South AfricaZA

Article 207 of the Constitution of South Africa

Article
207
Chapter
CHAPTER 11 — SECURITY SERVICES
Index row title
(1) The President as head of the national executive must appoint a woman or a man as the National Commissioner of the police service, to control and manage the police
Source document
The South Africa Constitution
Provision ID
5b370107-1865-46ab-a8e9-30a9b22eac91

205 words

Verbatim text

the National Commissioner of the police service, to control and manage the police service. (2) The National Commissioner must exercise control over and manage the police service in accordance with the national policing policy and the directions of the Cabinet member responsible for policing. (3) The National Commissioner, with the concurrence of the provincial executive, must appoint a woman or a man as the provincial commissioner for that province, but if the National Commissioner and the provincial executive are unable to agree on the appointment, the Cabinet member responsible for policing must mediate between the parties. (4) The provincial commissioners are responsible for policing in their respective provinces— (a) as prescribed by national legislation; and (b) subject to the power of the National Commissioner to exercise control over and manage the police service in terms of subsection (2). (5) The provincial commissioner must report to the provincial legislature annually on policing in the province, and must send a copy of the report to the National Commissioner. (6) If the provincial commissioner has lost the confidence of the provincial executive, that executive may institute appropriate proceedings for the removal or transfer of, or disciplinary action against, that commissioner, in accordance with national legislation. Police civilian secretariat

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 207 of the Constitution of South Africa.
  • The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER 11 — SECURITY SERVICES”.
  • The passage runs to about 205 words.
  • Read plainly, 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 President as head of the national executive must appoint a woman or a man as the National Commissioner of the police service, to control and manage the police”), 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 207, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/5b370107-1865-46ab-a8e9-30a9b22eac91 (accessed 25 October 2026).

Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/5b370107-1865-46ab-a8e9-30a9b22eac91

Accessed 25 October 2026.

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