Travel & living abroad
- You are here:
- Home
- › Travel & living abroad
- › Travel advice by country
- › Country profiles
- › Sub Saharan Africa
- › South Africa
Sub Saharan Africa
South Africa |
|
|
|
Country information
Politics
The ANC won South Africa's first non-racial general elections in April 1994. Mandela became President and a Government of National Unity was formed; Commonwealth membership was restored and the remaining international sanctions against South Africa lifted. South Africa took up her seat in the UN after a 20-year absence. Parliament approved a new South African Constitution on 8 May 1996. Mandela handed over leadership of the ANC to Thabo Mbeki in December 1997, who succeeded him as State President following the general elections of 1999. In 2007 Jacob Zuma took over from Mbeki as leader of the ANC.On 22 April 2009, South Africa held its fourth General Election since the end of apartheid. ANC President Jacob Zuma was elected President for a five-year term. The ANC won 65.9% of the national vote (down from 69.7% in 2004). The opposition Democratic Alliance, (DA) won the Province of the Western Cape from the ANC and increased its national share to 16.7%. New party Coalition of the People (COPE - formed from former ANC members) achieved 7.4%, emerging as the official opposition in five of South Africa's Provinces. COPE is the third largest party (in terms of representation) in South Africa. The combined share of the smaller parties halved from 2004 to 4.72%.
Human rights
South Africa has a strong commitment to upholding human rights. It has a Human Rights Commission, set up in 1995. A justiciable Bill of Rights is enshrined in the 1996 Constitution enforceable through South Africa's Constitutional Court. It is a signatory to the principal UN Human Rights Instruments.
Human Rights Annual Report 2006
