South AfricaZA

Article 3 of the Constitution of South Africa

Article
3
Chapter
CHAPTER 1 — FOUNDING PROVISIONS
Index row title
(1) There is a common South African citizenship.
Source document
The South Africa Constitution
Provision ID
5a4cea03-6624-4145-8951-5f31c9b79249

41 words

Verbatim text

(2) All citizens are— (a) equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship; and (b) equally subject to the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. (3) National legislation must provide for the acquisition, loss and restoration of citizenship. National anthem

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 3 of the Constitution of South Africa.
  • The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER 1 — FOUNDING PROVISIONS”.
  • The passage runs to about 41 words.
  • Read plainly, it mentions equality and non-discrimination — it requires equal treatment or forbids discrimination (the words used: “equally”).

The row’s stored title is a body fragment, not a heading (“(1) There is a common South African citizenship.”), 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 3, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/5a4cea03-6624-4145-8951-5f31c9b79249 (accessed 25 October 2026).

Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/5a4cea03-6624-4145-8951-5f31c9b79249

Accessed 25 October 2026.

Link to the canonical URL above, not to a #section-… fragment on the jurisdiction page — the fragment is a scroll position, this URL is the provision.

Machine-readable versions