 'unique attributes' to BRICS|publisher=Southafrica.info|date=14 April 2011|access-date=26 June 2013|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709031314/http://www.southafrica.info/global/brics/brics-140411.htm|archive-date=9 July 2011}}</ref> === Military === {{Main|South African National Defence Force}} {{Multiple image | image1 = SAAF-Gripen-001 (cropped).jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = [[South African Air Force]] [[JAS-39|Saab Gripen]] | image2 = Rooivalk in flight (cropped).jpg | caption2 = South African-made [[Denel Rooivalk|Rooivalk]] attack helicopter | image3 = SAS Spioenkop during Exercise IBSAMAR V (cropped).JPG | caption3 = [[SAS Spioenkop|SAS ''Spioenkop'' (F147)]], one of the four [[Valour-class frigate|Valour-class]] stealth guided-missile frigates of the [[South African Navy]] | total_width = | perrow = 2 | caption4 = The [[Denel Rooivalk]] attack helicopter | direction = vertical | width = 220 }} The [[South African National Defence Force]] (SANDF) was created in 1994<ref name="constitution-1993-224">{{cite web|url=http://www.info.gov.za/documents/constitution/93cons.htm#SECTION224|title=Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 200 of 1993 (Section 224)|access-date=23 June 2008|year=1993|publisher=South African Government|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612100516/http://www.info.gov.za/documents/constitution/93cons.htm|archive-date=12 June 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.issafrica.org/Pubs/ASR/6No2/VanStade.html|title=Rationalisation in the SANDF: The Next Challenge|access-date=23 June 2008|year=1997|author=L. B. van Stade|publisher=Institute for Security Studies|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316204323/https://issafrica.org/pubs/asr/6no2/vanstade.html|archive-date=16 March 2016 }}</ref> as a [[volunteer military]] composed of the former [[South African Defence Force]], the forces of the African nationalist groups ({{lang|xh|[[uMkhonto we Sizwe]]|italics=no}} and [[Azanian People's Liberation Army]]), and the former Bantustan defence forces.<ref name="constitution-1993-224" /> The SANDF is subdivided into four branches, the [[South African Army]], the [[South African Air Force]], the [[South African Navy]], and the [[South African Military Health Service]].<ref name="act-42-2002">{{cite web|url=http://www.info.gov.za/gazette/acts/2002/a42-02.pdf|title=Defence Act 42 of 2002|access-date=23 June 2008|date=12 February 2003|publisher=South African Government|page=18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624211758/http://www.info.gov.za/gazette/acts/2002/a42-02.pdf|archive-date=24 June 2008|url-status=dead }}</ref> The SANDF consists of around 75,000 [[Standing army|professional soldiers]] as of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Career Descriptions – S. A. National Defence Force |url=https://www.bmdnet.co.za/S/S_%20A_%20National%20Defence%20Force.htm |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=www.bmdnet.co.za}}</ref> In recent years, the SANDF has become a major [[peacekeeping]] force in Africa,<ref name="dod-sep2005">{{cite web|url=http://www.dod.mil.za/media/media2005/sep/media_statements5sep2005.htm|title=Address by the Minister of Defence at a media breakfast at Defence Headquarters, Pretoria|access-date=23 June 2008|first=Mosiuoa|last=Lekota|date=5 September 2005|publisher=Department of Defence|archive-date=14 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214012305/http://www.dod.mil.za/media/media2005/sep/media_statements5sep2005.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> and has been involved in operations in Lesotho, the DRC,<ref name="dod-sep2005" /> and Burundi,<ref name="dod-sep2005" /> amongst others. It has also served in multinational [[United Nations peacekeeping|UN Peacekeeping forces]] such as the [[United Nations Force Intervention Brigade|UN Force Intervention Brigade]]. In 2022 the nation spent US$3.069 billion on its armed forces which is about 0.86% of the nation's entire GDP. Over the years, [[Military budget|defence expenditure]] has been cut as the nation currently faces no external military threats.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Guy |date=2021-05-05 |title=SA defence budget falling to only .86% of GDP |url=https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/sa-defence-budget-falling-to-only-86-of-gdp/ |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=defenceWeb |language=en-ZA}}</ref> The SANDF are often deployed in crime fighting and whenever the [[South African Police Service]] (SAPS) are no longer able to control the situation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SANDF deployment to prevent & combat crime; Update on security situation in the country; with Minister {{!