To answer this important question, let us look at this hypothetical example. Lets suppose that a party needs 30 000 votes to get one seat in the National Assembly (NA).

Small Party A gets 15 000 votes (does not qualify for a seat, so the 15 000 votes go to waste).

Small Party B gets 15 000 votes (does not qualify for a seat, so the 15 000 votes go to waste).

The way I see it, these two small parties have wasted 30 000 very important votes! Remember that some people died for us to have the vote, ...
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Before the new dispensation South Africa had only four provinces: Transvaal, Cape Province, Natal and Orange Free State. These provinces were run by provincial administrations which did not have executive powers, i.e. they did not have legislative powers and were mandated by the central government to run the provinces.

The new Constitution then subdivided the country into nine provinces: Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and West...

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The 2009 South African national and provincial election has come and gone and there is no doubt that the ANC will retain power with a two-thirds majority.

Mercifully, there were hardly any incidents of intimidation or violence. Many foreign observers feel that, on the whole, the elctions were free and fair.

However, I noticed that just about all the smaller parties were trounced. Some analysts are even questioning whether these parties should close shop and maybe join the bigger parties. Partie...

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