Capital : Pretoria

Land Area : 1,219,912 sq km

Head of Government : President Jacob Zuma (Since May 2009)

Population : 49,052,489 (July 2009 estimate)

Major Languages : IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)

Major Religion(s) : Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)

Date of Joining : Rejoined 1994, (South Africa withdrew from the Commonwealth on its own accord in 1961)

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Articles from CHRI Newsletter :

• Top judges unite against bid to control judiciary, CHRI Newsletter, Volume 12, Number 2, Summer 2005.
• Police and Police Reform in South Africa After 1990: Some reflections, Elrena Van der Spuy, Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, South Africa, CHRI Newsletter, Volume 12, Number 1, Spring 2005.
• Reflections on South Africa's Approach to Terrorism, Adv. Thabani Masuku, Senior Constitutional Analyst at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, Cape Town, CHRI Newsletter, Volume 9, Number 1, Spring 2002.
• In pursuit of Open Democracy and Freedom of Information, CHRI Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 2, Summer 2001.

Articles from E-Magazine:

• Interpol Resources redirected to weaker countries, CHRI, Commonwealth Police Watch E-Magazine, Vol. 1, December 2004.
• Together Against Crime, CHRI, Commonwealth Police Watch E-Magazine, Vol. 1, December 2004.
• Handbook assessing police performance released, CHRI, Commonwealth Police Watch E-Magazine, Vol. 2, April 2005.

Articles from RTI Updates:

• Review of the South African Human Rights Commission's Guide to using the Promotion of Access to Information Act, By Rolf Sorensen.
• Parties don't have to disclose funds, Iafrica.com News, 20 April 2005.
• Landmark ruling on party funding, Mail And Guardian Online, 20 April 2005.

Bills/ Laws from RTI:

• Judicial Matters Second Amendment Bill, as amended by the Porqolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, Minister For Justice And Constitutional Development, 2003.

Reports from RTI:

• SADC Media Law: A Handbook for Media Practitioners, Volume 1, A comparative overview of the laws and practice in Malawi, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, December 2003.

Articles from Police Research Papers:

• Police Brutality in South Africa, G.P. Joshi, unpublished.

News Updates from Prison Reforms:

• Prisoners face new 'death sentence', Safe a Life, Foreign Prisoners Support Service, February 2002.