South Africa
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- parliamentary republic
- CONSTITUTION
- December 10, 1996 signed by President Mandela and came into effect on February 4, 1997
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral, National Assembly and National Council of Provinces
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Constitutional Court; Supreme Courts of Appeal; High Courts; Magistrates' Courts
RELIGIONS
Christian majority
From the country
- DECEMBER 11, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
About 150 residents of the South African town of Kraaifontein,...
About 150 residents of the South African town of Kraaifontein, including at least 70 children, marched to the local police station saying "enough is enough" and demanding that the death penalty be reinstated after the murder of a nine-year-old Kraaifontei
- DECEMBER 10, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma called for...
South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma called for stiffer sentences for those found guilty of rape and murder in response to a spate of child rapes in which three babies were the latest victims
- DECEMBER 10, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
South African President Thabo Mbeki began his first...
South African President Thabo Mbeki began his first trip to China aimed at building ties and expanding business between two countries which normalized relations less than four years ago
- DECEMBER 9, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
The Inkatha Freedom Party called on government to bring...
The Inkatha Freedom Party called on government to bring back the death penalty following the death of one of its Soweto branch leaders over the weekend
- DECEMBER 6, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
South African traditional leaders called for a referendum...
South African traditional leaders called for a referendum on the reinstatement of death penalty for rapists
- DECEMBER 6, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
KwaZulu-Natal agriculture and environmental affairs...
KwaZulu-Natal agriculture and environmental affairs MEC Narend Singh called for the return of death penalty for serious crimes such as murder
- DECEMBER 4, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
Outraged by the escalating incidence of baby rapes...
Outraged by the escalating incidence of baby rapes in South Africa, the Traditional and Faith Healers Association said perpetrators should either receive the death sentence or be castrated
- DECEMBER 4, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
The increase of child rapes and abuse in South Africa...
The increase of child rapes and abuse in South Africa was an indictment of the country, African National Congress president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said
- DECEMBER 4, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
The opposition Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) said it...
The opposition Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) said it wanted the death penalty imposed against child rapists
- DECEMBER 3, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
The Inkatha Freedom Party said that South Africans...
The Inkatha Freedom Party said that South Africans should be allowed a referendum to vote on whether the death penalty should be reinstated for child rapists
- DECEMBER 2, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
The African National Congress Youth League said it...
The African National Congress Youth League said it would stage protests at the justice departments in the Free State, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to highlight women and child abuse
- NOVEMBER 27, 2001South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
A South African man, Bongani Mkhwanazi, escaped the...
A South African man, Bongani Mkhwanazi, escaped the gallows in Swaziland, SABC radio news reported