Provinces of South Africa
Provinces of South Africa | |
---|---|
Category | Regional state |
Location | South Africa |
Created |
|
Number | 9 Provinces |
Populations | 1,355,946 (Northern Cape) – 15,099,422 (Gauteng) |
Areas | 18,178 km2 (7,019 sq mi) (Gauteng) – 372,889 km2 (143,973 sq mi) (Northern Cape) |
Government | |
Subdivisions |
South Africa portal |
South Africa is divided into nine provinces.[1] On the eve of the 1994 general election, South Africa's former homelands, known as Bantustans, were reintegrated into the country, and the four provinces were increased to nine by dividing Cape Province and the Transvaal into three and four, respectively. The twelfth, thirteenth and sixteenth amendments to the Constitution of South Africa changed the borders of seven of the provinces.
History
The
Segregation of the black population started as early as 1913, with ownership of land by the black majority being restricted to certain areas totalling about 13% of the country. From the late 1950s, these areas were gradually consolidated into "homelands", also called "bantustans". Four of these homelands were established as quasi-independent nation states of the black population during the apartheid era. In 1976, the homeland of Transkei was the first to accept independence from South Africa, and although this independence was never acknowledged by any other country, three other homelands – Bophuthatswana (1977), Venda (1979) and Ciskei (1981) – followed suit.
On 27 April 1994, the date of the
On 11 July 2003, the 11th amendment to the fifth constitution renamed the Northern Province to Limpopo. On 1 March 2006, the 12th and 13th amendments altered the boundaries of 7 provinces. On 3 April 2009 the 16th amendment altered the boundaries of the North West and Gauteng provinces.
Government
South Africa's provinces are governed, in different ways, on a national, provincial and local level.[6]
Nationally, there is the National Council of Provinces, one of the houses of Parliament. Then there is the provincial government and, below that, the administration of district and metropolitan municipalities.
National Council of Provinces
South Africa has two houses of parliament: the National Assembly, and the National Council of Provinces.[6] The second exists to ensure that the interests of each province are protected in the laws passed by the National Assembly.
Each one of South Africa's nine provinces sends 10 representatives to the National Council of Provinces. Six of these are permanent members of the council, and four are special delegates.
Provincial government
Each province is governed by a
The provincial legislature elects, from amongst its members, a
The powers of the provincial government are limited to specific topics listed in the national constitution. On some of these topics – for example, agriculture, education, health and public housing – the province's powers are shared with the national government, which can establish uniform standards and frameworks for the provincial governments to follow; on other topics the provincial government has exclusive power.[8]
The provinces do not have their own court systems, as the administration of justice is the responsibility of the national government.
List
Province | Name in the most spoken native language[9] | Capital | Largest city | Area[10]: 9 | Population (2022)[11] |
Density (2022) |
Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastern Cape | iMpuma-Koloni (Xhosa) | Bhisho (Bisho) | Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) | 168,966 km2 (65,238 sq mi) |
7,230,204 | 42.8/km2 (111/sq mi) |
|
Free State | Freistata (Sotho) | Bloemfontein | Bloemfontein | 129,825 km2 (50,126 sq mi) |
2,964,412 | 22.8/km2 (59/sq mi) |
|
Gauteng | eGoli (Zulu) | Johannesburg | Johannesburg | 18,178 km2 (7,019 sq mi) |
15,099,422 | 830.6/km2 (2,151/sq mi) |
|
KwaZulu-Natal | iKwaZulu-Natali (Zulu) | Pietermaritzburg[n 1] | Durban | 94,361 km2 (36,433 sq mi) |
12,423,907 | 131.7/km2 (341/sq mi) |
|
Limpopo | Limpopo ( Pedi ) |
Polokwane (Pietersburg) | Polokwane | 125,754 km2 (48,554 sq mi) |
6,572,720 | 52.3/km2 (135/sq mi) |
|
Mpumalanga | iMpumalanga (Swazi) | Mbombela (Nelspruit) | Mbombela | 76,495 km2 (29,535 sq mi) |
5,143,324 | 67.2/km2 (174/sq mi) |
|
North West | Bokone Bophirima (Tswana) | Mahikeng (Mafikeng) |
Rustenburg | 104,882 km2 (40,495 sq mi) |
3,804,548 | 36.3/km2 (94/sq mi) |
|
Northern Cape | Noord-Kaap (Afrikaans) | Kimberley |
Kimberley | 372,889 km2 (143,973 sq mi) |
1,355,946 | 3.6/km2 (9.3/sq mi) |
|
Western Cape[n 2] | Wes-Kaap (Afrikaans) | Cape Town | Cape Town | 129,462 km2 (49,986 sq mi) |
7,433,019 | 57.4/km2 (149/sq mi) |
|
Republic of South Africa | iRiphabhuliki yaseNingizimu Afrika (Zulu) | Pretoria, Bloemfontein Cape Town[n 3][12] |
Johannesburg | 1,220,813 km2 (471,359 sq mi) |
62,027,503 | 50.8/km2 (132/sq mi) |
Footnotes:
- ^ Pietermaritzburg and Ulundi were joint capitals of KwaZulu-Natal from 1994 to 2004.
