<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Constitution of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic of South Africa . It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the republic, sets out the rights and duties of its citizens, and defines the structure of the government . The current constitution, the country's fifth, was drawn up by the Parliament elected in 1994 in the South African general election, 1994 . It was promulgated by President Nelson Mandela on 18th December 1996 and came into effect on 4 February 1997, replacing the Interim Constitution of 1993 . </P> <P> Since 1996, the Constitution has been amended by seventeen amendment acts . The Constitution is formally entitled the "Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 ." It was previously also numbered as if it were an Act of Parliament--Act No. 108 of 1996--but, since the passage of the Citation of Constitutional Laws Act, neither it nor the acts amending it are allocated act numbers . </P>

What is the purpose of the south african constitution
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