Exercise 1

Multiple Choice Practice Questions.

1. Law is defined as:

a. rules that describe what is acceptable.

b. rules that guide, regulate and bind human behaviour and interactions.

c. rules that only state what behaviour is punishable.

2. The law is enforced by:

a. The State.

b. The Community.

c. The Judiciary.

3. The theory of Natural Law states that laws that fall short of morality are not
laws at all.

a. True.

b. False.

4. What is the main function of the law? :

a. Justice.

b. Maintaining order within different relationships within society.

c. Serves as an introduction of the element of control in governing the activities of

people and businesses.

d. Specifying the nature and extent of rights and duties and powers of all governed by
the law.
5. The law can be seen as immoral but still be enforced:

a. True

b. False

6. According to which sections of the Interim Constitution did the new

government use to draft and adopt the final Constitution? :

a. section 28 and section 42

b. section 68 and section 71

c. section 30 and section 36

7. Section 71(2) of the Interim Constitution states that the final Constitution will
only have force and effect once certified by:

a. The Supreme Court of Appeal

b. The Magistrates Court.

c. The Constitutional Court

8. In which years were the three previous Constitutions in South Africa adopted
(during Apartheid) prior to 1994 elections and the Interim Constitution? :

a. 1910, 1961, 1983

b. 1914, 1965, 1990

c. 1930, 1970, 1988

9. Parliamentary Sovereignty is…

a. supreme controlling power to make and enforce decisions in the form of legislation
is exclusively vested in an elected parliament.

b. the power parliament has to ensure fairness and democracy

c. the non-existent power of the parliament.

10. If customary law or common law is found to be inconsistent with the

Constitution the customary law or common law will still be valid:

a. True.

b. False.

11. The Rule of Law means…

a. The same law applies equally to everyone.

b. No one is above the law except the President.

c. The law only applies in certain people of the country.

12. The Legislature, The Judiciary and The Executive are known as:

a. Separation of powers

b. trias politica

c. All of the above.

13. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) granted…:

a. amnesty

b. punishment

c. compensation
14. Under which section within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act
was The Human Rights Violations Committee established? :

a. section 4

b. section 12

c. section 15

15. What was the function of the Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee? :

a. Development of a reparations and rehabilitative policy to address the needs of the

victims.

b. Development of a reparations and rehabilitative policy to address the wants of the

victims.

c. All of the above.

16. What is the core value of Transformative Constitutionalism?

a. Change.

b. Wisdom.

c. Stagnancy.

Exercise 2

Match the correct words.

1. It can be enforced and provides A. Descriptive Law

punishment if you do not obey.
2. Other social norms B. Function of the law in society
3.Close connection between ___ and __ C. Religion
because the law is concerned with
upholding standards.
 4. Describes certain uniformities or D. The Law
regularities in the natural or human
world.
5.Individual or group beliefs about what E. morality and religion
is right or wrong
6. Ensure order in the relationships and F. morals
interactions among people and between
people and things in society.
7.Associated with a belief in powers G. Prescriptive Law
superior to people, powers believed to
control human life and dictate rules.
8. The body of rules governing human H. Law and Morality
conduct, recognised as binding by
people and enforced by public
authorities.

Exercise 3

1) What was the purpose of the African National Congress?

a) To draw more Europeans to the country to oppress black people.
b) To promote segregation between the races.
c) To unite South Africans to fight for equality for all Black South Africans
d) To force Europeans out of their homelands.

2) Why did the National Party pass apartheid laws in 1948?

a) To gain independence from the British.
b) To imprison Nelson Mandela.
c) To boost the sale of gold and diamonds.
d) To maintain white domination in the country

3) Which of the following was NOT an effect of apartheid laws?

a) Separate homelands.
b) Black South Africans and white South Africans worked together
c) Black South Africans being forced to carry pass books.
 d) Use of separate services and buildings.

4) What are the dates of Apartheid?

a) 21 March 1960.
b) From 1847 to 1988.
c) Between 1990 and 1992.
d) From 1948 to 1994

5) June 16th is remembered as a public holiday in South Africa. What is it called?

a) Mandela Day.
b) Human Rights Day.
c) Youth Day
d) The day Nelson Mandela was released from prison.

6) Why is April 27th celebrated as Freedom Day in South Africa?

a) It is the day when apartheid laws were appealed.
b) It is the day when Nelson Mandela was freed from prison.
c) It is the day when South Africa first held elections open to all citizens
d) It is the day when Chris Hani was assassinated.

7) Even with the end of apartheid, what remains a major problem in South Africa?
a) Laws that treated whites better than blacks.
b) Blacks and whites are still not equal
c) An unfair tax system.
d) Blacks being forced to live in townships.