}} PMG |url=https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/33303/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=pmg.org.za |language=en}}</ref> During the [[2021 South African unrest]], South Africa's worst violence since the end of [[apartheid]], saw the deployment of 25,000 troops, more than a dozen military helicopters and heavily armed vehicles deployed in the nation's [[KwaZulu-Natal]] and [[Gauteng]] provinces to assist the South African Police in ending the riots and looting, this was one of the nation's largest military deployments since 1994, the largest deployment of troops since the end of apartheid was in March 2020, when 70,000 troops were deployed to enforce the nation's strict lockdown laws to combat the spread of [[COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa|COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-07-15 |title=25,000 troops deployed to quell South Africa riots, 117 dead |url=https://apnews.com/article/africa-south-africa-59f7817632563dcf19d7e212de8046c9 |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref> South Africa has a lot of [[List of South African military bases|military bases]] distributed all over the nation, this includes two naval bases, nine air force bases and the army maintains large bases in all nine provinces of the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Husseini |first=Talal |date=2019-06-13 |title=Air force bases in South Africa: past and present operations |url=https://www.airforce-technology.com/features/air-force-bases-in-south-africa/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Airforce Technology |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[Defence industry of South Africa|South African Defence Industry]] is the most advanced on the African continent and one of the most advanced in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lionel |first=Ekene |date=2017-11-28 |title=Here are some of South African Made weapons |url=https://www.military.africa/2017/11/here-are-some-of-south-african-made-weapons/ |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=Military Africa |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=South Africa: An Overview of the Defence Industry |url=https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/sa/sa_july01ber01.html |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu}}</ref> As of 2020 South Africa is the world's 24th largest arms exporter, the only nation in Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arms exports by country, around the world |url=https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/arms_exports/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=TheGlobalEconomy.com |language=en}}</ref> The nation designs many types of weapons that range from armored fighting vehicles to [[ballistic missile]]s, notable South African-made weapons include the [[Ratel IFV]], the world's first wheeled [[infantry fighting vehicle]], South Africa also made its own [[attack helicopter]] known as the "[[Denel Rooivalk|Rooivalk]]" which is known to be one of the most advanced attack helicopters in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lionel |first=Ekene |date=2017-11-28 |title=Here are some of South African Made weapons |url=https://www.military.africa/2017/11/here-are-some-of-south-african-made-weapons/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Military Africa |language=en-US}}</ref> In recent years a R16 billion ($1 billion) contract was signed with the local defence industry which aims to produce 244 units of [[Badger IFV]] for the SANDF.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Guy |date=2020-11-06 |title=Hoefyster the biggest threat to Denel – Hlahla |url=https://www.defenceweb.co.za/featured/hoefyster-the-biggest-threat-to-denel-hlahla/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=defenceWeb |language=en-ZA}}</ref> South Africa is the only African country to have successfully developed [[South Africa and weapons of mass destruction|nuclear weapons]]. It became the first country (followed by Ukraine) with nuclear capability to voluntarily renounce and dismantle its programme and in the process signed the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]] in 1991.<ref name="fas-ocp27" /> South Africa undertook a [[Nuclear programme of South Africa|nuclear weapons programme]] in the 1970s.<ref name="fas-ocp27">{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/rsa/nuke/ocp27.htm|title=Out of (South) Africa: Pretoria's Nuclear Weapons Experience|access-date=23 June 2008|author=Roy E. Horton III|date=October 1999|publisher=USAF Institute for National Security Studies|archive-date=6 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506144626/http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/rsa/nuke/ocp27.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> South Africa is [[Vela incident|alleged to have conducted]] a nuclear test over the Atlantic in 1979,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB190/01.pdf|title=South Atlantic Nuclear Event (National Security Council, Memorandum)|access-date=23 June 2008|first=Christine|last=Dodson|date=22 October 1979|publisher=George Washington University under Freedom of Information Act Request|archive-date=29 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629172818/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB190/01.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> although this is officially denied; de Klerk maintained that South Africa had "never conducted a clandestine nuclear test."