- sub-Antarctic Indian Oceanbut part of the Western Cape for legal and electoral purposes.
- ^ Parliament sits in Cape Town, the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, and the Executive branch in Pretoria.
Provincial acronyms
Province | HASC | ISO | FIPS | CSS | Conventional |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eastern Cape | ZA.EC | EC | SF05 | 02 | EC |
Free State | ZA.FS | FS | SF03 | 04 | FS |
Gauteng | ZA.GT | GP | SF06 | 07 | GP |
KwaZulu-Natal | ZA.NL | KZN | SF02 | 05 | KZN |
Limpopo | ZA.NP | LP | SF09 | 09 | LP |
Mpumalanga | ZA.MP | MP | SF07 | 08 | MP |
Northern Cape | ZA.NC | NC | SF08 | 03 | NC |
North-West | ZA.NW | NW | SF10 | 06 | NW |
Western Cape | ZA.WC | WC | SF11 | 01 | WC |
Notes HASC: Hierarchical administrative subdivision codes ISO: Province codes from ISO 3166-2. For full identification in a global context, prefix "ZA-" to the code FIPS: Codes from FIPS PUB 10–4, a U.S. government standard. CSS: Province codes used by the Central Statistical Service of South Africa. [13] |
Former administrative divisions
Province | Capital | Peak population | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Cape of Good Hope (1910–1994) | Cape Town | 6,125,335 | |
Natal (1910–1994) | Pietermaritzburg | 2,430,753 | |
Orange Free State (1910–1994) | Bloemfontein | 2,193,062 | |
Transvaal (1910–1994) | Pretoria | 9,491,265 | |
Homelands | Capital | Peak population | Location |
Bophuthatswana (1977–1994) † | Mmabatho | 1,478,950 | |
Ciskei (1972–1994) † | Bisho | 677,920 | |
Gazankulu (1971–1994) | Giyani | 954,771 | |
KaNgwane (1981–1994) | Schoemansdal (de facto ) |
779,240 | |
KwaNdebele (1981–1994) | KwaMhlanga | 404,246 | |
KwaZulu (1981–1994) | Nongoma (until 1980) Ulundi (1980–1994) |
5,524,774 | |
Lebowa (1972–1994) | Lebowakgomo | 2,740,587 | |
QwaQwa (1974–1994) | Phuthaditjhaba | 342,886 | |
Transkei (1976–1994) † | Umtata | 2,323,650 | |
Venda (1979–1994) † | Thohoyandou | 558,797 | |
Mandates | Capital | Peak population | |
South West Africa | Windhoek | 1,415,000 |
Footnotes:
- † States for which the homeland was quasi-independent.
See also
- Elections in South Africa
- List of municipalities in South Africa
- List of renamed places in South Africa
- List of South African provinces by Human Development Index
- Members of the Executive Council (MEC)
- Municipalities of South Africa
- Premier (South Africa)
- Prince Edward Islands
- Proposals for South Africa to annex Lesotho
- Provincial governments of South Africa
- Provincial legislature (South Africa)
- Telephone numbers in South Africa
- Vehicle registration plates of South Africa
- Walvis Bay
- ISO 3166-2:ZA
Transportation
- List of national routes in South Africa
- List of provincial routes in South Africa
- List of regional routes in South Africa
- List of Metropolitan Routes in South Africa
- Numbered routes in South Africa
References
- ^ "The nine provinces of South Africa - South Africa Gateway". South Africa Gateway. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
- doi:10.5784/24-2-64 – via CORE.
- ISBN 978-0-19-027773-4.
- ^ "The Boundaries of a New South Africa". Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- .
- ^ a b "The nine provinces of South Africa - South Africa Gateway". South Africa Gateway. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Provincial Government of South Africa". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, "Chapter 6: Provinces". Sections 104 and 146.
- ^ http://www.statssa.gov.za/census/census_2011/census_products/Census_2011_Census_in_brief.pdf, p. 25.
- ISBN 9780621413885. Archived(PDF) from the original on 13 May 2015.
- ^ Census 2022: Statistical release (PDF) (Report). Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. 2023. p. 3.
- ^ "How Many Capital Cities Does South Africa Have?".
- ^ "South African Provinces".