| Short Title: | Citation of Constitutional Laws Act, 2005 |
| Long Title: | Act to change the manner of referring to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and to laws amending it; to substitute the short titles of laws amending the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996; and to provide for matters connected therewith. |
| Citation: | Act No. 5 of 2005 |
| Enacted By: | Parliament of South Africa |
| Date Assented: | 23 June 2005 |
| Date Commenced: | 27 June 2005 |
| Bill: | Citation of Constitutional Laws Bill |
| Bill Citation: | B5—2005 |
| Bill Date: | 10 February 2005 |
| Introduced By: | Brigitte Mabandla, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development |
| Status: | in force |
The Citation of Constitutional Laws Act, 2005 (Act No. 5 of 2005) is an act of the Parliament of South Africa which altered the way in which the Constitution and its amendments are numbered and referred to.
An ordinary act of Parliament is referred to by the year in which it is passed and an identifying number within that year; the identifying number is allocated by the Presidency when the act is signed by the President.[1] The Constitution was originally numbered as "Act No. 108 of 1996". Various jurists, including Chief Justice Arthur Chaskalson, expressed the opinion that the Constitution should not be treated as an ordinary act of Parliament, because it was enacted by the Constitutional Assembly rather than by Parliament and because it was supreme over all other law.[2] The Citation of Constitutional Laws Act put this suggestion into effect, removing the Constitution's act number and determining that it was to be referred to only by its title, "Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996".
The act also dealt similarly with the eleven (at the time) acts amending the constitution. They had originally been given titles of the form "Constitution of the Republic of South Africa [Second] Amendment Act, [year]" and act numbers in the ordinary sequence. The Citation Act removed their act numbers, and retitled them in a single chronological sequence. The following table makes it clear:
| Old act no. | Old title | New title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 of 1997 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 1997 | Constitution First Amendment Act of 1997 | |
| 65 of 1998 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 1998 | Constitution Second Amendment Act of 1998 | |
| 87 of 1998 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Second Amendment Act, 1998 | Constitution Third Amendment Act of 1998 | |
| 3 of 1999 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 1999 | Constitution Fourth Amendment Act of 1999 | |
| 2 of 1999 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Second Amendment Act, 1999 | Constitution Fifth Amendment Act of 1999 | |
| 34 of 2001 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 2001 | Constitution Sixth Amendment Act of 2001 | |
| 61 of 2001 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Second Amendment Act, 2001 | Constitution Seventh Amendment Act of 2001 | |
| 18 of 2002 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 2002 | Constitution Eighth Amendment Act of 2002 | |
| 21 of 2002 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Second Amendment Act, 2002 | Constitution Ninth Amendment Act of 2002 | |
| 2 of 2003 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Amendment Act, 2003 | Constitution Tenth Amendment Act of 2003 | |
| 3 of 2003 | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Second Amendment Act, 2003 | Constitution Eleventh Amendment Act of 2003 |