The people
Elect the National Assembly through the electoral system required by section 46 of the Constitution.
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🇿🇦 Government power map
Who selects whom in South Africa?
Parliamentary constitutional republic
South Africa
6 institutions · 11 relationshipsHow power connects
Select an institution or a connection to explore.
Follow who selects, appoints or checks whom.
About this system
South Africa's Constitution connects direct election of the National Assembly, Assembly election and removal of the President, presidential appointment of the Cabinet, Cabinet accountability to Parliament, presidential reconsideration and constitutional referral of bills, judicial appointments involving the Judicial Service Commission, and final constitutional review by the Constitutional Court.
No invented arrows. A line is published only when an attached constitution or official institution explicitly supports the relationship. An institution source by itself does not justify an inferred line.
11 formal relationships drawn · 1 sources · Verified 2026-08-28
The dots
Institutions represented on this map.
Each institution below has an attached source. Being listed does not imply an unshown formal relationship.
Parliament and National Assembly
Parliament includes the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces; Assembly-specific arrows are labeled as such.
President of the Republic
Is elected by the National Assembly, appoints Cabinet members, and exercises the bill-referral powers in section 84.
Judicial Service Commission
Advises on judicial appointments and prepares Constitutional Court nominee lists under section 174.
Cabinet
The President, Deputy President, and Ministers exercise executive authority and are accountable to Parliament.
Constitutional Court
Makes final decisions on constitutionality of Acts of Parliament and conduct of the President.
Evidence and limits
Every line has a source. Every missing layer stays visible.
The map describes formal national relationships only. It does not measure democratic quality, legitimacy, actual compliance, or informal influence.
Source notes
Not mapped yetResearch gaps, not assumptions.
- National Council of Provinces selection and provincial mandates
- Full no-confidence and dissolution pathways
- Ordinary courts and prosecuting authority
- Provincial and municipal government structures
These maps describe selected formal national relationships, not every informal source of political power.
Reading guideElection results
How to interpret this record
South Africa Government Power Map: Who Selects Whom
An election result is a dated publication about a defined contest and reporting area. Certification status, ballot accounting and the voting system determine what the numbers can support.
Identify the election and the reporting stage
A preliminary publication, an election-night update and a final certified result describe different stages. Electionpedia retains the source’s status rather than treating every displayed number as final. For historical research, the source version remains important because later corrections can change a total without changing the identity of the election.
Read the denominator
A vote share needs a denominator: candidate votes, valid votes, ballots cast or another published base. Turnout can use a different base again. Compare the labels before comparing percentages. A margin in votes and a margin in percentage points answer related but different questions.
Read the full election results guide →