Democracy and Citizenship

Question 1

In what year did South Africa become a democracy?

Answer 1

1994

Question 2

List 4 freedoms that people who live in a democratic country enjoy

Answer 2

1) the freedom to move around - to live and work where they want to
2) the freedom to vote for the people they want to rule the country
3) freedom of speech
4) freedom to support the political parties that they want to support
5) they have their human rights protected

Question 3

what do you understand by the term democracy?

Answer 3

the free and equal right of everyone to take part in government

Question 4

What was apartheid?

Answer 4

a system that segregated (or divided) the country along racial lines

Question 5

list 3 injustices or inequalities that were present under the apartheid system

Answer 5

1) black people couldn’t vote
2) black people could only live in certain areas that were assigned to them
3) black people had to carry special permits (pass books) to travel into cities and other areas
4) political parties that stood for the freedom of all South Africans were banned and many of their leaders were imprisoned

Question 6

Which political party established apartheid as one of its policies?

Answer 6

The National Party

Question 7

Which South African President relaxed apartheid laws and unbanned the ANC?

Answer 7

FW de Klerk

Question 8

How often are national elections held in SA?

Answer 8

every 5 years

Question 9

Who are the IEC and what do they do?

Answer 9

The Independent Electoral Commission - they organise and run the national elections. They ensure that the elections are free and fair

Question 10

What is the highest law in the land

Answer 10

the Constitution

Question 11

True or False: anyone in SA can go to Parliament and have their say

Answer 11

False - citizens choose a few people to represent them in parliament and make decisions for them. These people are chosen through an election

Question 12

True or False: everybody is allowed to vote in South Africa’s national elections

Answer 12

False - voters must be over 18
Voters must have a South African ID document
Voters may not be mentally disabled
Voters must register to vote before the election

Question 13

What is a ballot paper?

Answer 13

A special form on which the names of all the political parties are listed. In an election citizens place an x on the ballot paper next to the name of the political party they want to run the country

Question 14

what does the term secret ballot mean?

Answer 14

it means voting takes place in secret. No one may ask a person which political party they voted for

Question 15

how is the president of SA chosen?

Answer 15

Citizens vote for which political party they want to rule the country. The political party with the most votes chooses the president - usually this is the leader of their party

Question 16

What are the 3 tiers of government in SA and what are their roles

Answer 16

1) National Govt - deals with things that affect the whole nation
2) Provincial Government - deal with things that affect their own province
3) Local Government - deal with things that effect their own municipality

Question 17

What is the role of parliament?

Answer 17

• they pass the laws (called Acts of Parliament) that will govern the country well and ensure democracy is protected
• to allow people to give their views on issues
• to choose which member of the party which wins elections will be the president

Question 18

what are the 2 groupings that make up parliament called and how is each elected?

Answer 18

1) The National Assembly: each political party has a list of people they put up to stand for election. Each party is told how many people from their list they can send to parliament based on the percentage of votes the party receives in the national election (approx 350 people are in the national assembly)
2) The National Council of Provinces: each province sends 10 people to parliament, they are voted for in a provincial election.

Question 19

True or false: another name for parliament is the national executive

Answer 19

False: another name for parliament is the National Legislature

Question 20

who are the cabinet and what do they do?

Answer 20

another name for the cabinet is the national executive.
their role is to make sure that the laws made by parliament are carried out. Cabinet is made up of the president, deputy president and the cabinet ministers. Each member of the cabinet deals with a different area of government (eg education/finance/policing)

Question 21

name the 3 sections of our government

Answer 21

legislative - parliament (or national legislature)
executive - president, deputy and cabinet ministers
judicial - the courts

Question 22

true or false: the constitution can be changed easily by the political party in charge

Answer 22

false

Question 23

how many judges are in the constitutional court

Answer 23

11

Question 24

What is the Bill of Rights

Answer 24

It is part of the constitution. It describes certain rights of SA citizens

Question 25

name 5 rights protected by the Bill of Rights

Answer 25

right to equality
right to human dignity
right to freedom and security of the person
right to life
right to freedom of expression
political rights
right to freedom of religion, belief and opinion
right to citizenship
right to education
right to a healthy environment
right to health care, food, water and social security
right to freedom of movement & residence
right to language and culture
right to court access

Question 26

why do we have laws?

Answer 26

to protect the rights of citizens in a democracy

Question 27

if we treat others with disrespect, which of their rights are we violating

Answer 27

right to human dignity

Question 28

what are some of the responsibilities that go along with the right to citizenship?

Answer 28

voting, paying taxes, obeying the law

Question 29

whose responsibility is it to pass laws in line with the constitution & democracy?

Answer 29

parliament

Question 30

whose responsibility is it to make sure that laws are upheld

Answer 30

the justice (judicial) system

Question 31

what is the name of the person who prepares a case against a suspect arrested by the police

Answer 31

the public prosecutor

Question 32

what is the role of the court in law enforcement

Answer 32

the court determines if any laws were broken by the suspect and sentences them if they are found guilty. Every suspect is innocent until proven guilty and every person has the right to a fair trail in court

Question 33

In which language is the motto on the SA coat of arms written and what does it mean

Answer 33

the Khoisan language , it means diverse people unite

Question 34

do you think the motto on the SA coat of arms is a good one. Give a reason for your answer

Answer 34

(own opinion)

Question 35

what do the elephant tusks on the coat of arms represent

Answer 35

wisdom, strength, moderation and eternity

Question 36

why are the spear and knobkierie on the coat of arms lying down?

Answer 36

to symbolise peace

Question 37

where is the sun found on our coat of arms? what does it symbolise?

Answer 37

at the top, symbolises the rebirth of our country, brightness, energy, knowledge, good judgement and will power

Question 38

name the flower and bird found on our coat of arms

Answer 38

protea and secretary bird

Question 39

who is defined as a child in SA

Answer 39

anyone under the age of 18

Question 40

What is Enoch Sontonga known for

Answer 40

he wrote the 1st verse and chorus of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika as well as the music

Question 41

True or false: the constitution contains special rights that apply to children

Answer 41

true

Question 42

what does the Y shape in the SA flag represent

Answer 42

the different people of SA coming together to go forward in unity

Question 43

which 2 other countries have Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika as a National anthem

Answer 43

Tanzania and Zambia

Question 44

What was the Children’s Charter

Answer 44

a document written in 1992 at the International Children’s Summit by about 200 children from all over South Africa - representative of all races, classes, gender and disability. They wrote about the rights of children and how children were not being treated with respect and dignity. Their work contributed to the Constitution.