The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) is a comprehensive ranking of African countries according to governance quality. Funded and led by an African institution, the Index aims to be Africa’s leading assessment of governance that informs and empowers citizens to hold their governments and public institutions to account.
The Ibrahim Index measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by government or non-state actors.
The Ibrahim Index uses indicators across four main pillars: Safety and Rule of Law; Participation and Human Rights; Sustainable Economic Opportunity; and Human Development as proxies for the quality of the processes and outcomes of governance. The index assesses governance against 84 criteria, making it the most comprehensive collection of qualitative and quantitative assessments that measures governance in Africa. The criteria are divided into four main categories:
Safety and Rule of Law
Participation and Human Rights
Sustainable Economic Opportunity
Human Development
In 2007/08, South Africa scored 69.4 out of 100, and was ranked 5th out of 53 African countries. Within the Southern African region, South Africa was ranked 3rd. South Africa scored well above the Southern African regional average, which was 58.1. South Africa also scored well above the overall continental average, which was 51.2.
At category level, South Africa scored well above the continental average in all four categories. Government and Political Conditions
South Africa is a multiparty parliamentary democracy in which constitutional power is shared between the president and the Parliament.
The Parliament consists of two houses, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, which are responsible for drafting the laws of the republic. The National Assembly also has specific control over bills relating to monetary matters. The current 400-member National Assembly was retained under the 1997 constitution, although the constitution allows for a range of between 350 and 400 members. The Assembly is elected by a system of "list proportional representation." Each of the parties appearing on the ballot submits a rank-ordered list of candidates. The voters then cast their ballots for a party.
Seats in the Assembly are allocated based on the percentage of votes each party receives. In the 2009 election, the ANC won 264 seats in the Assembly, just shy of a two-thirds majority and a decrease of 33 seats from 2004; the Democratic Alliance (DA) won 67, the newly formed Congress of the People (COPE) won 30, and the IFP won 18. Smaller parties won the remaining 21 seats.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) consists of 90 members, 10 from each of the nine provinces. The NCOP replaced the former Senate as the second chamber of Parliament and was created to give a greater voice to provincial interests. It must approve legislation that involves shared national and provincial competencies as defined by an annex to the constitution. Each provincial delegation consists of six permanent and four rotating delegates.
The president is the head of state, and is elected by the National Assembly from among its members. The president's constitutional responsibilities include assigning cabinet portfolios, signing bills into law, and serving as commander in chief of the military. The president works closely with the deputy president and the cabinet.
The third arm of the central government is an independent judiciary. The Constitutional Court is the highest court for interpreting and deciding constitutional issues, while the Supreme Court of Appeal is the highest court for nonconstitutional matters. Most cases are heard in the extensive system of High Courts and Magistrates Courts. The constitution's bill of rights provides for due process including the right to a fair, public trial within a reasonable time of being charged and the right to appeal to a higher court. The bill of rights also guarantees fundamental political and social rights of South Africa's citizens.
The 
South Africa is a multiparty parliamentary democracy in which constitutional power is shared between the president and the Parliament.
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