South AfricaZA

Article 201 of the Constitution of South Africa

Article
201
Chapter
CHAPTER 11 — SECURITY SERVICES
Index row title
(1) A member of the Cabinet must be responsible for defence.
Source document
The South Africa Constitution
Provision ID
ad8eba7c-8df5-4a1c-8efd-17d08a27c3bf

143 words

Verbatim text

(2) Only the President, as head of the national executive, may authorise the employment of the defence force— (a) in co-operation with the police service; (b) in defence of the Republic; or (c) in fulfilment of an international obligation. (3) When the defence force is employed for any purpose mentioned in subsection (2), the President must inform Parliament, promptly and in appropriate detail, of— (a) the reasons for the employment of the defence force; (b) any place where the force is being employed; (c) the number of people involved; and (d) the period for which the force is expected to be employed. (4) If Parliament does not sit during the first seven days after the defence force is employed as envisaged in subsection (2), the President must provide the information required in subsection (3) to the appropriate oversight committee. Command of defence force

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 201 of the Constitution of South Africa.
  • The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER 11 — SECURITY SERVICES”.
  • The passage runs to about 143 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) A member of the Cabinet must be responsible for defence.”), 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 201, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/ad8eba7c-8df5-4a1c-8efd-17d08a27c3bf (accessed 25 October 2026).

Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/ad8eba7c-8df5-4a1c-8efd-17d08a27c3bf

Accessed 25 October 2026.

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