# Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 1994

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The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 1994 (Act No. 2 of 1994) is an Act of the Parliament of South Africa amending the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993. It was promulgated on 3 March 1994 and came into effect on 27 April 1994 simultaneously with the Constitution itself. It made several changes to the Constitution:
* Renaming Natal province to KwaZulu/Natal.
* Modifying the relative powers of the national Parliament and the provincial legislatures, particularly related to financial matters.
* Establishing a "Volkstaat Council" to investigate the creation of a Volkstaat (an autonomous homeland for Afrikaners).
* Determining that separate ballot papers should be used for elections to the national Parliament and the provincial legislatures.
This act was repealed, along with the 1993 Constitution, when the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 came into force on 4 February 1997.
Note that [words in bold type in square brackets] indicate omissions from existing enactments, while words underlined with a solid line indicate insertions in existing enactments.
Act
To amend the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993, so as to change the name of the province of Natal to “KwaZulu/Natal”; to extend the legislative powers of provincial legislatures; to further regulate the financial and fiscal affairs of the provinces to ensure greater provincial powers; to provide that provinces may adopt constitutions in terms of which legislative and executive structures and procedures may differ from those provided for in the Constitution; to provide for the establishment of a Volkstaat Council and to set out its functions; to make provision for separate ballot papers in respect of the election for the National Assembly and for the provincial legislatures; to provide for the entrenchment of the boundaries and the powers and functions of the provinces; and to authorise constitutional provision for communities sharing a common cultural and language heritage to exercise a form of self-determination; and to provide for matters in connection therewith.
(English text signed by the State President.) (Assented to 2 March 1994.)
Be it enacted by the State President and the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, as follows:—
Amendment of section 124 of Act 200 of 1993
1. Section 124 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act), is hereby amended by the substitution for the name “Natal”, wherever it occurs, of the name “KwaZulu/Natal”.
Amendment of section 126 of Act 200 of 1993
2. Section 126 of the principal Act is hereby amended—
(a)
“(1) A provincial legislature shall be competent, subject to subsections (3) and (4), [have concurrent competence with Parliament] to make laws for the province with regard to all matters which fall within the functional areas specified in Schedule 6.”;
(b)
“(2A) Parliament shall be competent, subject to subsections (3) and (4), to make laws with regard to matters referred to in subsections (1) and (2).”; and
(c)
“(3) [An Act of Parliament which deals with a matter referred to ​in subsection (1) or (2) shall prevail over a provincial law inconsistent therewith, only to the extent that] A law passed by a provincial legislature in terms of this Constitution shall prevail over an Act of Parliament which deals with a matter referred to in subsection (1) or (2) except in so far as—
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Amendment of section 155 of Act 200 of 1993
3. Section 155 of the principal Act is hereby amended—
(a)
“(2) The equitable share of revenue referred to in subsection (1) shall consist of—
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
[(c)](e)
(b)
“(2A) Sections 59(2) and 60 shall not apply to an Act referred to in subsection (2), and such an Act shall be passed by the National Assembly and the Senate sitting separately.”;
(c)
“(3) The percentages referred to in [subsection (2)(a) and (b)] paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection (2), and the conditions referred to in paragraph (e) of that subsection, shall be fixed reasonably in respect of the different provinces after taking into account the national interest and recommendations of the Financial and Fiscal Commission, and all transfers to the provinces shall be effected expeditiously and without any deduction therefrom.”;
(d)
(e)
​Amendment of section 156 of Act 200 of 1993
4. Section 156 of the principal Act is hereby amended—
(a)
“(1) A [province may levy taxes, surcharges or levies other than of a kind referred to in section 155(2)(a) or (b)] provincial legislature shall be competent to raise taxes, levies and duties, other than income tax or value-added or other sales tax, and to impose surcharges on taxes, provided that—”;
(b)
“(1A) Sections 59(2) and 60 shall not apply to an Act referred to in subsection (1), and such an Act shall be passed by the National Assembly and the Senate sitting separately.