8) What did apartheid laws do?

a) Gave power to white officials.
b) Separated men from women.
c) Segregated different types of Europeans.
d) Segregated whites and the non-whites

9) How did these laws affect Black South Africans?

 a) It gave black South Africans the freedom to work, live everywhere and marry
anyone.
b) It restricted black South Africans where to live, to work, and who to marry
c) It only restricted their economic opportunities.

10) Which political party came to power in South Africa in 1948?

a) National Party
b) Pan-African.
c) African National Congress.
d) Inkatha Freedom Party.

11) “A truly transformative South Africa requires a new approach that places the
Constitutional dream at the very heart of legal education”. Who uttered these
words?

12) Who was the white political leader that dismantled apartheid laws?
a) F.W de Klerk.
b) Pieter Botha.
c) Clive Derby-Lewis.
d) Hendrick Verwoerd.

13) “Today we have closed the book on Apartheid”. Who uttered these words?
a) Janusz Walu’s.
b) Chris Hani.
c) F.W de Klerk
d) Desmond Tutu.

14) What was the Sharpeville massacre?

a) An attempt to exterminate all the black residents of Sharpeville.
b) The assassination of Chris Hani.
c) A reaction against the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela.
d) An attack on black protesters at a police station

15) How did the end of apartheid affect the distribution of power in South Africa?
 a) Whites continued to control the government.
b) Coloureds and Indians refused to vote in elections.
c) Blacks gained control of the government through free and fair elections
d) Whites left the country.

16) What is your understanding of the poem?

17) The pass law system was based on (Fill in missing words) a) that divided South
Africa into b) and c).

18) What was the cost of opposing Apartheid?

19) What do you understand about the Disobedience campaign of 1952?

20) The ANC and other political movements were banned by the government as part
of its efforts to preserve apartheid. True/False?

21) Explain what the Groote Schuur Minute was about.

22) What happened at the Pretoria Minute?

23) The Multiparty Negotiation Forum, concluded on 14 September 1991, prepared the
way for the first Convention for a Democratic South Africa. True/False?

24) Define the following terms, a) by-elections; b) electorate; c) referendum; and d)

bargaining power.

25) Fill in the missing words:

Ongoing a) caught the attention of the b) Security Council. It convened a c) on

2 August d) and adopted e.)
26) The (Interim/Final) Constitution represents the end of what Currie and de Waal
refer to as “South Africa’s negotiated revolution”. Choose the correct term.

27) Mr X reads through your introduction to law textbook. He comes across the term
“certification”. He asks you to explain the term to him, how would you explain it
(within the context of the final constitution)?
28) Match the column type questions:
a) Boipatong massacre 1) Nelson Mandela signed the
text into law at Sharpeville.
b) 7 September 1992 2) Amended version of the
constitution was adopted.
c) 3000 members led by AWB 3) 10 April 1993
invaded a meeting
d) 11 October 1996 4) Bisho massacre
e) 10 December 1996 5) Final constitution, S v
Makwanyane
f) 14 February 1995 6) 25 June 1993
g) Assassination of Chris Hani 7) Opening of parliament
h) 2 February 1990 8) 17 June 1992
9) Inauguration of first
democratic parliament of
South Africa.

Exercise 4

The apartheid state and the significance of the constitution

1. __________is when the Supreme controlling power to make and enforce

decisions in the form of legislation is exclusively vested in an elected
parliament.
How is this different from constitutional sovereignty?
2. __________is law based on cultural tradition
a) Common law
b) Customary law
 3. _________is the law that was not made by parliament, but rather developed in
the courts through the precedent system
a) Common law
b) Customary law
4. What does the rule of law mean?
5. What do the following characteristics of the rule of law mean?
5.1. Law must be expressed in understandable terms
5.2. Laws should be consistent
5.3. Laws should not require conduct that is beyond the powers of those who
are affected by the laws

6. According to the separation of powers, governmental power is divided among

three branches, namely?

Exercise 5

1.1 Briefly state the purpose of the TRC (4)

1.2 After South African liberal movement received support from majority of citizens
and other countries, how was South Africa isolated? (3)

1.3 And what was the impact of this liberal movement? (2)

1.4 True or False: Amnesty was granted to all persons that committed crimes during
the apartheid era?

1.5 True or False: In Azapo v the President of the Republic of South Africa, the Court
confirmed that Section 20(7) contradicted the Constitutional values?

1.6 what are the functions of the Human Rights Violations Committee? (3)

1.7 True or false: The Reparations and Rehabilitation committee acted as an

independent body?