The Government of the Republic of South Africa

I thought this would be interesting for all of you at home. I already have a great appreciation for running water, food, clothes and my family after seeing so many people down here with very few or none of the mentioned necessities of life. But what I now have a greater appreciation for is our governmental system, even though I don’t always agree with the policies/actions of our government. South Africa’s government organization is completely different than that of the US and at times seems counter-productive to its function.

The past two days in sociology we have learned about the governmental organization of South Africa. In the US we are used to a hierarchy system that starts at the national government that sets laws that all states and local governments have to follow. Individual states can determine their own laws and even local governments have the power to set their own ordinances. The key is that they all have to comply with the higher level of government. In South Africa, however, the system is set into three main spheres: the national or state government, the provincial government and local or municipal governments. All three overlap in some aspects so some issues are deemed local and provincial issues that are not influenced by the laws of the state or national government. There is a constitution and bill of rights that sets up individual rights for people and the organization of the government.

This creates problems for individuals in the different municipalities. Some of the rights are not provided by the state government and are delegated to provincial and municipal governments. The fact that everyone has the right to basic services such as water, housing and electricity, these rights are the responsibility of the municipal governments. If the municipal governments don’t have the funds to provide these services they can ask for help from local NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) or private companies. This allows services to be provided, sometimes at a cheaper cost and involves companies in the community. Unfortunately it also allows for things such as corruption and money laundering. This would be the way the rich are allowed to get richer and the poor to remain in informal housing without basic services. It is also the main cause for countries on this continent to remain as third world nations.

We have to remember that South Africa is still a very young nation. It has only been 15 years since the horrors of Apartheid were stopped and some form of human equality was established. The South African constitution is seen as on the most progressive in the world. It explicitly emphasizes gender equality, protects the freedom of sexual orientation and talks about political, social and economic rights as well as individual rights and freedoms. The last point is controversial because it implies that people have the right to a job, and not just access to a job, but also the right to an actual job. When the unemployment rate is up you can imagine people start to get angry. No one takes their rights more seriously than South Africans and after almost a century of oppression, who can blame them?