The Cape

The Commonwealth of the Cape  known simply as The Cape is the southernmost country on the African continent. It is bounded to the south by the Indian Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the north by Botswana and Namibia and to the north and east by Lesotho and South Africa. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World and the Eastern Hemisphere. The Cape is the only country in Sub-Saharan Africa where Sub-Saharan Africans are not the majority of the population. 48% identifies as Sub-Saharan African, 29% identifying as White, 21% identifying as coloured, and 0.5% identifying as Asian. While English is the only official language of The Cape, Afrikaans, Tswana, and Xhosa are all protected as national languages.

The Cape has become a model country in Africa, with the highest Human Development Index in continental Sub-Saharan Africa and the third highest GDP Per Capita in continental Sub-Saharan Africa. The country is one of the few in Africa to never experience a coup d'etat and elections have been held for over a century. The Cape has traditionally been more liberal than it's neighboring South Africa, which played a major role in the end of restrictions of blacks in the Cape. During the 1950's and 1960's, the white-dominated government began loosening restrictions on voting rights by lowering the requirements in the Cape Qualified Franchise and mandating required education for all Capetians. In 1990, universal suffrage was enacted after an amendment to the constitution. As a result of the absence of strong racial policies and political turmoil, The Cape has become a prime location for investment in Southern Africa, surpassing the GDP Per Capita of South Africa by nearly $4,000.

The World Bank classifies The Cape as an upper-middle-income economy, and the country is one of the largest banking and industrial centers in Africa. However, around 10% of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day, something that the government has worked hard in recent years to try and reduce. Nevertheless, The Cape identifies as a Middle Power on the international stage.

Etymology
The name "The Cape" is derived from the country's location at the southern Cape of Africa. Prior to 1910, the official name of the colony was the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope which references the Cape of Good Hope. However, the name was shortened to "The Cape" to prevent confusion between the country and the cape itself. Since 1910, the official name of the country has been "The Commonwealth of The Cape". "The Commonwealth" refers to the country being a British Commonwealth realm, and is one of the few remaining vestiges of British colonialism.

Koloni derived from the Xhosa name for "Cape", is a colloquial name for The Cape. The Commonwealth aspect of the official name of the Cape has raised controversy, with some Pan-Africanist groups seeing it extended British colonialism.

Prehistoric archaeology
The Cape contains some of the oldest archaeological and human-fossil sites in the world. Raymond Dart identified the first hominin fossil discovered in Africa, the Taung Child (found near Taung) in 1924. Further hominin remains have come from the sites of Klasies River Mouth in Tsitsikamma and Pinnacle Point in Eden, Elandsfontein in Cederberg, and Die Kelders Cave in Algulhas.

These finds suggest that various hominid species existed in the Cape from about three million years ago, starting with Australopithecus africanus. There followed species including Australopithecus sediba, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo rhodesiensis, Homo helmei, Homo naledi and modern humans (Homo sapiens). Modern humans have inhabited Southern Africa for at least 170,000 years.

Portuguese contacts
At the time of European contact, the dominant ethnic group in the southeastern part of the country were the Xhosa people. The Khoisan people dominated the northern and western areas.

In 1487, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias led the first European voyage to land in southern Africa. On 4 December, he landed at Walfisch Bay (now known as Walvis Bay in present-day Namibia). This was south of the furthest point reached in 1485 by his predecessor, the Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão (Cape Cross, north of the bay). Dias continued down the western coast of southern Africa. After 8 January 1488, prevented by storms from proceeding along the coast, he sailed out of sight of land and passed the southernmost point of Africa without seeing it. He reached as far up the eastern coast of Africa as, what he called, Rio do Infante, probably the present-day Groot River, in May 1488, but on his return he saw the Cape, which he first named Cabo das Tormentas (Cape of Storms). His King, John II, renamed the point Cabo da Boa Esperança, or Cape of Good Hope, as it led to the riches of the East Indies. Dias' feat of navigation was later immortalised in Luís de Camões' Portuguese epic poem, The Lusiads (1572).

