There are two further tiers of government - at provincial and local level. The first provincial elections took place at the same time at the national election. Local government elections were held in most provinces in late 1995 and in other provinces in May 1996. Smaller parties with seats include the Freedom Front, the Democratic Party, the Pan Africanist Congress and the African Christian Democratic Party. The South African legal system is based on Roman-Dutch law subject to the Constitution.
Judicial authority is vested in the courts.
The Constitutional Court has jurisdiction over all matters relating to the interpretation, protection and enforcement of the Constitution and its decisions are binding upon all persons and upon all legislative, executive and judicial organs of State. Land and People Geography South Africa is situated on the southern tip of Africa. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Its northern borders are shared with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The countries of Lesotho and Swaziland are within its boundaries.