South Africa

TYPE • StructureSouth Africa’s national legislature (Parliament) has two houses: a 90-member National Council of Provinces and a 400-seat National Assembly. Council members are elected by the nine provincial legislatures, with each legislature selecting 10 members. Members of the National Assembly are directly elected through a proportional representation system. All members of Parliament are elected to five-year terms. South Africa's president (currently Jacob Zuma) is chosen by the National Assembly on the basis of the majority party's recommendation and serves a maximum of two five-year terms. He is both the chief of state and head of government.• Government and the PeopleSouth Africa has very high crime rates, which the government struggles to contain with an understaffed police force, sometimes leading to police brutality and vigilante groups. Generally though, freedoms guaranteed by the constitution (such as speech, religion, and association) are respected. People often criticize the government over corruption and wasteful spending. South African elections are generally free and fair, and citizens are eligible to vote at age 18. Turnout of registered voters for parliamentary elections regularly exceeds 75 percent

What does all of this mean??• Type– Republic– Parliamentary Democracy

• Who rules? – President is head of government and chief of state

• How much can citizens participate in the government?– Voting: 18 years and older vote for National Assembly

(legislature)• How is power distributed (system):– Federal-nine provinces

Communication

• The nation's advanced telecommunications system is also considered the best on the continent. Television is widely available, and state-run and commercial networks broadcast in English, Afrikaans, and the Nguni and Sotho language groups. Thousands of viewers subscribe to satellite and TV. Radio broadcasts are available in all of South Africa's languages. Cellular phones are prevalent in many areas of the country. Over 20 percent of the population has access to the internet.

• Generally though, freedoms guaranteed by the constitution (such as speech, religion, and association) are respected.

What does all of this mean?

• Freedom of Speech/Press:– No limitation on speech or press

EducationAs in other areas of South African life, apartheid-era segregation in public education has been dismantled. However, it will take some time before all children receive the same opportunities within a uniform system. Schooling is compulsory from age 7 to age 15. School life spans 13 years or grades, from grade 0 (known as reception year) to grade 12. General education and training runs from grade 0 to grade 9. Further education and training takes place from grades 10 to 12 and includes career-oriented education and training offered in technical colleges, community colleges, and private colleges.

Many schools are without adequate texts or supplies. The literacy rate is around 87 percent. A high school education is much more common among whites and Indians than it is among people of mixed race and blacks.

What does this mean??

• Access to education for citizens:– Many schools are without adequate supplies– It is more common for whites and Indians to

receive education that blacks or mixed races

Healthcare

• Medical services are socialized, but some private sector participation is also incorporated. Public hospitals and clinics are open to all citizens. Free care is given to all pregnant women and to children younger than age six. Disease and malnutrition are more common among blacks. South Africa is experiencing a devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic; about 18 percent of adults aged 15 to 49 are infected. Tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera are also serious problems. Efforts to improve access to improved sanitation and water sources have proven successful; almost 80 percent of South Africa's population has access to improved sanitation, and over 90 percent has access to adequate supplies of potable water.

What does this mean?

• Access to Healthcare for citizens:– Public hospitals and clinics are open to all citizens.

Free care is given to all pregnant women and to children younger than age six.

– However, disease and malnutrition are more common among blacks (they live in areas with inadequate clean water and infertile land)

Impact of government stability on the distribution of resources.

• People often criticize the government over corruption and wasteful spending. – This may mean that citizens are not receiving

adequate resources, especially in regards to AIDS/HIV care.

Kenya

Type

Kenya's president (currently Mwai Kibaki) serves as both chief of state and head of government and is elected by popular vote to a five-year term. The prime minister (currently Raila Odinga) is the head of the largest party in the National Assembly and handles government business. However, this position was eliminated by the 2010 constitution and is expected to be phased out when the new constitution comes into effect. Legislative power is held by the 224-seat National Assembly (Bunge). Its members serve five-year terms. Voters directly elect 210 members, the president appoints 12, and two positions are reserved for the National Assembly's speaker and the attorney general. The 2010 constitution called for a second legislative body, the Senate, to be created. Kenya has eight provinces, each with a local government. The voting age is 18.

What does this mean?• Type

– Republic– Presidential Republic (democracy)

• Who Rules?– The President is both head of government and chief of state.– Legislature is called the Bunge

• How much do citizens participate?– Voting: 18 and older vote and elect the president and

legislature• How is power distributed (system)?

– Federal. Eight provinces with a local government

Communication

Kenya has one of Africa's best telecommunications systems. The phone network is expanding, driven largely by mobile phone technology. Today mobile phones far outnumber landlines in the country. Access reaches even many remote rural areas without access to electricity. In these areas, people may charge their phones using solar power. A growing number of people use the internet, and Kenya has one of the highest rates of internet usage in Africa. Most Kenyans listen to radio broadcasts in both Swahili and English. The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation is a private corporation indirectly controlled by the government. Several private television and radio stations offer extensive programming. There are four national newspapers.

What does this mean?

• Freedom of Speech and Press:– There are few limitations on freedoms of speech

and press. – Government indirectly controls The Kenyan

Broadcasting Company, while private stations offer extensive programing.

EducationPrimary school, attended from age six to thirteen, is free and compulsory. After primary school, students take the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exam to determine which secondary school they can attend. Secondary school lasts four years, and students must pay tuition. Private schools are available, but the average Kenyan family cannot afford the tuition. High-achieving students may be awarded scholarships to more prestigious, expensive schools. Classes are large, and the student-to-teacher ratio may be as high as a hundred students per teacher in some schools. Many schools lack classrooms and supplies for all students, and classes may be held outside under trees. In remote areas, many students travel long distances to reach the nearest school. Few schools have computers or other technology.

