updates in grey - ajouts en bleu
South Africa's capital is Pretoria so we thought the administration is also over there. We did not know the Parliament is in Cape Town !
As we did in London, we went to a Parlementary session as it is open to the public. You can read that London experience if you go all the way to the end of this blog and click on 2013, then 01/09 - 08/09.
The Legislative branch = the Parliament, consisting of 2 parts, the National Assembly with its 400 members, and the National Council of Provinces formerly the Senate, is based here in Cape Town
The Judicial branch also consists of 2 parts, the Constituional Court in Pretoria and the Supreme Court of Appeal in the city with the lovely name of Bloemfontein (the fountain of flowers)
The Executive branch , the President and his Cabinet, is situated in Pretoria but comes to Cape Town when needed, so it has another subsidiary office here in the Tuynhuis situated in the Company's Garden.
We spent 2 hours watching the members of the National Assembly ask questions to several Deputy Ministers, seated in the Gallery with a great bird view. It is forbidden to take pictures inside. The subjects today were the Social Services. Questions about teachers, water supply in schools, sport for the youth, housing for the poor,...
Obviously there are representatives of several political parties. About 10 were dressed all in red, with red head dresses for the women, making loud comments, laughed once in a while and were rather theatrical. We heard they were representing the Economic Freedom Fighters so, at home, we googled and found out it is a new party created in 2013 only , hence - in our opinion - the non professional ( but pretty funny, actually) behaviour. And the red color because their guidelines are based on marxist leninism.
First party in South Africa is the ANC African National Congress (Mandela's pary) with nearly 60 %, second is the DP (Democratic Party, with most of the whites) with about 20 % and third are the EFF with about 6 %.
Le President et son cabinet resident a Pretoria mais le Parlement se trouve ici au Cap.
Nous avons assiste a une seance car celles-ci sont ouvertes au public. Souvenez-vous, nous avions aussi assiste a une seance a Londres l'an dernier; pour relire ce recit allez a la fin de ce blog et clickez sur 2013, puis 1 septembre.
Le sujet du jour est une session de questions nombreuses autant que variees au sujet des services sociaux.
Une dizaine de representants etant tout de rouge vetus, de la tete aux pieds, faisaient des commentaires en veux-tu en voila, rigolaient de temps en temps, bref, se comportaient comme des gamins lors la recreation. Ils sont membres d'un parti qui a vu le jour il y a seulement un an, les Combattants pour la Liberte Economique qui se veulent marxistes leninistes, d'ou le rouge evidemment. Tous des novices donc, il leur faut un peu de temps pour qu'ils apprennent a se comporter en "professionnels" mais c'etait plutot amusant de les voir. Pour plus de details, voir le paragraphe en anglais (+ onglet "traduction" pour ceux qui preferent)
House of Parliament seen from the Company's Garden
to know everything about it : http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=187
Nous sommes en 1652, la Compagnie des Indes etablit un comptoir et plante un enorme potager afin de pourvoir aux besoins des navires en route vers les Indes. Dans ce potager il y a un batiment qui abrite les nombreux outils, la petite tuynhuys. 30 ans plus tard elle et convertie en maison d'hotes afin d'accueillir les invites du gouverneur Simon van der Stel. Des siecles et de nombreuses restaurations plus tard, elle abrite le president de la republique et ses minstres a chacuns de leurs sejours a Cape Town.
South Africa's capital is Pretoria so we thought the administration is also over there. We did not know the Parliament is in Cape Town !
As we did in London, we went to a Parlementary session as it is open to the public. You can read that London experience if you go all the way to the end of this blog and click on 2013, then 01/09 - 08/09.
The Legislative branch = the Parliament, consisting of 2 parts, the National Assembly with its 400 members, and the National Council of Provinces formerly the Senate, is based here in Cape Town
The Judicial branch also consists of 2 parts, the Constituional Court in Pretoria and the Supreme Court of Appeal in the city with the lovely name of Bloemfontein (the fountain of flowers)
The Executive branch , the President and his Cabinet, is situated in Pretoria but comes to Cape Town when needed, so it has another subsidiary office here in the Tuynhuis situated in the Company's Garden.
We spent 2 hours watching the members of the National Assembly ask questions to several Deputy Ministers, seated in the Gallery with a great bird view. It is forbidden to take pictures inside. The subjects today were the Social Services. Questions about teachers, water supply in schools, sport for the youth, housing for the poor,...
Obviously there are representatives of several political parties. About 10 were dressed all in red, with red head dresses for the women, making loud comments, laughed once in a while and were rather theatrical. We heard they were representing the Economic Freedom Fighters so, at home, we googled and found out it is a new party created in 2013 only , hence - in our opinion - the non professional ( but pretty funny, actually) behaviour. And the red color because their guidelines are based on marxist leninism.
First party in South Africa is the ANC African National Congress (Mandela's pary) with nearly 60 %, second is the DP (Democratic Party, with most of the whites) with about 20 % and third are the EFF with about 6 %.
Le President et son cabinet resident a Pretoria mais le Parlement se trouve ici au Cap.
Nous avons assiste a une seance car celles-ci sont ouvertes au public. Souvenez-vous, nous avions aussi assiste a une seance a Londres l'an dernier; pour relire ce recit allez a la fin de ce blog et clickez sur 2013, puis 1 septembre.
Le sujet du jour est une session de questions nombreuses autant que variees au sujet des services sociaux.
Une dizaine de representants etant tout de rouge vetus, de la tete aux pieds, faisaient des commentaires en veux-tu en voila, rigolaient de temps en temps, bref, se comportaient comme des gamins lors la recreation. Ils sont membres d'un parti qui a vu le jour il y a seulement un an, les Combattants pour la Liberte Economique qui se veulent marxistes leninistes, d'ou le rouge evidemment. Tous des novices donc, il leur faut un peu de temps pour qu'ils apprennent a se comporter en "professionnels" mais c'etait plutot amusant de les voir. Pour plus de details, voir le paragraphe en anglais (+ onglet "traduction" pour ceux qui preferent)
House of Parliament
House of Parliament seen from the Company's Garden
TUYNHUIS = "garden house" = maison de jardin.
to know everything about it : http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/pebble.asp?relid=187
Nous sommes en 1652, la Compagnie des Indes etablit un comptoir et plante un enorme potager afin de pourvoir aux besoins des navires en route vers les Indes. Dans ce potager il y a un batiment qui abrite les nombreux outils, la petite tuynhuys. 30 ans plus tard elle et convertie en maison d'hotes afin d'accueillir les invites du gouverneur Simon van der Stel. Des siecles et de nombreuses restaurations plus tard, elle abrite le president de la republique et ses minstres a chacuns de leurs sejours a Cape Town.
Tuynhuys cote jardin - back of the building seen from the Company's Garden