Dutch Colonization
By the early 17th century, Portugal's maritime power was starting to decline, and English and Dutch merchants competed to oust Lisbon from its lucrative monopoly on the spice trade. The British took a minor interest in the region around the Cape in the early 1600s, but came to favor Ascension Island and St. Helena. The Dutch were the first Europeans to establish a settlement in modern-day Cape in 1652. The Dutch took interest in the colony after 1647 when two employees of the Dutch East India Company were shipwrecked in the region. They were able to survive after finding clean water and obtaining meat from the natives. They also were able to sow vegetables in the regions, showing that the area had fertile soil. Upon returning to the Netherlands, they reported that the Cape region could be used as a "warehouse and garden ships stopping over.

In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck established a station at the Cape of Good Hope, a settlement that eventually would become Cape Town. The Dutch Cape Colony was a commandment and later a governorate of the Dutch East India Company. The colony proved an ideal retirement place for former employees who were called vrijlieden or vrijburgers which translates to free men. Eventually, slaves began to be imported from Indonesia, Madagascar, and other parts of East Asia to work on farms. Early mixed-race families were formed, primarily between Dutch settlers, natives, and imported slaves. This led to a new ethnic group called the Cape Coloureds.

As more settlers came to the colony, they began to move eastward. This caused conflicts with the native Xhosa people who fought for pastoral land near the Great Fish River. These conflicts were common for decades, as settlers often formed small militias which launched inconclusive attacks on the other side. Boers often formed alliances with native Khoisan Groups in order to fend off Xhosa raids.

British Conquest
In 1795, France occupied the Dutch Republic which was the mother company of the Dutch East India Company. This prompted Great Britain to sieze the Cape Colony from the Dutch in order to prevent the French from reaching India. The British sent nine warships and were able to take control of the colony after the Battle of Muizenberg. Following this, the Dutch East India handed over its possessions to the Batavian Republic in 1798 and dissolved in 1799. However, improving relations between France and Britain led to the Treaty of Amiens in 1803. Under the treaty, the British were to hand the colony back to the Batavian Republic, which was a French puppet.

Following the breakdown in relations and renewed hostilities between France and the United Kingdom, British once again set out to occupy the colony. They were able to successfully do so after the Battle of Blaauwberg. The British organized the British Cape Colony, in hopes of keeping the colony long-term. This would have prevented Napoleon from securing any of the Far East trade routes around the Cape of Good Hope. In 1814, the Convention of London formally ceded the Cape Colony to the British.

British Cape Colony
British immigration to the Cape Colony began around 1818, culminating in the arrival of the 1820 Settlers. Settlers were encouraged to settle around modern-day Port Elizabeth to serve as a buffer against the Xhosa population. The British population continued to rise steadily throughout the next several decades. This caused British settlers to move into lands occupied by Xhosa or Boer settlers, sometimes ignited conflicts. The influx in British citizens, along with resentment over the abolition of slavery and British rule led to many Boers leaving the Cape Colony. These Boer settlers eventually founded the Boer republics of Natalia, the Orange Free State, and Transvaal.

Beginning in 1811 and ending in 1879, the British continued to fight successive wars against the Xhosa people in the southeastern region of the Cape Colony. The causes of these wars varied as did their intensity. From 1856 to 1858, the Xhosa people conducted a self-However, the conflicts prevented strong settlement in the eastern areas of the colony. These wars also gradually began to define the boundary of the Cape Colony with the natives, who sought to establish a semi-autonomous state known as Kaffaria. The eighth frontier war was especially devastating, as the Xhosa participated in a mass cattle-killing movement which resulted in famine.

A circular written in 1848 by the third Earl Grey, then colonial secretary, was sent to the governor of the Cape, as well as other colonial governors, asking them to ascertain the feelings of the colonists regarding the reception of a certain class of convicts. The Earl intended initially to send Irish peasants who had been driven to crime by the famine of 1845 to the Cape. Governor Harry Smith knew that he was unpopular in the British Colonial Office and hoped with win favour with London by allowing convicts to be sent to the Cape. However, he knew that sending convicts to the western side of the colony near Cape Town would lead to tensions and uproar among the local. Therefore, colonists were only sent to the eastern part of the colony where settlement was needed and locals supported to move. Yet, word eventually reached Cape Town resulting in mass-outrage. Movements against Smith's perceived dictatorial rule eventually turned to movements for responsible government. As part of a compromise, the colonial office agreed to give the Cape a parliament in exchange for convicts being sent to the eastern Cape. A constitution was established with nearly unprecedented liberality and the new Cape Parliament was elected that year.

