The South African flag was hoisted on Marion Island and Prince Edward Island on 29 December 1947 and 4 January 1948 respectively, and a proclamation of annexation was promulgated on 24 January 1948.
The annexation was confirmed by Parliament by the Prince Edward Islands Act, which was signed by the Governor-General on 1 October 1948 and came into force upon publication on 7 October.
In terms of the act, the islands are deemed to fall within the magisterial district of Cape Town and the electoral ward containing the Port of Cape Town; as of 2011[update] this is ward 55 of the City of Cape Town.
The act also extends certain other acts of Parliament to the island, and gives the Governor-General (i.e. the President) the power to extend other laws to the islands.
Except where otherwise indicated, each act listed below was made applicable to the Prince Edward Islands expressly by its own text.