Bantu Homelands Constitution Act, 1971

Bantu Homelands Constitution Act, 1971
Parliament of South Africa
  • Act to provide for the establishment of legislative assemblies and executive councils in Bantu areas, the powers, functions and duties of such assemblies and councils, the disestablishment of territorial authorities upon the establishment of executive councils, the declaration as self-governing territories of areas for which legislative assemblies have been established, and the constitution of Cabinets for such territories; to amend the Bantu Authorities Act, 1951, so as to regulate further the constitution of tribal authorities and to provide for the proof by affidavit of the membership of tribal and regional authorities and the fact whether or not Bantu law and custom were observed in particular matters; to amend certain definitions in the Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act, 1970; and to provide for incidental matters.
CitationAct No. 718 of 1971
Enacted byParliament of South Africa
Assented to26 March 1971
Commenced31 March 1971
Repealed27 April 1994
Administered byMinister of Bantu Administration and Development
Repealed by
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993
Related legislation
Bantu Authorities Act, 1951
Bantu Homelands Citizenship Act, 1970
Status: Repealed

The Bantu Homelands Constitution Act (Act No. 21 of 1971) enabled the government of South Africa to grant independence to any "Homeland" as determined by the South African apartheid government. It was renamed several times, becoming the Black States Constitution Act, 1971, then the National States Constitution Act, 1971, and finally the Self-governing Territories Constitution Act, 1971. In accordance with this act, independence was eventually granted to Transkei in 1976, Bophuthatswana in 1977, Venda in 1979, and Ciskei in 1981.

Map of the homelands established in South Africa

The granting of independence had been prepared by earlier acts including the establishment of tribal, territorial and regional authorities in accordance with the Bantu Authorities Act, 1951 and the Promotion of Bantu Self-government Act, 1959.