All Rights Reserved. The Constitution of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996 was adopted on 10 May 1996 and came into effect on 4 February 1997. God seën Suid-Afrika. Constitutional Court of South Africa,"The history of the Constitution", From: Constitutional Court of South Africa,[Online], Available at: www.constitutionalcourt.org.za,[Accessed at: 18 November 2013]|>. According to the Bill of Rights, as enshrined in the Constitution, every South African citizen has the inalienable right to life, equality, human dignity and privacy. The Interim Constitution was the fundamental law of South Africa from the first non-racial general election on 27 April 1994 until it was superseded by the final constitution on 4 February 1997. The 1910 Constitution granted independence to South Africa from Britain, the 1961 Constitution declared the country a republic, and the 1983 Constitution established a tri-cameral parliament. the genius you don't know even this idiotic fool. On 18 November the Court's second hearing began and on 4 December it certified the final text. Democratic government. The Constitution came into effect on 4 February 1997. Hosi katekisa Afrika. All South Africans were invited to contribute to the process, which led to what is known as the “birth certificate” of the new South Africa and one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, South Africa narrowly evaded civil war and the country’s first democratic elections on 27 April 1994 were largely peaceful, stunning South Africa and the world. The 63-page document was the culmination of 18 months of work by the Constitutional Assembly with Cyril Ramaphosa, secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC), as Chairperson. On 9 May 1994, after the ANC’s successful victory, South Africa’s first democratically elected Parliament met for the first time and the Constitutional Assembly began drafting a new constitution. 3. Nelson Mandela signed the Constitution into law in Sharpeville, in Vereeniging, on 10 December 1996, which is international Human Rights Day. Fraser, R (1995).Kessing's Records of World Events: News Digest for November 1995, Longman: London, p.40809. Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights; Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and. We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to. On 19 September the first consolidated draft of the new Constitution was ready, but the first refined working draft was only published on 22 November 1995. The First Draft of the Constitution is published. 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