(1B) A provincial legislature shall notwithstanding subsection (1) have exclusive competence within its province to impose taxes, levies and duties (excluding income tax or value-added or other sales tax) on—
(a)
(b)
(c)
(c)
“Provided that—
(a)
(b)
Amendment of section 157 of Act 200 of 1993
5. Section 157 of the principal Act is hereby amended—
(a)
“(b)
(b)
“(1A) Sections 59(2) and 60 shall not apply to an Act referred to in subsection (1)(b), and such an Act shall be passed by the National Assembly and the Senate sitting separately.”;
(c)
“(2) Loans referred to in subsection (1)(a) may be raised for bridging finance during a fiscal year, subject to the condition that they shall be redeemed [in that same fiscal year] within 12 months and subject to such further, reasonable conditions as may be prescribed by an Act of Parliament passed after recommendations ​of the Financial and Fiscal Commission relating to the draft text of any such Act have been submitted to and considered by Parliament.”; and
(d)
Substitution of section 158 of Act 200 of 1993
6. The following section is hereby substituted for section 158 of the principal Act:
“Financial allocations by national government
158. [Revenue] Financial allocations [made] by the national government—
(a)
(b)
Amendment of section 159 of Act 200 of 1993
7. Section 159 of the principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution for subsection (1) of the following subsection:
“(1) There is hereby established in the administration of each province a Provincial Revenue Fund, into which shall be paid all revenue [raised] collected by or accruing to the provincial government, and all financial allocations referred to in section 158 made by the national government to such a provincial government and to local governments within the province of such a provincial government.”.
Amendment of section 160 of Act 200 of 1993
8. Section 160 of the principal Act is hereby amended—
(a)
“(3) A provincial constitution shall not be inconsistent with [(a)] a provision of this Constitution, including [this Chapter and] the Constitutional Principles set out in Schedule 4 [and]: Provided that a provincial constitution may provide for legislative and executive structures and procedures different from those provided for in this Constitution in respect of a province.
[(b) a provision of the new constitutional text].”; and
(b)
“(4) The text of a provincial constitution passed by a provincial legislature, or any provision thereof, shall be of no force and effect unless the Constitutional Court has certified that none of its provisions is inconsistent with a provision referred to in subsection (3)[(a)], subject to the proviso to that subsection [and if the new constitutional text is then already passed, also with a provision of the new constitutional text].”.
Insertion of Chapter 11A in Act 200 of 1993
9. The following Chapter is hereby inserted in the principal Act after section 184:
“Chapter 11A
Volkstaat Council
Provision for establishment of Volkstaat Council
184A. (1) The establishment of a Volkstaat Council is hereby authorised.
(2) The Council shall consist of 20 members elected by members of Parliament who support the establishment of a Volkstaat for those who want it.
(3) The Council shall conduct its affairs according to rules made by the Council.
Functions of Council
184B. (1) The Council shall serve as a constitutional mechanism to enable proponents of the idea of a Volkstaat to constitutionally pursue the establishment of such a Volkstaat, and shall for this purpose be competent—
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(2) The procedures to be followed by the Council in the performance of its functions under subsection (1), shall be prescribed by an Act of Parliament.
(3) The procedures provided for in this Constitution with regard to the finalisation of provincial boundaries, shall not be construed as precluding the establishment of such a Volkstaat, and in the event of the acceptance of the concept of a Volkstaat, alternative provision shall be made by an Act of Parliament for the finalisation of the boundaries of any affected province or provinces.”.
Amendment of section 249 of Act 200 of 1993
10. (1) Section 249 of the principal Act is hereby amended by the substitution for subsections (1) and (2) of the following subsections, respectively:
“(1) Notwithstanding the fact that Chapter 4 may not yet be in force, the State President may, by proclamation in the Gazette, call an election in terms of the Electoral Act, 1993, for the election of the members of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures.
(2) Such election shall be conducted in accordance with Schedule 2 and the Electoral Act, 1993, as amended by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 1994, and the Electoral Amendment Act, 1994, respectively.”.
