South AfricaZA

Article 203 of the Constitution of South Africa

Article
203
Chapter
CHAPTER 11 — SECURITY SERVICES
Index row title
(1) The President as head of the national executive may declare a state of national defence, and must inform Parliament promptly and in appropriate detail
Source document
The South Africa Constitution
Provision ID
ad926e1e-2cbd-4e8a-a14a-32b29bedb27f

78 words

Verbatim text

of— (a) the reasons for the declaration; (b) any place where the defence force is being employed; and (c) the number of people involved. (2) If Parliament is not sitting when a state of national defence is declared, the President must summon Parliament to an extraordinary sitting within seven days of the declaration. (3) A declaration of a state of national defence lapses unless it is approved by Parliament within seven days of the declaration. Defence civilian secretariat

What this means

  • The index files this text under article 203 of the Constitution of South Africa.
  • The index files it under the chapter heading “CHAPTER 11 — SECURITY SERVICES”.
  • The passage runs to about 78 words.

The row’s stored title is a body fragment, not a heading (“(1) The President as head of the national executive may declare a state of national defence, and must inform Parliament promptly and in appropriate detail”), 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.

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How to cite this

Constitution of South Africa, article 203, Portable Lawyer, https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/ad926e1e-2cbd-4e8a-a14a-32b29bedb27f (accessed 25 October 2026).

Canonical URL: https://www.portablelawyer.app/provision/ad926e1e-2cbd-4e8a-a14a-32b29bedb27f

Accessed 25 October 2026.

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