During the 1860s, a movement led by John Molteno continued to advocate for responsible government. This was finally achieved in 1872, with John Molteno becoming the first Prime-Minister of the Cape. In the following years, the Cape Colony underwent largescale economic growth and prosperity, as well as political stability. During this time, the division between the western and eastern parts of the colony was largely laid to rest.

The 4th Earl of Carnarvon eventually laid out a plan in which the Cape Colony, along with the Transvaal, Orange Free State, and Natal would be grouped within a confederation. This was met with opposition from the Molteno-Merimann Government, who sought that the Confederation over the "illiberal Boer states" would jeporadize the rights of the Africans who lived in the Cape. Later, this was a similar argument that was used against joining the Union of South Africa. Regardless, Lord Carnarvon continued to push his Confederation idea, eventually dissolving the Cape's parliament. The plan ended disastrously, sparking conflicts with the Zulus, Xhosa's, as well as the First Boer War. The conflicts created resentment between the British and Boers which also was a leading cause of not joining the union in 1909. Unrest in the Cape Colony due to the confederation proposal continued until 1885.

In 1888, a customs union was created between the Cape and Orange Free State, an early sign of unity. Railroads also were extended from the Cape, into the Orange Free State. In 1890, Cecil Rhodes came to power as Premier of the Cape Colony. His government helped to lay aside the difference between British and Boer residents by making Dutch an official language. However, he tightened restrictions on the Africans who resided in the Cape who had previously acquired the right to vote. Rhodes namely instituted an education test, out of fear that tribal natives would ruin the government. Rhodes resigned following his complicity in the Jameson Raid which led up to the Second Boer War.

Dominion
The Second Boer War brought the Boer Republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State under the control of the British Empire. As a result, there was renewed interest in creating a union of Southern African colonies. However, there were multiple interpretations of how such a country would operate, with a major disagreement over whether the country should be federal or unitary. In 1909, the British government unveiled the South Africa Act, which would have created a unitary form of government between the colonies. This drew harsh criticism from the ruling South African Party, which believed that the resulting country would end the Cape's liberal institutions and its period of self-governance. There were further concerns from the populace that the new nation would be dominated by the Boers, effectively rendering the British settlers a minority. The colony petitioned the British government in London for a referendum which was granted. Both the Progressive Party and Afrikaner Bond pushed for inclusion in the union but created competing campaigns. The South African Party also actively pushed for African voters to register and vote in the referendum. Their efforts were successful, and Black Capetians overwhelmingly voted against joining the Union due to the reactionary nature of politics in the other three colonies. On February 15, 1910, voters declined to join the new Union of South Africa 57-43%, instead opting for their own dominion. The Cape of Good Hope Act passed Parliament in London on May 15, giving the Cape a similar situation to New Zealand.

The declaration of war by the United Kingdom in 1914 brought the Cape into World War I as London still retained control over the Cape's foreign affairs. Cape forces worked with South African forces in the relatively quick conquest of German South West Africa. Following the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the mandate for South West Africa was given to the Cape. During the 1920s, the Cape saw a wave of immigrants leaving Europe to settle in the colony. This created a new wave of prosperity in the major cities but brought about racial tensions in rural areas as Africans resented new settlers. Infrastructure also was built connecting South West Africa to Cape Town, Kimberley, and other major cities. During this time, the South African Party, which later became known as the Liberal Party solidified its dominance over Capetian politics.

The Great Depression saw the twenty-year dominance of the Liberal Party come to an end. The Labour Party garnered a majority in Parliament and was able to begin new social welfare programs. Afrikaners were hit the hardest by the depression and increasingly turned to a more extreme Afrikaner Bond which vocally advocated for republicanism and the suppression of African rights, a system later called Apartheid. However, the Cape was largely saved from a more devastating depression due to the lucrative gold mining industry. The Statute of Westminster in 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links between the Cape and the United Kingdom. The Cape adopted it in 1935, yet it was backdated to 1931 to confirm the legality of laws passed in the interim period.

