| Republic of South Africa Constitution Act, 1961 | |
|---|---|
| Act to constitute the Republic of South Africa and to provide for matters incidental thereto. | |
| Citation | Act No. 32 of 1961 |
| Enacted by | Parliament of South Africa |
| Date assented to | 24 April 1961 |
| Date commenced | 31 May 1961 |
| Repeals | |
| Mostly repealed by the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act, 1983; remainder repealed by the Provincial Government Act, 1986 and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993 | |
The Constitution of 1961 (formally the Republic of South Africa Constitution Act, 1961) was the fundamental law of South Africa for two decades. Under the terms of the constitution South Africa left the Commonwealth and became a republic. Legally, the Union of South Africa, which had existed since 1910, came to an end and was re-established as the "Republic of South Africa".
Republicanism was always major tenet of Afrikaner nationalism. Even when nationalists controlled the government, however, political realities prevented this goal from being attained prior to the 1960s.
On August 3, 1960, the National Party government announced a referendum would be held in October of that year so that voters might weigh in on the question of whether the Union of South Africa should become a republic. More than 90% of eligible voters participated in the referendum, and 52.3% of those who did voted in favor of "a Union for the Republic."
The Republic of South Africa Constitution Bill was introduced in January 1961.
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