The South African Parliament is made up of two chambers; the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. Parliament sits in Cape Town and Parliamentary sittings are open to the public.

The National Assembly consists of 400 members, elected through a system of proportional representation. The Assembly is elected to represent the people and is bound by the Constitution.

The National Council of Provinces represents Provincial interests at the national level. Each province sends ten representatives to the NCOP, and there’s a special rule in place to make sure minority parties are included in the selection.

Bills passed by the Assembly have to be passed to the NCOP for consideration before they can be made law.