The Cape was one of only two nations to accept large numbers of refugees during the Évian Conference. The Cape agreed to resettle 150,000 refugees providing that Germany pay for their transport, which they obliged to. The move was somewhat unpopular at home, and the Afrikaner Bond attempted to use the move to increase anti-Semitic sentiment. However, Liberal Party members highlighted that Jewish refugees were potentially the Cape's answer to "the race problem". In order to prevent backlash, the government encouraged refugees to settle across the country, with special attention to the eastern Cape. As German laws against Jewish people became increasingly oppressive, Parliament voted to remove restrictions of Jewish immigration. This allowed all Jewish people with a "reasonable claim to asylum" the ability to immigrate to the Cape. Once again, the legislation was contentious. However, the Liberal Party's increasingly reliance on the "racial problem" narrative helped to calm anti-Semitism and create a generally welcoming atmosphere. As a result, Germany often took advantage of the situation, encouraging and even forcing Jewish people to emigrate to the Cape. Around 180,000 Jewish people migrated to the Cape by 1940.

While initially attempting to stay neutral in World War II, the large Jewish population of the Cape meant that groups often became vocal in their opposition to Germany. Jewish and British groups joined in an alliance to campaign for a declaration of war against Germany. In 1940, Parliament officially voted to join the war on the side of the allies.

Modern History
Following the end of the Second World War, the Cape saw several more large waves of immigration. Most of these immigrants came from the British Isles, as well as citizens leaving the poor conditions of Central Europe after the war. Additionally, the government began offering major incentives to migrate to the Cape, including the prospect of subsidized land. The Labour Party and Liberal Party generally formed a coalition that supported the expansion of government assistance programs and the expansion of rights for Africans. The Cape saw a rising level of prosperity among whites, as well as the creation and expansion of a middle class among blacks and coloureds. However, many blacks who lived in rural tribal societies remained below the poverty line and under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Native Affairs.

The subsidized land policy brought nearly 400,000 immigrants to the Cape within the first five years of its creation. Most of these immigrants were from the British Isles, Germany, or Eastern Europe and tended to settle in both rural areas with cheap land and urban areas where there were many opprounties. Social tensions grew as a result, as the Xhosa people became upset over land loss and European encroachment into their villages. The new migrants also were antagonistic toward the natives, and many of their new towns were highly segregated. As the major coastal cities continued to be dominated by people from the British isles, a political rift developed. Disdain for the new settlements by the Xhosa people led to the first protests of the Capetian Civil Rights movement in Fort Beaufort in 1954. The movement quickly grew from one about land rights and anti-immigration, to a broader movement for universal suffrage. The movement attracted other non-Xhosa groups as well, including some poor whites who were disenfranchised by the Cape Qualified Franchise. From 1958, the movement was led by Nelson Mandela, who aspired to use the same tactics of Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States in order to build a pluralistic society.

The Liberal and Labour Parties tentatively approved of the movement. Mandela became a Labour Party MP in 1956 and was instrumental to leading the party toward a platform of universal suffrage. Yet, the newly rebranded Capetian Bond Party began rising in the polls as well. Rural Europeans, worried about their position within an equal Cape, began to support stronger segregation. Some Bond MPs even went as far as to begin calling for a system of Apartheid, legal separation and sometimes forced movement. Urban voters balked at this idea, and the Bond nearly universally lost support in British-speaking and urban areas. Despite this, the Bond continued to be the third and fourth-largest party in Parliament between 1956 and 1965. Their support sometimes strengthened as immigrants from former-African colonies such as the Belgian Congo, Kenya, and French Africa supported more hardline positions.

By the early 1960s, the Liberal and Labour Party coalition had repealed a vast majority of the laws restricting natives in the Cape. Mandela presented a bill for universal suffrage as early as 1957 but it was rejected. While the Civil Rights movement continued to heat up, the demographics of the Cape were also shifting in a major way. The boost of post-war immigrants made it so that the Cape was now nearly equal in terms of population of whites and Native Africans. Projections at the time believed that whites might become the largest racial group by 1975. While this never occurred, it assured many MPs who worried universal suffrage would relegate whites to minority status in the Cape. In 1966, Parliament passed the Suffrage Act of 1966, a six-year plan toward universal suffrage.