(2) Subsection (1) shall be deemed to have come into operation on the date of commencement of section 249 of the principal Act.
Amendment of Schedule 1 to Act 200 of 1993
11. Schedule 1 to the principal Act is hereby amended—
(a)
(b)
“(d)
Amendment of Schedule 2 to Act 200 of 1993
12. Schedule 2 to the principal Act is hereby amended—
(a)
(b)
“Ballot papers
15. There shall be separate ballot papers for the election of members of the National Assembly and of members of the provincial legislatures.”; and
(c)
“‘votes’ means—
(a)
(b)
(c)
Amendment of Schedule 4 to Act 200 of 1993
13. Schedule 4 to the principal Act is hereby amended—
(a)
“XVIII
1. The powers [boundaries] and functions of the national government and provincial governments and the boundaries of the provinces shall be defined in the Constitution.
2. The powers and functions of the provinces defined in the Constitution, including the competence of a provincial legislature to adopt a constitution for its province, shall not be substantially less than or substantially inferior to those provided for in this Constitution.
3. The boundaries of the provinces shall be the same as those established in terms of this Constitution.
4. Amendments to the Constitution which alter the powers, boundaries, functions or institutions of provinces shall in addition to any other procedures specified in the Constitution for constitutional amendments, require the approval of a special majority of the legislatures of the provinces, alternatively, if there is such a chamber, a two-thirds majority of a chamber of Parliament composed of provincial representatives, and if the amendment concerns specific provinces only, the approval of the legislatures of such provinces will also be needed.
5. Provision shall be made for obtaining the views of a provincial ​legislature concerning all constitutional amendments regarding its powers, boundaries and functions.”; and
(b)
“XXXIV
1. This Schedule and the recognition therein of the right of the South African people as a whole to self-determination, shall not be construed as precluding, within the framework of the said right, constitutional provision for a notion of the right to self-determination by any community sharing a common cultural and language heritage, whether in a territorial entity within the Republic or in any other recognised way.
2. The Constitution may give expression to any particular form of self-determination provided there is substantial proven support within the community concerned for such a form of self-determination.
3. If a territorial entity referred to in paragraph 1 is established in terms of this Constitution before the new constitutional text is adopted, the new Constitution shall entrench the continuation of such territorial entity, including its structures, powers and functions.”.
Substitution of Schedule 6 to Act 200 of 1993
14. The following Schedule is hereby substituted for Schedule 6 to the principal Act:
“Schedule 6
Legislative Competences of Provinces
Agriculture
Abbatoirs
Airports, other than international and national airports
Animal control and diseases
Casinos, racing, gambling and wagering
Consumer protection
Cultural affairs
Education at all levels, excluding university and technikon education
Environment
Health services
Housing
Indigenous law and customary law
Language policy and the regulation of the use of official languages within a province, subject to section 3
Local government, subject to the provisions of Chapter 10
Markets and pounds
Nature conservation, excluding national parks, national botanical gardens and marine resources
Police, subject to the provisions of Chapter 14
Provincial public media
Provincial sport and recreation
Public transport
Regional planning and development
Road traffic regulation
Roads
Soil conservation
Tourism
Trade and industrial promotion
Traditional authorities
Urban and rural development
Welfare services”.
​Prevalence of English text of Constitution
15. Notwithstanding the fact that the Afrikaans text of the principal Act is the signed text, the English text of that Act shall, for the purposes of its interpretation, prevail as if it were the signed text.
Short title and commencement
16. (1) This Act shall be called the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 1994, and shall, subject to subsection (2), come into operation on 27 April 1994.
(2) Section 251(2) and (3) of the principal Act shall apply mutatis mutandis to a provision of this Act.
This work is in the public domain because it was created and first published in South Africa and it is an official text of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, or an official translation of such a text.
According to the Copyright Act, 1978, § 12 (8) (a), "No copyright shall subsist in official texts of a legislative, administrative or legal nature, or in official translations of such texts."
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