South AfricaZA

Article 205 of the Constitution of South Africa

Article
205
Chapter
CHAPTER 11 — SECURITY SERVICES
Index row title
(1) The national police service must be structured to function in the national, provincial
Source document
The South Africa Constitution
Provision ID
3425e6ef-4dfa-4a04-8cbc-d85e5259b537

82 words

Verbatim text

and, where appropriate, local spheres of government. (2) National legislation must establish the powers and functions of the police service and must enable the police service to discharge its responsibilities effectively, taking into account the requirements of the provinces. (3) The objects of the police service are to prevent, combat and investigate crime, to maintain public order, to protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property, and to uphold and enforce the law. Chapter 11: Security Services 106Political responsibility

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 205 of the Constitution of South Africa.
  • The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER 11 — SECURITY SERVICES”.
  • The passage runs to about 82 words.
  • Read plainly, it mentions property — it addresses property, possession, or taking property compulsorily (the words used: “property”); it mentions police powers — it sets out what the police or other security services may do (the words used: “police”).

The row’s stored title is a body fragment, not a heading (“(1) The national police service must be structured to function in the national, provincial”), so it is not used as the provision’s title here.

The index gives this passage an article number but stores a body fragment where a heading would be, so the number could not be cross-checked against the text. Check it against the official Constitution before relying on it in a citation.

This is a mechanical reading aid generated from the text above by matching words in it. It is not legal advice, not a lawyer’s interpretation, and not a substitute for the provision itself.

How to cite this

Constitution of South Africa, article 205, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/3425e6ef-4dfa-4a04-8cbc-d85e5259b537 (accessed 25 October 2026).

Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/3425e6ef-4dfa-4a04-8cbc-d85e5259b537

Accessed 25 October 2026.

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