<ref name="South Africa comes clean">{{cite book|author=Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.|title=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qQwAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3|access-date=26 June 2013|date=May 1993|publisher=Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.|pages=3–4|chapter=South Africa comes clean|series=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Science and Public Affairs|issn=0096-3402|archive-date=11 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011173919/http://books.google.com/books?id=qQwAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA3|url-status=live}}</ref> Six nuclear devices were completed between 1980 and 1990 but all were dismantled by 1991.<ref name="South Africa comes clean" /> In 2017, South Africa signed the UN treaty on the [[Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons|Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en|title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament – No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons|publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection|date=7 July 2017|access-date=10 August 2019|archive-date=13 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813020027/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en|url-status=live }}</ref> === Law enforcement and crime === {{Main|Law enforcement in South Africa|Crime in South Africa}} [[File:South african police may 2010.jpg|thumb|left|Officers of the [[South African Police Service]] with [[R4 assault rifle|Vektor R5]] rifles on parade in Johannesburg, 2010]] Law enforcement in South Africa is primarily the responsibility of the [[South African Police Service]] (SAPS), South Africa's national police force. SAPS is responsible for investigating crime and security throughout the country. The South African Police Service has over 1,154 police stations across the country and over 150,950 officers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=South Africa Yearbook 2019/20 {{!}} Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) |url=https://www.gcis.gov.za/content/resourcecentre/sa-info/south-africa-yearbook-201920 |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=www.gcis.gov.za}}</ref> In 2023 the [[Special Task Force (SAPS)]] placed 9th at the international SWAT competition out of 55 law enforcement teams from across the world making it the best in Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitchley |first=Alex |title=Best in Africa: SAPS' Special Task Force Unit places ninth at international SWAT competition |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/best-in-africa-saps-special-task-force-unit-places-ninth-at-international-swat-competition-20230226 |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=News24 |language=en-US}}</ref> South Africa has the world's largest [[Private security industry in South Africa|private security industry]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Guy |date=2012-10-30 |title=South Africa has world's largest private security industry; needs regulation – Mthethwa |url=https://www.defenceweb.co.za/industry/industry-industry/south-africa-has-worlds-largest-private-security-industry-needs-regulation-mthethwa/ |access-date=2023-04-09 |website=defenceWeb |language=en-ZA}}</ref> with over 10,380 private security companies and 2.5 million private security personnel of which over 556,000 are active,<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 May 2021 |title=Security guards vs police officers in South Africa |url=https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/489295/security-guards-vs-police-officers-in-south-africa/ |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date= |website=BusinessTech}}</ref> making it bigger than the South African Police Force and Military combined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eastwood |first=Victoria |date=2013-02-08 |title=Bigger than the army: South Africa's private security forces {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/08/business/south-africa-private-security/index.html |access-date=2023-04-09 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> Private security mainly provide assistance to the South African Police Service (SAPS) to combat crime throughout the country. Over the years there has been tremendous growth in the private security industry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Recent Growth In The Private Security Industry |url=https://www.buildingsecurity.com/blog/recent-private-security-growth/ |access-date=2023-04-09 |website=Building Security Services |language=en}}</ref> As of February 2023, South Africa has the sixth highest crime rate in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 February 2023 |title=The safest and most dangerous countries in the world – and where South Africa ranks |url=https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/661833/the-safest-and-most-dangerous-countries-in-the-world-and-where-south-africa-ranks/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20platform's%20ranking,by%20gunshot%20per%20100%2C000%20people. |website=BusinessTech}}</ref> From