https://legal.excellentwiki.com/south-africa/courts-and-judiciary/Recent content in Courts and Judiciary on ExcellentWiki - Legal EncyclopediaHugoen-USTue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://legal.excellentwiki.com/south-africa/courts-and-judiciary/south-africa-courts-and-judiciary/Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://legal.excellentwiki.com/south-africa/courts-and-judiciary/south-africa-courts-and-judiciary/<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2> <p>The South African court system is a hierarchical structure established under Chapter 8 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. It comprises the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal, the High Courts, the Magistrates Courts, and various specialised courts. The judiciary is independent, subject only to the Constitution and the law, and plays a central role in the constitutional democracy.</p> <h2 id="the-constitutional-court">The Constitutional Court</h2> <p>The Constitutional Court is the highest court in all constitutional matters and, since 2013, the Supreme Court of Appeal in non-constitutional matters. Established in 1994 under the Interim Constitution, the Court sits in Johannesburg and comprises eleven justices, including the Chief Justice and the Deputy Chief Justice. The Court has exclusive jurisdiction over disputes between organs of state in the national or provincial sphere concerning their constitutional status, powers, or functions, and over the constitutionality of bills before Parliament.</p>