As a result of the Cape Qualified Franchise, Black government members grew in numbers in the 1960s. The fast-growing economy of the country in the 1960s provided more employment and hard currency for the Cape. Heavy Industry began to show up in cities such as Port Elizabeth, East London, and Cape Town. Beginning in the 1960’s some of the racial laws within the Cape began being repealed by the Cape Parliament, mainly after protests are staged by the Cape African Congress (CAC).

The Democratic Alliance, which remained in power kept immigration open. This happened as South Africa began to restrict immigration, leading to many new immigrants from the British Isles and Eastern Europe immigrating to The Cape. Many new immigrants came from newly independent African nations, and the end of white rule in the Belgian Congo and Kenya began to influence DA members to accept blacks in politics, while some Afrikaner hardliners in the New Union Party tried to push back.

By 1970, The Cape’s white populations lived by first world standards, and a growing number of educated black Africans entered that lifestyle. The Cape African Congress was successful in lobbying the Cape Parliament to remove the last non-voter restrictions by 1972. In the wake of the Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa and the use of violence and terror by the African National Congress shocked many Capetians who did not want to see the same in their country. Parliament lowered some qualifications on the Cape Qualified Franchise, however it continued to remain in place, even for whites. The independence of Angola and Mozambique in 1975 resulted in some 350,000 new arrivals from the Portuguese colonies. The Cape briefly intervened in the Angolan Civil War on the side of UNITA to prevent the communist MPLA from taking power, but this ultimately failed. By the late 1970’s, the United Nations exerted pressure on the Cape to give independence to South West Africa. Although relations were mostly peaceful, a small Ovambo based group, the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) did advocate for independence. Some also advocated for a referendum on the future of the province.

By 1980, blacks were 25% of the voters, a number expected to hit 40% by 2000. Despite this, white immigration continued. While the education and social systems were still very unequal, they were improving rapidly. By 1980, suffrage encompassed virtually the entire Indian and Colored populations. In fact, the Indian population began growing as well, as Indians began leaving Natal and settling in the Eastern Cape to gain political rights. Some South African blacks did the same.

The Democratic Alliance finally lost power to the CAC in 1986, after the longest uninterrupted reign in a modern democratic state with real and fair elections. The Cape continued to be ardently anti-communist, to the level of being a major ally in the Southern Hemisphere for the western powers. The CAC, which always fought for universal suffrage, advocated a amendment to the constitution to allow for universal suffrage. The amendment was passed in 1990 with widespread popularity. In 1989, a referendum was held in South West Africa over the future of the province. Despite the economic and social progress, 50.6% of the population voted for independence, and the Cape granted it independence on March 21, 1990. The 1992 Capetian elections were the first universal suffrage elections. The CAC won a majority, but the DA provided a strong showing - helped by a large number of black candidates and the South African blacks being a lot less uncomfortable with the idea of white members of government. A new wave of white immigration from the former Eastern Bloc in the early 1990’s boosted immigration, and throughout the 2000’s, some South African whites have left South Africa for the Cape, owing to the better run government under the CAC and the Democratic Alliance. The white population tops off at around 5.5 million in 2018 and is still growing.

In the early 2000’s, The Cape became a hub for both the finance and technology industries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although some African countries have been uneasy with the Cape in the past, due to its majority-minority status, the Cape has found many new allies in Namibia, Botswana, and Zambezi. The country was only moderately hit by the 2008 financial crisis and recovered relatively fast. However, the southwestern part of the Cape currently is dealing with a drought which has threatened to leave Cape Town without water.

Politics and government
The Cape is a parliamentary consitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II at its apex as Queen of the Cape. The queen is represented in the Cape by the Governor-General, whom she appoints on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Governor-General can exercise the Crown's prerogative powers, such as reviewing cases of injustice and making appointments of ministers, ambassadors and other key public officials, and in rare situations, the reserve powers (e.g. the power to dissolve Parliament or refuse the Royal Assent of a bill into law). The powers of the Queen and the Governor-General are limited by constitutional constraints and they cannot normally be exercised without the advice of ministers.

The bicameral Parliament of the Cape holds legislative power and consits of the Senate and House of Assembly. The Senate consists of 190 members, ten members from each of the nineteen provinces. The House of Assembly consists of 400 members and is elected every three years by a system of party-list proportional representation. The party with majority support in the House of Assembly forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. In cases where no party has majority support, the Governor-General has the constitutional power to appoint the Prime Minister and, if necessary, dismiss one that has lost the confidence of Parliament.

