South Africa stretches along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at the southern tip of Arica. It’s the largest south African country and the 25th largest in the world by area; it’s the 24th most populous country with over 57 million inhabitants. The country is considered a multiethnic society, with various religions, languages, and cultures. The liberal democracy is comprised of nine provinces and a parliamentary republic.

South Africa gained its independence as the Union of South Africa in May of 1910. Prior to this, it was colonized by the Dutch, British, and by Portuguese. In 1948, the Afrikaner-dominated National Party instituted apartheid; favoring the white minority at the expense of the black majority.  Top leaders of the African National Congress, including Nelson Mandela, spent decades in prison for opposing apartheid.  A coalition approach involving internal protests and insurgency, and boycotts by some Western entities, led to the eventual renegotiation and a transition to majority rule.  The multi-racial elections in 1994 created a ANC majority rule government, however, South Africa has struggled to reconcile apartheid era imbalances in the population.

South Africa is a parliamentary republic, and President serves as head of state and government. The National Assembly, sits in office for a period of five years and is voted in by a party list. The President serves the same term duration as that of the Assembly, which is typically for five years.

Legal System in South Africa

The Constitution of South Africa is the Supreme rule of law. The legal system is modeled after Roman-Dutch and South African law systems. The Magistrates' courts is the lowest court level in the judiciary; it hears lower offense and criminal cases. The courts of general jurisdiction are the High Court, which hears cases at the criminal and civil levels. The highest courts are the Supreme Court of Appeal, and the Constitutional Court.

The country is also a member of several foreign relations groups. South Africa is a member of South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, the World Trade Organization, Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), G20, G8+5, the International Monetary Fund, Group 77, and the Commonwealth of Nations, among others.

The National Law Review covers the latest news stories and developments related to South Africa, and the country’s international relations. Stories about financial news, the World Bank, international relations, cybersecurity, and media news, are among the topics visitors can read about online.