Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | South AfricaReviewed | VanuatuReviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Mixed: Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, customary law | Mixed common, civil and customary law |
| System of government | Parliamentary republic | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 | Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu |
| In force since | 1996 | 1980 |
| Capital | Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial) | Port Vila |
| Official languages | isiZulu, English, Afrikaans, +9 official languages | Bislama, English, French |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | Vanuatu vatu (VUV) |
| Population | 61,000,000 | 330,000 |
| Division of powers | Parliamentary executive with strong constitutional supremacy; the Constitutional Court may declare conduct of any branch invalid. | Unitary with decentralised administration. Six provinces — Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea and Torba — have councils under the Decentralisation Act with delegated functions. Custom land management is decentralised much further, to area-level Custom Land Tribunals and nakamal-based decision-making under the Custom Land Management Act 2013. |
| How law is made | Bills are tagged by subject matter, pass the National Assembly and, where provinces are affected, the NCOP, before presidential assent; the President may refer a bill to the Constitutional Court. | Bills are read three times in the single chamber and assented to by the President, who may refer a bill to the Supreme Court if he considers it inconsistent with the Constitution. Ordinary bills need a simple majority of members present, with a quorum of two-thirds. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of all members; if the amendment touches the status of Bislama, English or French, land, or the republican form of the state, it must also be approved at a national referendum. |
| Legal profession | The Legal Practice Act 2014 unified regulation under the Legal Practice Council, retaining the attorney and advocate distinction. | A fused profession regulated by the Legal Practitioners Act: practitioners are admitted by the Chief Justice and licensed by the Law Council. The University of the South Pacific's law school is in Port Vila, so many Pacific lawyers train in Vanuatu. Practitioners may need to work in Bislama, English or French depending on the client and the court file, and the Public Solicitor is a constitutional office rather than a discretionary aid scheme. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.