4 February 1997
1996 Constitution comes into force
South Africa's final Constitution came into force in February 1997.
View in timelineSouth Africa's final Constitution came into force on 4 February 1997, replacing the interim constitutional framework used during the transition. It established constitutional supremacy, an enforceable Bill of Rights, an independent Constitutional Court and institutions intended to support accountable democratic government.
Significance
The Constitution became the legal foundation of post-apartheid South Africa, even though its formal rights had to be implemented within a society still marked by severe economic and spatial inequality.
Significance
The final constitutional order replaced the interim constitutional framework and became the supreme law.
Why it matters
The final constitutional order replaced the interim constitutional framework and became the supreme law, entrenching enforceable rights, constitutional supremacy and independent institutions.
Perspective notes
The Constitution translated the negotiated transition into a legal order that promised equal citizenship and judicial remedies. Its formal guarantees did not immediately resolve poverty, land inequality or the institutional legacy of apartheid.