Constitution of South Africa: Difference between revisions
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The '''Constitution of South Africa''' is the principal governing document of the [[South Africa|Republic of South Africa]]. The current South African constitution has been in effect since | The '''Constitution of South Africa''' is the principal governing document of the [[South Africa|Republic of South Africa]]. The current South African constitution was approved on December 4, 1996 and has been in effect since February 4, 1997, when it superceded the interim constitution that had been put in place to ease the mid-1990s transtion from [[apartheid]] to multiracial [[democracy]]. | ||
==Precursors== | ==Precursors== | ||
Revision as of 09:47, 11 July 2009
The Constitution of South Africa is the principal governing document of the Republic of South Africa. The current South African constitution was approved on December 4, 1996 and has been in effect since February 4, 1997, when it superceded the interim constitution that had been put in place to ease the mid-1990s transtion from apartheid to multiracial democracy.
Precursors
The current constitution is the fifth since South Africa's 1910 founding and the second since its democratization during the 1990s.
Union constitution
The constitution of the Union of South Africa was in force from 1910 until 1961.
First republican constitution
A 1960 referendum resulted in South Africa's transition from a dominion of the British Empire to an independent republic, which brought with it the ratification of a new constitution that took effect on May 31, 1961.
Second republican constitution
The constitution of 1961 was superceded by the constitution of 1983, which sought to reform the South African political system through the creation of a tricameral parliament and a powerful State Presidency.
Interim constitution
An interim constitution was in effect from 1994 until 1996.
Contents
In its original form, the South African constitution included a preamble, fourteen chapters, and seven schedules. Since 1996, it has been amended thirteen times.