Seventeenth Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa

The Seventeenth Amendment of the Constitution of South Africa (formally the Constitution Seventeenth Amendment Act of 2012) made a number of changes to the structure of the South African judiciary.

The bill for the amendment was passed by the National Assembly on 20 November 2012 with the required two-thirds majority;[1] because it is a constitutional amendment not affecting the provinces it was not required to be voted on by the National Council of Provinces.

The act was signed by President Jacob Zuma on 1 February 2013, and a presidential proclamation brought it into force on 23 August 2013.

[2] The amendment came into force simultaneously with the Superior Courts Act, 2013, which implemented a major rationalisation and restructuring of the judicial system.

The amendment declares that the Chief Justice is the head of the judiciary and is responsible for administrative oversight of the courts.