<P> No one government in the Commonwealth exercises power over the others, as is the case in a political union . Rather, the Commonwealth is an international organisation in which countries with diverse social, political, and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status, and cooperate within a framework of common values and goals, as outlined in the Singapore Declaration issued in 1971 . Such common values and goals include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism, and world peace, which are promoted through multilateral projects and meetings, such as the Commonwealth Games, held once every four years . </P> <P> The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II, who serves as the Head of the Commonwealth . This position, however, does not imbue her with any political or executive power over any Commonwealth member states; the position is purely symbolic, and it is the Commonwealth Secretary - General who is the chief executive of the Commonwealth . </P> <P> The Commonwealth was first officially formed in 1931 when the Statute of Westminster gave legal recognition to the sovereignty of dominions . Known as the "British Commonwealth", the original members were the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Irish Free State, and Newfoundland, although Australia and New Zealand did not adopt the statute until 1942 and 1947 respectively . In 1949, the London Declaration was signed and marked the birth of the modern Commonwealth and the adoption of its present name . The newest member is Rwanda, which joined on 29 November 2009 . The most recent departure was the Maldives, which severed its connection with the Commonwealth on 13 October 2016 . </P> <P> As at April 2017, of the states that are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, three are in Europe, twelve in North America and the Caribbean, one in South America, nineteen in Africa, seven in Asia, and eleven in Oceania . There are seven former members, four of which no longer exist as independent entities (but form part of current member states). The members have a combined population of 2.4 billion, almost a third of the world population, of whom 1.21 billion live in India, and 95% live in Asia and Africa combined . </P>

When did south africa became a member of the commonwealth