World Factbook
South Africa
Republic of South Africa
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: two equal-width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band that splits into a horizontal Y; a black isosceles triangle is in the Y, with narrow yellow bands around it; the red and blue bands are bordered by narrow white stripes meaning: the colors have no official meaning, but the Y stands for "the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity"
note: South Africa has one of two national flags that display six colors as part of the primary design -- the other is South Sudan's
Capital
name
Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
etymology
Pretoria was named in honor of Boer statesman Andries PRETORIUS in 1855; Cape Town's name refers to its location on the Cape of Good Hope; Bloemfontein was named after the farm on which it was built in 1846, whose name combined the Dutch words bloem (flower) and fontein (fountain)
time difference
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
geographic coordinates
25 42 S, 28 13 E
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of South Africa
dual citizenship recognized
yes, but requires prior permission of the government
residency requirement for naturalization
5 year
Constitution
history
several previous; latest drafted 8 May 1996, approved by the Constitutional Court 4 December 1996, effective 4 February 1997
amendment process
proposed by the National Assembly of Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional sections on human rights and freedoms, non-racism and non-sexism, supremacy of the constitution, suffrage, the multi-party system of democratic government, and amendment procedures requires at least 75% majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council of Provinces, and assent of the president of the republic; passage of amendments affecting the Bill of Rights, and those related to provincial boundaries, powers, and authorities requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly, approval by at least six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council, and assent of the president
Country name
former
Union of South Africa
etymology
self-descriptive name from the country's location on the continent; "Africa" is derived from the Roman designation of the area corresponding to present-day Tunisia "Africa terra," which meant "Land of the Afri" (the tribe resident in that area), but which eventually came to mean the entire continent
abbreviation
RSA
conventional long form
Republic of South Africa
conventional short form
South Africa
Independence
31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 22 August 1934 (Status of the Union Act); 31 May 1961 (republic declared); 27 April 1994 (majority rule)
Legal system
mixed system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law
Government type
parliamentary republic
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Supreme Court of Appeals (consists of the court president, deputy president, and 21 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices and 9 judges)
subordinate courts
High Courts; Magistrates' Courts; labor courts; land claims courts
judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court of Appeals president and vice president appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), a 23-member body chaired by the chief justice; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the national president on the advice of the JSC and hold office until discharged from active service by an Act of Parliament; Constitutional Court chief and deputy chief justices appointed by the president of South Africa after consultation with the JSC and with heads of the National Assembly; other Constitutional Court judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the chief justice and leaders of the National Assembly; Constitutional Court judges serve 12-year nonrenewable terms or until age 70
Executive branch
note
note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president
chief of state
President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)
election results
2024: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposed 2019: Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (ANC) elected president by the National Assembly unopposed
head of government
President Matamela Cyril RAMAPHOSA (since 19 June 2024)
most recent election date
29 May 2024
election/appointment process
president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)
expected date of next election
May 2029
National holiday
Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
National color(s)
red, green, blue, yellow, black, white
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
12 (7 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa (c); iSimangaliso Wetland Park (n); Robben Island (c); Maloti-Drakensberg Park (m); Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (c); Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (n); Vredefort Dome (n); Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape (c); Khomani Cultural Landscape (c); Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains (n); Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites (c); The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa (c)
Political parties
African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP African Independent Congress or AIC African National Congress or ANC African People's Convention or APC Agang SA Congress of the People or COPE Democratic Alliance or DA Economic Freedom Fighters or EFF Freedom Front Plus or FF+ GOOD Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP National Freedom Party or NFP Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania or PAC United Christian Democratic Party or UCDP United Democratic Movement or UDM
Legislative branch
legislature name
Parliament
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"National Anthem of South Africa"
history
adopted 1997; a combination of "N'kosi Sikelel' iAfrica" (God Bless Africa) and "Die Stem van Suid Afrika" (The Call of South Africa), which were respectively the anthems of the non-white and white communities under apartheid; official lyrics contain a mixture of Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and English (the five most widely spoken of South Africa's 11 official languages)
lyrics/music
Enoch SONTONGA and Cornelius Jacob LANGENHOVEN/Enoch SONTONGA and Marthinus LOURENS de Villiers
National symbol(s)
springbok (antelope), king protea flower
Administrative divisions
9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
National Assembly
term in office
5 years
number of seats
400 (all directly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
6/15/2024
expected date of next election
May 2029
percentage of women in chamber
44.7%
Legislative branch - upper chamber
note
note: the Council has special powers to protect regional interests, including safeguarding cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities
chamber name
National Council of Provinces
term in office
5 years
number of seats
90 (all appointed)
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
5/29/2024
expected date of next election
June 2029
percentage of women in chamber
44.4%
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 265-1607
chancery
3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (240) 937-5760
chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Ismail ESAU (since 17 March 2025)
consulate(s) general
Los Angeles, New York
email address and website
Info.saembassyDC@dirco.gov.za https://www.saembassy.org/
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[27] (12) 342-2299
embassy
877 Pretorius Street, Arcadia, Pretoria
telephone
[27] (12) 431-4000
mailing address
9300 Pretoria Place, Washington DC 20521-9300
chief of mission
Ambassador-designate Leo Brent BOZELL III; Chargé d’Affaires Marc DILLARD (since October 2025)
consulate(s) general
Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
email address and website
ACSJohannesburg@state.gov https://za.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AIIB, AU, BIS, BRICS, C, CD, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, NSG, OECD (enhanced engagement), OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction