Understanding the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa forms part of Juta’s Pocket Companions series, which complements Juta’s highly successful Pocket Statutes series. This title is an ideal companion to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.\

The provisions of the Constitution are set out in broad and general terms, and one needs to read the provisions together with the relevant constitutional judgments in order to properly understand what they mean. This is not always an easy task, because of the vast number of constitutional judgments that have been handed down, the legalistic language in which they are written, and the technical issues they often address.

The purpose of Understanding the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, therefore, is to promote a deeper understanding of the Constitution by discussing some of its most important provisions in light of the constitutional judgments handed down by the courts, and especially by the Constitutional Court.

The book is not aimed primarily at legal practitioners or law students, but is intended for anyone who would like to know more about the Constitution.

• Introduction and principles of government
  - General
  - The basic principles
  - The principle of co-operative government

• Parliament
  - Introduction
  - The National Assembly
  - The National Council of Provinces
  - Internal procedures, privileges and public participation
  - Legislative authority
  - Legislative procedures

• The President and the National Executive
  - Introduction
  - The office of the President
  - The powers and functions of the President
  - The Cabinet
  - National intervention in provincial and local government

• Provinces
  - Introduction
  - Provincial legislatures
  - Provincial executives
  - Provincial intervention in local government
  - Conflict of laws

• Local government
  - Introduction
  - The composition and election of municipal councils
  - The powers of local government
  - National and provincial supervision of local government

• The courts and the administration of justice
  - Introduction and the principle of judicial independence
  - The jurisdiction and structure of the courts
  - The appointment and removal of judicial officers
  - The Judicial Service Commission
  - The National Prosecuting Authority

• State institutions supporting constitutional democracy (Chapter Nine institutions)

• The Bill of Rights
  - Introduction
  - The application stage
  - The interpretation and limitation stage
  - The remedies stage
  - The substantive sections

• General public
• Law students