Abbreviation: RSA

Digraph: SF

Type: republic

Capital: Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)

Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US - 4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa)

Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)

Constitution: 3 September 1984

Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May (1910)

Political parties and leaders:

white political parties and leaders: National Party (NP), Frederik W. DE KLERK (majority party); Conservative Party (CP), leader NA (official opposition party); Democratic Party (DP), Zach DE BEER; Afrikaner Volksunie (AVU), Andries BEYERS

Colored political parties and leaders (see Note): Labor Party (LP), Allan HENDRICKSE (majority party); National Party (NP); Democratic Party (DP); Freedom Party

Indian political parties and leaders: Solidarity, J. N. REDDY (majority party); National People's Party (NPP), Amichand RAJBANSI; Merit People's Party

note: the Democratic Reform Party (DRP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP) were disbanded in May 1991

Other political or pressure groups: African National Congress (ANC), Nelson MANDELA, president; Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Clarence MAKWETU, president

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, but voting rights are racially based

Elections:

House of Assembly (whites): last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by NA March 1995); results - NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%; seats - (178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34; note - by February 1992, because of byelections, splits, and defections, changes in number of seats held by parties were as follows: NP 102, CP 36, DP 28, AVU 5, independent 7

House of Representatives (Coloreds): last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held no later than March 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1, independents 2; note - by October 1992 many representatives had changed their allegiance causing the following changes in seating: NP 44, LP 27, DP 6, Freedom Party 1, independents 6, vacant 1

House of Delegates (Indians): last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held no later than March 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's Party 3, independents 6, other 6; note - due to delegates changing party affiliation, seating as of October 1992 is as follows: Solidarity 25, NPP 7, Merit People's Party 2, other 8, independents 3

note: tentative agreement to hold national election open to all races for a 400-seat constitutient assembly on 27 April 1994

Executive branch: state president, Executive Council (cabinet), Ministers' Councils (from the three houses of Parliament)

Legislative branch: tricameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of the House of Assembly (Volksraad; whites), House of Representatives (Raad van Verteenwoordigers; Coloreds), and House of Delegates (Raad van Afgevaardigdes; Indians)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government: State President Frederik Willem DE KLERK (since 13 September 1989)

Member of: BIS, CCC, ECA, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO (suspended), ICC, IDA, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU (suspended), LORCS, SACU, UN, UNCTAD, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO (suspended)

Flag: actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side