December 10: On This Day in World History … briefly
Since its adoption, the Constitution has been amended seventeen times.
1996: New Constitution of South Africa promulgated by Nelson Mandela
The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, it sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the Government. The current constitution, the country’s fifth, was drawn up by the Parliament elected in 1994 in the South African general election, 1994. It was promulgated by President Nelson Mandela and replaced the Interim Constitution of 1993.
Since 1996, the Constitution has been amended by seventeen amendment acts. The Constitution is formally entitled the ‘Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.’ It was previously also numbered as if it were an Act of Parliament – Act No. 108 of 1996—but, since the passage of the Citation of Constitutional Laws Act, neither it nor the acts amending it are allocated act numbers.
The Constitution was signed by President Mandela on 10 December and officially published in the Government Gazette on 18 December. It did not come into force immediately; it was brought into operation on 4 February 1997, by a presidential proclamation, except for some financial provisions which were delayed until 1 January 1998.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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