Head of state and government
Verified
- Head of state and government
- Cyril RamaphosaPresident
- Government
- Government of National Unity (Second Ramaphosa Cabinet)In office
- System
- Parliamentary republic with an executive presidentCapital: Pretoria
- UN e-government rank
- 40 of 193EGDI 2024
South Africa is a parliamentary republic with an executive president[1]. The President, Cyril Ramaphosa, is both head of state and head of government[3][4]. Govpedia records 34 members of its cabinet.
At a glance[2]
- Capital
- Pretoria
- Region
- Southern Africa
- Area
- 1,221,037 km²
- Languages
- Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
- Currency
- South African rand (R)
- People
- South African
- Calling code
- +27
- Internet domain
- .za
Leadership
Who leads the state
Executive
Government of National Unity (Second Ramaphosa Cabinet)
33 of 34 verified on official pages
The President is head of state and government but is elected by, and answerable to, the National Assembly. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has been on leave since July 2025; Firoz Cachalia acts in the portfolio. Dates are the start of each minister’s current term in this government.
Digital government
Digital government, measured
UN E-Government Development Index[9]
2024
0.862rank 40 of 193
- Online services0.887
- Human capital0.803
- Telecom infrastructure0.895
Record of changes
Timeline
1 Jul 2026
David Maynier (Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) and Dina Pule (Social Development) are sworn in as ministers; Willie Aucamp moves to Agriculture, replacing John Steenhuisen.[3][5]
Verified14 May 2026
President Ramaphosa dismisses Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe; Sindisiwe Chikunga acts in the portfolio.[7]
Sourced17 Nov 2025
Willie Aucamp is sworn in as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.[8]
Verified
Evidence
Sources
- [1]List of countries by system of government
WikipediaReferenceChecked 12 Oct 2026
- [2]World countries in JSON (mledoze/countries)
Mohammed Le Doze and contributors (ODbL)ReferenceChecked 1 Nov 2026
- [3]Photo gallery: Faces of government
Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)OfficialChecked 13 Oct 2026
- [4]Cabinet of South Africa
WikipediaReferenceChecked 13 Oct 2026
- [5]New Ministers, Deputy Ministers sworn in
SAnews (South African Government News Agency)OfficialChecked 13 Oct 2026
- [6]Hill-Lewis urges Ramaphosa to appoint a permanent police minister
TimesLIVENewsChecked 13 Oct 2026
- [7]Cyril Ramaphosa fires social development minister Sisisi Tolashe
TimesLIVENewsChecked 13 Oct 2026
- [8]New Ministers sworn into office
SAnews (South African Government News Agency)OfficialChecked 13 Oct 2026
- [9]UN E-Government Survey 2024: country data
United Nations DESADatasetChecked 12 Oct 2026