South Africa

• mostly semiarid;
• subtropical along east coast;
• sunny days, cool nights

• lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures;
• growth in water usage outpacing supply;
• pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge;
• air pollution resulting in acid rain;
• soil erosion;
• desertification

party to:

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

0-14 years:

31.6% (male 6,943,761; female 6,849,745)

15-64 years:

63.4% (male 13,377,011; female 14,300,850)

65 years and over:

5% (male 816,222; female 1,360,069) (2002 est.)

at birth:

1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.6 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

noun:

South African(s)

adjective:

South African

conventional long form:

Republic of South Africa

conventional short form:

South Africa

former:

Union of South Africa

abbreviation:

RSA

• 10 December 1996;
• this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997;
• it is being implemented in phases

chief of state:

• President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999);
• Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

elections:

president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 2 June 1999 (next scheduled for sometime between May and July 2004)

head of government:

• President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999);
• Executive Deputy President Jacob ZUMA (since 17 June 1999);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president

election results:

Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation)

note: ANC-IFP is the governing coalition

• Constitutional Court;
• Supreme Court of Appeals;
• High Courts;
• Magistrate Courts

• African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE, president];
• African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI, president];
• Democratic Alliance (formed from the merger of the Democratic Party or DP and the New National Party or NP; note - NP split from DP in 2001) [Anthony LEON];
• Freedom Front or FF [Dr. Pieter MULDER, president];
• Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president];
• New National Party or NP [Marthinus VAN SCHALKWYK];
• Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president];
• United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]

• Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary];
• South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary];
• South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president];
• note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC

chief of mission:

Ambassador Makate Sheila SISULU

consulate(s) general:

Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

FAX:

[1] (202) 265-1607

telephone:

[1] (202) 232-4400

chancery:

3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission:

Ambassador Cameron H. HUME

embassy:

877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria

mailing address:

P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001

telephone:

[27] (12) 342-1048

FAX:

[27] (12) 342-2244

consulate(s) general:

Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

lowest 10%:

1%

highest 10%:

46% (1994) (1994)

general assessment:

the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa

domestic:

• consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops;
• key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria

international:

2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)

total:

358,596 km

paved:

59,753 km (including 1,927 km of expressways)

unpaved:

298,843 km (1996)

• crude oil 931 km;
• petroleum products 1,748 km;
• natural gas 322 km

total:

8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 271,650 GRT/268,604 DWT

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 3, Netherlands 1 (2002 est.)

ships by type:

container 6, petroleum tanker 2

• transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and possibly cocaine;
• cocaine consumption on the rise;
• world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries;
• illicit cultivation of marijuana;
• attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region