Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993/1996-03-29/Chapter 15

Transitional arrangements: Public administration

236. (1) A public service, department of state (including a police force), administration, military force as defined in section 224(2)(a) or (b) or other institution (excluding any local government) which immediately before the commencement of this Constitution performed governmental functions under the control of an authority referred to in section 235(1)(a), (b) or (c), shall, subject to subsection (7), continue to function as such in accordance with the laws applicable to it until it is, as the case may be, abolished or incorporated or integrated into any appropriate institution or is rationalised as contemplated in any other Chapter, consolidated with any other institution or otherwise rationalised as contemplated in section 237, as the case may be: Provided that a military force referred to in this subsection shall not be employed for service referred to in section 227(1)(a), (b) or (e) otherwise than by the President and shall only be used for such service by the authority referred to in section 225 in accordance with section 227(2).

(2) A person who immediately before the commencement of this Constitution was employed by an institution referred to in subsection (1) shall continue in such employment subject to and in accordance with this Constitution and other applicable laws regulating such employment.

(3) Subject to subsections (1) and (2), all powers, directions, orders, instructions or delegations which were in force in respect of an institution which immediately before the commencement of this Constitution performed governmental functions as contemplated in subsection (1) shall, after the said commencement, continue in force for the purpose of the continued functioning within the contemplation of subsection (1) of any such institution, until cancelled or otherwise no longer in force in law.

(4) Subject to this Constitution and subsection (5), the terms and conditions of employment applicable to a person employed by an institution referred to in subsection (1) immediately before the commencement of this Constitution, shall continue to apply to him or her until amended by or under any law, including any law enacted in order to establish uniformity of the terms and conditions of employment in accordance with those generally prevailing at such commencement.

(5) Subject to any law relating to unfitness or incapacity of a person to carry out his or her duties efficiently, the pensionable salary or pensionable salary scale of a person referred to in subsection (2) shall not be reduced below that applicable to such person immediately before the commencement of this Constitution.

(6) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the conclusion or amendment of a contract, the appointment or promotion, or the award of a term or condition of service or other benefit, which occurred between 27 April 1993 and 30 September 1994 in respect of any person employed at any time during the said period by an institution referred to in subsection (1), or any class of such persons, may, at the instance of any interested party, before 31 December 1996 be referred to a commission appointed by the President and presided over by a judge, for review, and if not proper or justifiable in the circumstances of the case, the commission may reverse or alter the contract, appointment, promotion or award before a date to be determined by the Minister for the Public Service and Administration.

(7) (a) At the commencement of this Constitution the South African Police existing in terms of the Police Act, 1958 (Act No. 7 of 1958), and all other police forces established by law shall be deemed to constitute the South African Police Service referred to in section 214, and any reference to the South African Police or any such force in the said Act or law shall be deemed to be a reference to the said Service.

(b) Any reference in any law to the South African Police or any other police force (excluding a municipal police service) shall, unless the context indicates otherwise, be construed as a reference to the said South African Police Service.

(8) (a) The South African National Defence Force referred to in section 224 shall, subject to this Constitution and any Act of Parliament, mutatis mutandis be governed by the Defence Act, 1957 (Act No. 44 of 1957).

(b) Any reference in any law to a defence force referred to in section 224(2)(a) or (b), shall be deemed to be a reference to the South African National Defence Force.

(c) If the number of the members of the South African National Defence Force exceeds the personnel strength determined in respect of the force design and structure for the Force, any member of the Force who, due to integration, consolidation and rationalisation of the South African National Defence Force is not accommodated in such force design and structure, shall be dealt with in accordance with a law.

(d) The continuance of membership of members of the South African National Defence Force referred to in section 224(2)(c) shall be subject to such members entering into an agreement for temporary or permanent appointment with the South African National Defence Force within a reasonable time: Provided that such agreements shall be in accordance with normal employment policies and terms and conditions of service.

Transitional arrangements: Local government

245. (1) Local government shall not be restructured otherwise than in terms of the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act No. 209 of 1993), in respect of any area in which members of a district council, a metropolitan substructure, a transitional council, a transitional representative council or a transitional rural council as contemplated in the Local Government Transition Act, 1993, have not been elected in terms of that Act.

(2) Restructuring of local government which takes place as a result of legislation enacted by a competent authority after an election contemplated in subsection (1) shall be effected in accordance with the principles embodied in Chapter 10 and the Constitution as a whole.

(3) (a) For the purposes of the first election of members of a transitional local council or a transitional metropolitan substructure as referred to in the Local Government Transition Act, 1993, after the commencement of this Constitution, the area of jurisdiction of such transitional local council and transitional metropolitan substructure shall be divided into wards in accordance with that Act.

(b) Forty per cent of the members of a transitional local council and a transitional metropolitan substructure shall be elected according to the system of proportional representation applicable to an election of the National Assembly and regulated specifically by or under the Local Government Transition Act, 1993, and sixty per cent of the members shall be elected to represent wards as contemplated in paragraph (a): Provided that—

if such wards are represented by more than one member, all such wards shall be represented by the same number of members; and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Constitution, where the area of jurisdiction of the transitional local council or transitional metropolitan substructure includes—

the area of jurisdiction of any institution or body as was referred to in section 84(1)(f) of the Provincial Government Act, 1961 (Act No. 32 of 1961); and any other area not falling within the area of jurisdiction of the institution or body referred to in item (aa),

no area referred to in items (aa) or (bb) shall be allocated less than half of the total number of wards of the transitional local council or transitional metropolitan substructure concerned: Provided further that an area referred to in item (aa) shall be deemed not to include any area for which a local government body referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of the definition of “local government body” in section 1(1) of the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (as that Act exists at the commencement of this Constitution), has been established.

(4) Until a period of not less than three years has elapsed from the date on which the members of a district council, a metropolitan substructure, a transitional council, a transitional representative council or a transitional rural council as contemplated in the Local Government Transition Act, 1993, have been elected in terms of that Act, such council or substructure, as the case may be, shall not be disestablished and no change shall be made to the powers, area of jurisdiction, wards or number of seats thereof except in accordance with an Act of Parliament further regulating the local government transition process or by way of proclamation in the Provincial Gazette by the Premier of a province acting in consultation with the Minister for Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development.