South AfricaZA

Article 211 of the Constitution of South Africa

Article
211
Chapter
CHAPTER 12 — TRADITIONAL LEADERS
Index row title
(1) The institution, status and role of traditional leadership, according to customary law, are recognised, subject to the Constitution.
Source document
The South Africa Constitution
Provision ID
4c2bb294-6ebb-4391-a5ce-52545f68910a

61 words

Verbatim text

(2) A traditional authority that observes a system of customary law may function subject to any applicable legislation and customs, which includes amendments to, or repeal of, that legislation or those customs. (3) The courts must apply customary law when that law is applicable, subject to the Constitution and any legislation that specifically deals with customary law. Role of traditional leaders

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 211 of the Constitution of South Africa.
  • The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER 12 — TRADITIONAL LEADERS”.
  • The passage runs to about 61 words.

The row’s stored title is a body fragment, not a heading (“(1) The institution, status and role of traditional leadership, according to customary law, are recognised, subject to the Constitution.”), 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.

No rights vocabulary from our fixed word list appears in this passage, so no plain-language reading is offered for it.

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 211, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/4c2bb294-6ebb-4391-a5ce-52545f68910a (accessed 25 October 2026).

Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/4c2bb294-6ebb-4391-a5ce-52545f68910a

Accessed 25 October 2026.

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