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South Africa

Republic of South Africa

Mixed: Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, customary lawParliamentary republicReviewed· 2026-05-08
Capital
Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
Population
61,000,000
Languages
isiZulu, English
Currency
ZAR

South Africa · Constitution

Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996

Widely regarded as a model transformative constitution. Chapter 2 contains a Bill of Rights that includes justiciable socio-economic rights, and Chapter 9 creates independent watchdog institutions.

The constitutional text

Widely regarded as a model transformative constitution. Chapter 2 contains a Bill of Rights that includes justiciable socio-economic rights, and Chapter 9 creates independent watchdog institutions.

Separation of powers

Parliamentary executive with strong constitutional supremacy; the Constitutional Court may declare conduct of any branch invalid.

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