April 2017 to March 2018, on average 57 murders were committed each day in South Africa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/271997/heres-how-south-africas-crime-rate-compares-to-actual-warzones/|title=Here's how South Africa's crime rate compares to actual warzones|author=Staff Writer|website=businesstech.co.za|language=en-US|access-date=19 July 2019|archive-date=19 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719182304/https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/271997/heres-how-south-africas-crime-rate-compares-to-actual-warzones/|url-status=live }}</ref> In the year ended March 2017, there were 20,336 murders and the murder rate was 35.9 per 100,000 – over five times higher than the global average of 6.2 per 100,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dataunodc.un.org/GSH_app|title=Global Study on Homicide – Statistics and Data|website=dataunodc.un.org|access-date=19 July 2019|archive-date=15 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715203654/https://dataunodc.un.org/GSH_app|url-status=dead }}</ref> More than 526,000 South Africans were murdered from 1994 to 2019.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gibson|first1=Douglas|title=SA's murder rate is worse than the coronavirus mortality rate|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/opinion/sas-murder-rate-is-worse-than-the-coronavirus-mortality-rate-43987823|agency=IOL|publisher=iol.co.za|date=3 March 2020|access-date=4 August 2021|archive-date=4 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804174704/https://www.iol.co.za/news/opinion/sas-murder-rate-is-worse-than-the-coronavirus-mortality-rate-43987823|url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Smash and Grab Hot Spot, Retreat (South Africa).jpg|thumb|Smash and Grab Hot Spot sign in [[Retreat, Cape Town]]]] South Africa has a high rape rate, with 43,195 rapes reported in 2014/15, and an unknown number of [[sexual assault]]s going unreported.<ref name="africaCheckRapeStats">{{cite web|url=https://africacheck.org/factsheets/guide-rape-statistics-in-south-africa/|title=GUIDE: Rape statistics in South Africa – Africa Check|access-date=11 July 2018|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325164521/https://africacheck.org/factsheets/guide-rape-statistics-in-south-africa/|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2009 survey of 1,738 men in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape by the Medical Research Council found one in four men admitted to raping someone,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8107039.stm| work=BBC News| title=South African rape survey shock| date=18 June 2009| access-date=23 May 2010| archive-date=17 August 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817141650/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8107039.stm| url-status=live }}</ref> and another survey of 4,000 women in Johannesburg by CIET Africa found one in three said they had been raped in the past year.<ref name="bbc1">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/258446.stm|title=South Africa's rape shock|work=BBC News|date=19 January 1999|access-date=30 May 2010|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402230527/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/258446.stm|url-status=live }}</ref> Rape occurs most commonly within relationships, but many men and women say that rape cannot occur in relationships; however, one in four women reported having been abused by an intimate partner.<ref name="Abrahams">{{cite web|url=http://www.arsrc.org/downloads/sia/sep04/sep04.pdf|title=Sexual Violence Against Women in South Africa.|publisher=Sexuality in Africa 1.3|year=2004|access-date=29 February 2012|archive-date=18 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111018202051/http://www.arsrc.org/downloads/sia/sep04/sep04.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Rapes are also perpetrated by children (some as young as ten).<ref name="medscape">{{cite web|url=http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/444213|title=Child rape in South Africa|publisher=Medscape|access-date=31 December 2010|archive-date=29 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229174131/http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/444213|url-status=live }}</ref> The incidence of [[Child sexual abuse|child and infant rape]] is among the highest in the world, largely as a result of the [[virgin cleansing myth]], and a number of high-profile cases (sometimes as young as eight months)<ref name="medscape" /> have outraged the nation.<ref name="time">{{cite magazine|last=Perry|first=Alex|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1680715,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-world|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090818063455/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1680715,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-world|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 August 2009|title=Oprah scandal rocks South Africa|magazine=Time|date=5 November 2007|access-date=15 May 2011}}</ref> Between 1994 and 2018, there were more than 500 [[Xenophobia|xenophobic]] [[Xenophobia in South Africa|attacks against foreigners]] in South Africa.