...The South African Constitution of 1996 created a government structure with three distinct but inter\01dependent spheres of government: the national government; nine provinces; and 283 municipalities. The national government has exclusive responsibility for several functions that affect the country as a whole and/or require uniformity, such as safety and security, foreign affairs, defence and home affairs. It also develops p olicies that guide service delivery at the provincial o r local level, such as education, health care, transport, infrastructure development and power and water supply. ...