South Africa is a parliamentary representative democratic republic, which means that the people of South Africa elect representatives to form a government and make decisions on their behalf. The government is divided into three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws of the country, and it is headed by the President, who is the head of state and government. The legislative branch, which is responsible for making the laws, is made up of two houses: the National Assembly, which is the lower house, and the National Council of Provinces, which is the upper house. The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the laws and consists of the courts, including the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the land.