Democracy, Government, and Citizenship in South Africa

A comprehensive vocabulary review of South African democracy, covering the end of apartheid, voting processes, the Constitution, branches of government, Parliament structure, human rights and responsibilities, and key historical figures.

Apartheid

An unfair system of government in South Africa where non-white citizens were not permitted to vote, live, study, or work where they wanted, which ended in 1994 when the country became a democracy.

Democracy

A government system where everyone has the right to vote to elect the leaders of their country.

Voting

The act of choosing a representative by making a mark on a voting form on a specific day.

Government

The leaders of a country who make and carry out the rules and laws of the country.

Democratic Elections

A free and fair process through which all adult citizens have the right to vote to choose their leaders.

Citizens

The people of a country.

Political Party

A group of people who have similar ideas about how a country should be run and who decide who their leaders will be.

Ballot Paper

A form given to a voter on which to mark which party they are voting for.

African National Congress (ANC)

The political party that won South Africa's first democratic national election in 1994 with 63% of the total votes.

Constitution

A set of the most important laws of a country that protects people's rights, explains how the government works, and must be obeyed by everyone, passed into law in South Africa in December 1996.

Violate

To break a rule or law, or to treat something badly or without respect.

Legislature

The branch of government made up of Parliament that is responsible for making laws to help run the country better and more fairly.

Executive

The branch of government made up of the president, deputy president(s), and the cabinet, responsible for running the country and making decisions using the laws.

Judiciary

The branch of government made up of the courts of the justice system that makes sure that the country's laws are obeyed.

National Assembly

The house of Parliament comprising 350–400 members elected by the people of South Africa to make the country's laws.

National Council of Provinces (NCOP)

The house of Parliament consisting of 90 members (10 per province) appointed by the provinces to ensure provincial representation when national laws are made.

Rules and Laws

Guidelines that allow people to live together in an organised and fair way by establishing what is allowed, what is not allowed, and how citizens should behave.

Justice System

The police and the courts of law where people are judged, ensuring people are treated fairly and equally when disagreements occur or when crimes are suspected.

Equality Under the Law

The constitutional principle guaranteeing that every person is equal before the law, entitled to equal protection and benefit, and subject to the same legal rules without interference.

Rights

The things that people are allowed to do or have within a society.

Responsibilities

The duties and actions that people are expected to do to help keep society fair and equal.

Banning

An apartheid government punishment that restricted a person from travelling freely, meeting with large groups of people, or publishing and distributing written works.

Fatima Meer

An anti-apartheid leader and University of Natal graduate born in Durban in 1928 who organised protests, raised funds for schools, and was banned and detained without trial for resisting apartheid.

Constitutional Court

The highest court established in 1994 to protect the Constitution and safeguard human rights, typically comprising 11 judges headed by the Chief Justice.

Pius Langa

A South African legal figure born in 1939 in Bushbuckridge who was appointed as one of the founding 11 judges of the Constitutional Court in 1994 and served as Chief Justice from 2005 to 2009.