Public Services

ASSIGNMENT 02

Course: PUB1601

Unique Number: 600044

Title Page

IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1996, GIVE AN OUTLINE OF BETWEEN 5 – 8 PAGES ON THE POWERS OF THE LEGISLATURE AT THE DIFFERENT SPHERES OF GOVERNMENTS

Contents

1. INTRODUCTION 2

2. THE CATEGORIES OF GOVERNMENT 2

3. POWERS OF THE LEGISLATURE AT DIFFERENT SPHERES OF GOVERNMENT 3

3.1 National Legislative Authority 3

3.2 Provincial Legislative Authority 4

3.3 Local Legislative Authority 5

4. CONCLUSION 6

5. BIBLIOGRAPHY 7

INTRODUCTION

In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, I will be discussing the powers of the legislature at the different spheres of governments. Government authorities are divided in three categories, the Legislative authority, the Executive authority and the Judicial authority. The South African Constitution of 1996 contains a principle called separation of powers. The legislative authority is separated into three divisions, namely National, Provincial and Local (municipality). Legislative power is the authority under the constitution to make laws and to alter or repeal them. I will be discussing the categories of government and explaining the powers of the legislature at the 3 levels of government which are national, provincial and local.

THE CATEGORIES OF GOVERNMENT

The separation of powers in the Constitution means the government functions and powers is split into three branches. These three branches each perform separate functions and are independent of each other. The purpose of this is that they keep a check on each other. It is important to have a separation of powers in democracy, because it prevents government officials from abusing their powers. The three branches are; the Legislature which makes the laws, the Executive which enforces the laws and the Judiciary that interprets the laws. (Planning in all its (Dis)guises: spheres of government, functional areas and...