South Africa and the United States of America…! In standard foreign policy speak, our two countries have enjoyed strong bilateral relations for many years (relations sometimes strained by issues such as chickens - that’s a very important issue though). As a sign of these strong relations, soon after his inauguration, President Donald J. Trump made a call to our President Jacob G. Zuma. This call was his second to an African leader - his first was to President Buhari of Nigeria. I must admit, first would have been better, but second is not too bad. These strong relations are based on a wide range of common interest, but we also share a great deal of differences with one of our largest trading partners.
The first difference that is worth looking at is the differing systems of government. The United States’ system of government is characteristic of a federal republic system. How this works is that governing power is spread between the national or federal government (the executive branch is headed by the President) and the state governments (the executive branch is headed by a Governor). In contrast, South Africa is a constitutional democracy with characteristics of both a federal state and a unitary state system. This mix or quasi-federal state allows for co-operative governance, as set out in the Constitution - this setup gives the impression of co-ordination between the national government, the provinces and the local government - and is not just a mere spreading of power.
Lastly, an issue that would interest most citizens in both countries, that is the period of presidential terms. In the United States the President is in office for exactly 4 years (maximum of two - the incumbent has recently started his first term) and in South Africa the presidential term is 5 years (maximum of two - the incumbent is halfway through his second term).
On other issues, such culture and lifestyle it is difficult to compare the two countries, largely due to the large population of the United States and the division into 50 states and the large powers that these states hold. This results in different cultural norms and lifestyle choices. However, a few things remain common. All citizens tend to (or are expected to) exhibit a great deal of patriotism and upholding the core values of the United States. These values can be said to be equality, freedom, individualism, free enterprise, etc. It is also difficult to establish common cultural norms and lifestyle habits of South Africans, for reasons listed above. However, diversity is something (all) South Africans pride themselves in. In 2016, the Constitutional Court held in the case of Tshwane Municipality v Afriforum that Ubuntu is a philosophy that all South Africans (including institutions) should live by (a remark that is highly debated in academic circles).
On issues of commonality, there is much that we have in common. From a foreign policy perspective, both nations profess that democracy and human rights are at the core of its foreign policy - it is up for debate whether that translates into practice.
On government, in both countries every sphere (South Africa) and tier or level (US) of government is divided into three branches: the executive (the President and his cabinet), the legislature (Parliament/Congress) and the Judiciary (The Constitutional Court is the highest court in South Africa and the Supreme Court is the highest in the United States).
At present, both South Africa and the United States’ are experiencing challenging times politically (some would argue exciting). I am hopeful that in both instances, that the Constitutions, the political institutions, and the will of the people will always prevail.