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
- MARCH 23, 2004South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
"As the April elections loom, marking 10 years of democracy,...
"As the April elections loom, marking 10 years of democracy, several political parties are voicing support for the death penalty as a way of reducing crime in a fresh bid to win votes
- MARCH 16, 2004South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
The death sentence would have been a more appropriate...
The death sentence would have been a more appropriate sentence for the two Sizzlers killers, the New National Party said
- MARCH 10, 2004South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
The Democratic Alliance slammed Independent Democrats...
The Democratic Alliance slammed Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille's reaction to its leader's stance on the death penalty, describing her actions as a "flip-flop and "exposing her as the hypocrite she is"
- MARCH 4, 2004South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
South Africa's New National Party criticised Democratic...
South Africa's New National Party criticised Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon for his latest stance on the death penalty, saying his opportunism knew no end
- DECEMBER 18, 2003South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
"The South African government joins the international...
"The South African government joins the international community in expressing its rejection of calls for the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in line with dictates of our own constitution," a South African foreign ministry statement said
- NOVEMBER 13, 2003South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma ruled out...
South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma ruled out testing public opinion on the death penalty as part of the 2004 general elections
- AUGUST 24, 2003South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
The savage rape and murder of three generations of...
The savage rape and murder of three generations of a family during a carjacking in which a baby was executed in front of her mother has led to widespread calls for the return of the death penalty in South Africa, the Sunday Telegraph reported
- AUGUST 6, 2003South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
Pieter Mulder, leader of Freedom Front (FF), a small...
Pieter Mulder, leader of Freedom Front (FF), a small South African right wing political party, said in a statement that his party would propose a motion calling for a referendum on whether the death penalty should be reinstated
- JULY 18, 2003South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
Lehlohonolo Kobedi, a South African man who had been...
Lehlohonolo Kobedi, a South African man who had been on death row in Botswana for five years, was executed at Gaborone Central Prison, SABC news reported
- JUNE 8, 2003South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
All Africa reported that more than 200 inmates of South...
All Africa reported that more than 200 inmates of South Africa's prisons still had the status of Death Row prisoners even though the African Constitutional Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional on June 6, 1995
- APRIL 24, 2003South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
South Africa was a cosponsor and voted in favour of...
South Africa was a cosponsor and voted in favour of the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights, in Geneva
- MARCH 15, 2003South AfricaDEATH PENALTY
Former Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel called for...
Former Western Cape premier Gerald Morkel called for the reintroduction of the death penalty whilst attending the funeral of nine-year-old Miquela Appollis, slain by gangster crossfire near her home in Steenberg