page_title: South African Republic
section_title: Constitution and laws
hierarchical_section_title: South African Republic / Constitution and laws
caption_attribution_description: Statue of Marthinus W. Pretorius, first President of the South African Republic, in Pretoria.
context_page_description: The South African Republic was an independent and internationally recognised state located in what is now South Africa, from 1852 to 1902.
  The republic defeated the British Empire in what is often referred to as the First Boer War and remained independent until the end of the Second Boer War on 31 May 1902, when it was forced to surrender to the British after Lord Kitchener authorised the use of a scorched earth policy and concentration camps to hold captured Boer women and children. More than 27,000 of these civilians died as result. After the war the territory of the ZAR became the Transvaal Colony. During World War I, there was an attempt at resurrecting the republic in the Maritz rebellion.
  The land area that was once the ZAR now comprises all or most of the provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West in the northeastern portion of modern-day Republic of South Africa.
context_section_description: The constitution of the ZAR was legally interesting for its time. It contained provisions for the division between the political leadership and office bearers in government administration. The legal system consisted of higher and lower courts and had adopted a jury system. Laws were enforced by the South African Republic Police (Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek Politie or ZARP) which were divided into Mounted Police (Rijdende Politie) and Foot Police.
  On 10 April 1902, the Magistrates Court powers were extended to increase the civil ceiling amounts and to expand criminal jurisdiction to include all criminal cases not punishable by death or banishment. Also established were municipal government, the Witwatersrand District Court and the High Court of Transvaal.
caption: 1st ZAR President Marthinus Pretorius
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