<ref>{{cite news|title=After a Week of Xenophobic Attacks, South Africa Grapples for Answers|url=https://www.voanews.com/africa/after-week-xenophobic-attacks-south-africa-grapples-answers|work=VOA News|date=6 September 2019|access-date=22 September 2019|archive-date=22 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922075016/https://www.voanews.com/africa/after-week-xenophobic-attacks-south-africa-grapples-answers|url-status=live }}</ref> The [[2019 Johannesburg riots]] were similar in nature and origin to the [[May 2008 South Africa riots|2008 xenophobic riots]] that also occurred in Johannesburg.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/gauteng-xenophobia-attacks-akin-to-2008-crisis-institute-of-race-relations-20190905|title=Gauteng xenophobia attacks akin to 2008 crisis – Institute of Race Relations|date=5 September 2019|website=News24|language=en|access-date=22 September 2019|archive-date=15 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915032441/https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/gauteng-xenophobia-attacks-akin-to-2008-crisis-institute-of-race-relations-20190905|url-status=dead}}</ref> === Administrative divisions === {{Main|Administrative divisions of South Africa|Provinces of South Africa}} [[File:Map of South Africa with English labels.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.6|[[Provinces of South Africa]]]] Each of the nine provinces is governed by a [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] [[provincial legislature (South Africa)|legislature]], which is elected every five years by [[party-list proportional representation]]. The legislature elects a [[Premier (South Africa)|premier]] as head of government, and the premier appoints an [[Executive Council (South Africa)|Executive Council]] as a provincial cabinet. The powers of provincial governments are limited to topics listed in the constitution; these topics include such fields as health, education, public housing and transport. The provinces are in turn divided into 52 [[Districts of South Africa|districts]]: 8 [[Metropolitan municipality (South Africa)|metropolitan]] and 44 [[District municipality (South Africa)|district municipalities]]. The district municipalities are further subdivided into 205 [[Local municipality (South Africa)|local municipalities]]. The metropolitan municipalities, which govern the largest urban agglomerations, perform the functions of both district and local municipalities. {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 85%; text-align: right" |- ! Province ! Provincial capital ! Largest city ! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/StatsInBrief/StatsInBrief2010.pdf |title=Stats in Brief, 2010 |publisher=Statistics South Africa |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-621-39563-1 |location=Pretoria |page=3 |access-date=14 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820132652/http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/StatsInBrief/StatsInBrief2010.pdf |archive-date=20 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> ! Population (2016)<ref name="2016CS">{{cite web |title=Community Survey 2016 In Brief |url=http://cs2016.statssa.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/CS-in-brief-14-07-2017-with-cover_1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516231635/http://cs2016.statssa.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/CS-in-brief-14-07-2017-with-cover_1.pdf |archive-date=16 May 2018 |access-date=28 April 2018 |publisher=Statistics South Africa}}</ref> ! Population (2020)<ref>''Stats in Brief, 2020'': Mid 2020 official estimates from Statistics South Africa, Pretoria.</ref> |- | align="left" | [[Eastern Cape]]|| align="left" |[[Bhisho]]|| align="left" |[[Gqeberha]]|| 168,966|| 6,996,976|| 6,734,000 |- | align="left" |[[Free State (South African province)|Free State]]|| align="left" |[[Bloemfontein]]|| align="left" |Bloemfontein|| 129,825|| 2,834,714|| 2,929,000 |- | align="left" |[[Gauteng]]|| align="left" |[[Johannesburg]]|| align="left" |Johannesburg|| 18,178|| 13,399,724|| 15,488,000 |- | align="left" |[[KwaZulu-Natal]]|| align="left" |[[Pietermaritzburg]]|| align="left" |[[Durban]]|| 94,361|| 11,065,240|| 11,532,000 |- | align="left" |[[Limpopo]]|| align="left" |[[Polokwane]]|| align="left" |Polokwane|| 125,754|| 5,799,090|| 5,853,000 |- | align="left" |[[Mpumalanga]]|| align="left" |[[Mbombela]]|| align="left" |Mbombela|| 76,495|| 4,335,964|| 4,680,000 |- | align="left" |[[North West (South African province)|North West]]|| align="left" |[[Mahikeng]]|| align="left" |[[Klerksdorp]]|| 104,882|| 3,748,435|| 4,109,000 |- | align="left" |[[Northern Cape]]|| align="left" |[[Kimberley, South Africa|Kimberley]]|| align="left" |Kimberley|| 372,889|| 1,193,780|| 1,293,000 |- | align="left" |[[Western Cape]]|| align="left" |[[Cape Town]]|| align="left" |Cape Town|| 129,462|| 6,279,730|| 7,006,000 |} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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