Page:Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1993 from Government Gazette.djvu/3

4   No. 15466

In humble submission to Almighty God,

We, the people of South Africa declare that—

WHEREAS there is a need to create a new order in which all South Africans will be entitled to a common South African citizenship in a sovereign and democratic constitutional state in which there is equality between men and women and people of all races so that all citizens shall be able to enjoy and exercise their fundamental rights and freedoms;

AND WHEREAS in order to secure the achievement of this goal, elected representatives of all the people of South Africa should be mandated to adopt a new Constitution in accordance with a solemn pact recorded as Constitutional Principles;

AND WHEREAS it is necessary for such purposes that provision should be made for the promotion of national unity and the restructuring and continued governance of South Africa while an elected Constitutional Assembly draws up a final Constitution;

(Afrikaans text signed by the State President.) (Assented to 25 January 1994.)

OW THEREFORE the following provisions are adopted as the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa:

CHAPTER 1

Constituent and Formal Provisions

Republic of South Africa

1. (1) The Republic of South Africa shall be one, sovereign state.

(2) The national territory of the Republic shall comprise the areas defined in Part 1 of Schedule 1.

National symbols

2. (1) The national flag of the Republic shall be the flag the design of which is determined by the President by proclamation in the Gazette.

(2) The national anthem of the Republic shall be as determined by the President by proclamation in the Gazette.

(3) The coat of arms of the Republic and the seal of the Republic under the previous Constitution shall be the national coat of arms of the Republic and the seal of the Republic under this Constitution.

Languages

3. (1) Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, Sesotho sa Leboa, Sesotho, siSwati, Xitsonga, Setswana, Tshivenda, isiXhosa and isiZulu shall be the official South African languages at national level, and conditions shall be created for their development and for the promotion of their equal use and enjoyment.

(2) Rights relating to language and the status of languages existing at the commencement of this Constitution shall not be diminished, and provision shall be made by an Act of Parliament for rights relating to language and the status of languages existing only at regional level, to be extended nationally in accordance with the principles set out in subsection (9).