In the most recent, 2016 election, the Democratic Alliance (DA) won 56% of the vote and 224 seats, while the main opposition, the Cape African Congress (CAC) won 34% of the vote and thus 136 seats. The United Democratic Party (UDP), a center-left political party that broke away from the CAC in 2011, won 8% of the vote and 32 seats. The Democratic Alliance and Cape African Congress have generally been the largest two parties in the Cape since the mid-1980's.

In 2008, The Cape placed 2nd out of 48 sub-Saharan African countries on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance. The Cape scored well in all categories, especially in Rule of Law, Transparency & Corruption, Participation & Human Rights, and Safety & Security.

Foreign Relations
The Cape is unique among African nations as it is the last commonwealth realm in Africa. As such, the Cape has strong ties to other Commonwealth realms such as Australia, Canada, Jarraban, and New Duveland. The Cape is a founding member of the United Nations, as well as one of the founding members of the African Union. Among African Union members, the Cape has the fifth largest economy, as well as the fifth highest GDP per capita. It is also a founding member of the AU's New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

The Cape has played a key role in African conflicts over the past four decades such as in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Comoros, and Zimbabwe. The Cape is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as the Group of 77. The Cape is also a member of the Alliance of Independent Nations, Southern African Development Community, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, Southern African Customs Union, Antarctic Treaty System, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, and the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa.

The Cape has generally been seen as a western-oriented country, highly relying on its relations with European countries, as well as those with the United States, Carolina, and other Commonwealth realms. During the Cold War the country was staunchly anti-communist which was in part due to many of its immigrants coming from Eastern Europe. After the Cold War, the country developed cordial relations with much of the former Soviet-Bloc. Over the last two decades, the Cape has generally resisted Chinese influence within its borders. However, in 2015, South Africa and China invited The Cape to the 2015 FOCAC summit in Johannesburg which was seen as a major turning point in the Cape's foreign policy. Since 2015, the Cape has generally improved its relations with China while continuing to rely on its western allies. The demographics of the Cape have sometimes put it at odds with other African nations, most notably with Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. However, since universal suffrage was enacted most nations have held the Cape as an example of a model for African democracy.

Military
The Cape's armed forces—the Cape Defense Force (CDF)—comprise the Royal Capetian Navy (RCN), Capetian Army, and the Royal Capetian Air Force (RCAA). In total, there are 61,839 personnel (including 39,834 regulars and 22,005 reservists) as of December 2018. The titular role Commander-in-Chief is vested in the Governor-General, who appoints a Cheif of Defense Force from one of the branches of the armed forces on advice of the government. Day-to-day operations are under the command of the Commander-in-Chief while administration policies and defense strategies are under the Ministry of Defense.

In the 2017-2018 budget, defense spending comprised 1.7% of GDP or roughly $6.25 billion. The Cape has the second highest military expenditure in Africa, only behind Algeria. In recent years, the Cape has been involved in operations in Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi among others. The Cape has also sent troops to all three phases of the War in Afganistan

Administrative divisions
Each of the nineteen provinces is governed by a unicameral legislature, which is elected every three years by party-list proportional representation. The legislature elects a Premier as head of government, and the Premier appoints an Executive Council as a provincial cabinet. The powers of provincial governments are limited to topics listed in the Constitution; these topics include such fields as health, education, public housing, and transport.

The provinces are in turn divided into district municipalities as well as three metropolitan municipalities in Cape Town, East London, and Port Elizabeth. District municipalities are further divided into local municipalities. The metropolitan municipalities, which govern the largest urban agglomerations, perform the functions of both district and local municipalities.

Above the provincial government level but lower than the national government level, the Cape has three regions, the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, and Western Cape. These regions group provinces which have similar economies, climates, and demographics. The regions were created by the Cape Regions Act of 1998 in order to bring about more cooperation between similar provinces. Regions have no legislative power and are solely tasked with bringing about further cooperation between provinces within the region. The Premier of each province has the power to appoint two people to the Regional Council with the consent of the provincial parliament. Each regional council meets several times per month at the regional seat, usually the largest city in the region.