Kenyans view education as the path to a better life. Families sometimes sell possessions or portions of land in order to send their children to good schools. Students must provide their own uniforms, text books, and school supplies. If a family cannot afford to send all of their children to school, they often send only their sons. Girls sometimes marry as soon as they reach puberty, and few continue their education after marriage.

What does this mean?

• Access to education for citizens– Student teacher ratios are high, supplies are

lacking, and education has to be paid for by the family after age 13.

– Expense may limit some families, and boys are sent to school over girls.

Health

Many Kenyans do not have access to basic health care. In rural areas, people often avoid government hospitals because they have inadequate medical supplies. Patients in hospitals must often provide their own medications and meals. A number of private facilities exist for those who can afford them. Rural Kenyans continue to rely on traditional healing methods, although Western medicine is becoming more widely accepted. Infant mortality rates have dropped in recent years. However, a high rate of HIV infection has dramatically lowered life expectancy. Diseases such as malaria are prevalent in low-lying regions, though illnesses and deaths due to malaria in particular are decreasing because of government and private programs.

What does this mean?

• Access to healthcare for citizens:– Many citizens do not have access to healthcare

and government hospitals are under-equipped.

Impact of government stability on the distribution of resources.

• There is no evidence to determine that the government has instability impacts the distribution of resources.

Sudan

Type: Sudan

Sudan's president (currently Omar Hassan al-Bashir) is head of state and head of government. The executive branch also includes a first and second vice president. The bicameral legislature consists of a directly elected National Assembly and an indirectly elected Council of States. Members of both bodies serve six-year terms. The National Congress Party (NCP) is the official governing party of Sudan. The voting age is 18. Islamic law forms the basis of Sudan’s legal system.

Type: South Sudan

South Sudan is a federal republic with 10 states. The president (currently Salva Kiir) is head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. The central government is based in the capital, Juba. The legislature is comprised of two houses. The upper house, or National Legislative Assembly, is composed of directly elected representatives. Members of the lower house, the Council of States, are appointed by the president. There is also an independent judiciary. Local chiefs and traditional leaders are influential in local governments.

Type: Sudan

• Still recovering from years of civil war.• Type

– In transition– Both claim to be republics, but Sudan was previously a

dictatorship• Who Rules?

– Both say the President is head of state• How much do citizens participate?

– Voting: Unclear what citizens vote for and/or who gets to vote• How is power distributed (system)?

– Federal. Both are dived into provinces

CommunicationThe communications system is poorly maintained, but cellular phone coverage is widespread and service is generally affordable. Internet is available in major cities, many towns, and some rural areas. There are many radio stations and several national television stations; satellite dishes are common. Communications and other systems that rely on electricity suffer from frequent power outages, especially in Khartoum. Since most electricity is generated by hydroelectric dams, its availability depends on water flow along the Nile.

In South Sudan four private cellular phone companies provide services across the country. Landlines are not present in South Sudan. In urban areas, some residents watch television, but access is limited. The largest television station and radio station are both government owned, but the most popular radio station is run by the United Nations. Few people have access to the internet, which is available mainly in urban areas.

Communication

• Freedom of Speech/Press– The communication infrastructure is so primitive

and electricity is unreliable that there is little for the government to control.

– Some television stations are government owned

EducationEight years of primary education are compulsory, but this requirement often is not enforced. Rural schools often lack even the most basic supplies. Boys are far more likely to attend primary school than girls and even likelier to continue through the secondary level, which lasts three years. Some families may not deem it worthwhile to invest in a girl’s education since she will eventually marry and become part of her husband’s family; others simply believe that a girl’s place is at home. Public schools are segregated by gender. If a man wishes to marry an educated woman, his family may be required to reimburse her family for her schooling expenses in addition to paying a dowry. In urban areas, it is expected that a student who finishes secondary school will enter a university after passing a national test called the Sudanese Certificate Exam. Arabic is the official language of instruction in public schools; students begin learning English in grade five. The best schools are located in Sudan’s large cities, particularly Khartoum, where many international and private schools are available to the wealthy, who can afford their high tuition fees. The concentration of good schools, especially secondary ones, in the capital has led many families to send their children to the city (where they live with relatives) to study or to move there themselves.

Education

• Access to education for citizens– Access to education is poor– Schools lack even the most basic supplies and

facilities– Mandatory but not enforced– Girls are much less likely to attend schools than

boys

HealthSudan's public health system is not extensive. Urban facilities lack supplies and medicine. Rural clinics are all but nonexistent; only a few rural hospitals operate, causing many people to migrate to Khartoum in search of better medical care. Less than half of South Sudan’s population has access to basic health care; most of these services are provided by non-governmental organizations that are mainly funded by external donors. Middle- and upper-class Sudanese travel to Egypt or Jordan, both of which offer higher quality, affordable services. International relief agencies provide some basic services in war-torn areas and to internal refugees. South Sudan has one of the highest mortality rates in the world. War and poverty are the primary contributors. Yellow fever, cholera, and malaria are active throughout the country. Malnutrition is widespread, and many rural areas lack safe drinking water. Meningitis and other epidemics can be deadly

Health

• Access to healthcare:– Less than half of the population has access to

basic healthcare. – Virtual unavailable, except in large cities. Most

cannot afford to travel or pay for the health care offered in urban areas.

– Disease and malnutrition is prevalent

Impact of government stability on the distribution of resources.

• Due to years of civil war and extreme poverty, many of Sudan’s resources have been provided by International relief agencies and external donors. It is questionable how much of these resources have been distributed to the citizens.