18.1 Outline of South Africa’s legal environment

18.1.1 Constitutional structure

South Africa is a constitutional democracy. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 108 of 1996, which was promulgated on 18 December 1996 and took effect on 4 February 1997, establishes South Africa as a sovereign, democratic state1 founded on the core values of human dignity and equality,2 non-racialism and non-sexism,3 the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law,4 and universal adult suffrage.5