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Tasks: The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa

Record:

Work in groups of maximum four people.

  1. Spend ten minutes brainstorming and find out what you know about South Africa.

  2. Make a five minute podcast where you talk about South Africa. This can be about South Africa in general, about the political system, or about the Constitution.
    The podcast is to be recorded in one take, with no do-overs. Make sure everyone in the group gets a chance to speak for about the same amount of time.

  3. Sit with another group (or two groups) and share your recordings. Give each other feedback on the results. Agree on two positive things and one thing that could be improved upon.

Discuss:

Work in groups.

Here, you see two flags: the flag that South Africa has today, and the flag the country used during apartheid. Study the flags.

  • Why do you think South Africa changed its flag after apartheid ended?

  • What do you think the old flag symbolises? What do you think the new flag symbolises? (You may look up the answer – but share your reflections first. Consider the colours and compositions of the flags.)

  • Today, it is illegal to fly the old flag in South Africa. Why do you think that is?

Flag of South Africa. The colours are black, yellow, green, white, blue, and red. Photo. African flag. Photo.
South Africa's flag. Bilde: joggi / CC BY-NC 4.0
Old South African flag. It has an orange line, a white line, and a blue line. At the centre are three flags: the Union Jack, the flag of the Orange free state, and the flag of Transvaal. The orange line in the flag is a reference to the Netherlands where many of the first white settlers came from. Picture.
This is the old flag of South Africa used between 1982–1994. It is the same as the flag used between 1928–1982, except the shade of blue is a little brighter. Bilde: Government of South Africa / Offentlig eie

Research:

Work in pairs and find out:

  • Is the democracy of South Africa working well?

  • What are the democratic challenges that the country is facing today?

Share your findings with another pair.

In class: Share your findings in a joint document.

Watch:

Watch the video about separation of powers from Keep It Constitutional's website. Discuss the questions.

Video: Keep It Constitutional / CC BY-NC 4.0

  1. What similarities do you find between the system of separation of powers in South Africa and another country, for example Norway, the UK, or the United States?

  2. What are the advantages of having a system of separation of powers?

  3. Why do you think South Africa chose to introduce separation of powers after apartheid ended?

Compare:

Compare the South African Constitution with the constitution in another English-speaking country.

  • How long have the constitutions existed?

  • What principles and values are the constitutions built on?

Further study:

Keep It Constitutional has made a total of twenty videos about the South African constitution. You can find them all by visiting their website.

Link to list of videos on Keep it Constitutional's website

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