South Africa Politics Flashcards
What was the system that goverened South Africa between 1948 - 1990 called?
Apartheid.
What is the South African Constitution describe as?
One of the most liberal constitutions in the world.
What type of state is South Africa?
A federal state, consisting of a national government, and nine provincial governments.
What is the National Assembly?
The Lower House, consists of 400 directly elected representatives, who are elected every 5 years using a party-list system.
What is the National Council of Provinces?
The Upper House, is elected by provincial legislatures
Describe former president Zuma.
Zuma was a charasmatic and personable president, who was popular with the poor, untrusted by the white middle class, and has overcome a great deal of personal problems.
Describe the new President Ramaphosa.
He is more stable, more conservative character. He has vowed to rid the ANC (African National Congress) of corruption, along with South Africa.
Describe the ANC’s influence in party politics.
They are extremely popular, less so now though, they retain the loyalty of black South Africans. This is due to the party’s influence with the overthrow of apartheid.
Why is the Democratic Alliance (DA) on the rise?
They are becoming a serious force because many black voters who used to vote instinctively for ANC are moving to DA. DA has even made huge gains in ANC strongholds such as Pretoria in 2018.
How much has the DA risen in local elections?
They poled at over 10% (around 13$) in 2006, and in 2015 over 30%
In the 2014 General election, how much did the ANC win?
62% of the vote was won in an election with 74% turnout.
What is the EFF?
The EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) are a party led by former ANC member Julius Melema, and is targeted for those who feel the ANC betrayed themselves. They are very left-wing,
How did the EFF perform in their first ever election?
They won 6%.
What pressure groups are there in SA?
TAC/Sing (Treatment Action Campaign), or SHOUT.
What is the media like in SA?
There is criticism that the South African Broadcasting Company (SABC) is biased towards the ANC. SA does however have other publications such as the Mail & Guardian which holds the government to account as seen with the Zuma corruption.
