wanneer het Hoog Gerechtshof weigert recht te spreken volgens 's lands wetten en het zijn plicht is het publiek te beschermen in overeenstemming met den wil van het Volk;

Överwegende dat art. 861 van de Grondwet van 1896-over het bijeenroepen van een Bijzonder Hof-in deze zaak niet van toepassing is; en

Ten slotte overwegende dat deze Wet, hoewel niet in termen van art. 12 der Grondwet drie maanden van te voren gepubliceerd, dadeljk in behandeling moet worden genomen, aangezien zij geen uitstel kan lijden ;

Wordt hierbij besloten deze Wet dadelijk in behandeling te nemen, niettegenstaande zij geen drie maanden van te voren is gepubliceerd geweest, aangezien zij geen uitstel kan lijden;

En wordt hierbij vastgesteld en bepaald als volgt:

ART. 1. Zoolang het Volk niet duidelijk ten genoege van den Eersten Volksraad heeft te kennen gegeven, dat het den bestaanden toestand wenscht te veranderen, moeten de bestaande en nog te maken Wetten en Volksraadsbesluiten door de Rechterlijke Macht worden erkend en geëerbiedigd in overeenstemming met art. 80 der Grondwet van 1896 en heeft de Rechterlijke Macht niet de bevoegdheid te weigeren een Wet of Volksraadsbesluit toe te passen, omdat die Wet of dat besluit naar het oordeel van den rechter, naar vorm of inhoud, strijdt met de Grondwet; m.a.w. de Rechterlijke Macht zal niet de bevoegdheid

passive when the High Court of Justice refuses to pronounce judgment according to the Laws of the country, and that it is their duty to protect the public in accordance with the will of the People;

Considering that art. 861 of the Grondwet of 1896-about the summoning of a Special Court-does not apply to the present matter; and

Finally, considering that this Law, although not first published for three months in terms of art. 12 of the Grondwet, must be dealt with immediately as it can brook no delay ;

Therefore it is hereby resolved to proceed at once to deal with this Law notwithstanding the fact that it has not been published beforehand for three months, as it can brook no delay;

And it is hereby affirmed and laid down as follows:

ART. 1. So long as the People have not signified, plainly and to the satisfaction of the First Volksraad, their wish that the existing position shall be changed, it shall be the duty of the Judicial Power to acknowledge and respect the Laws and Resolutions of the Volksraad now existing or to be passed hereafter, in accordance with art. 80 of the Grondwet of 1896; and it is not competent for the Judicial Power to refuse to apply a Law or a Resolution of the Volksraad on the ground that such Law or Resolution is, as regards its form or substance, in the opinion of the Judge, in conflict with the Grondwet; This article was a repetition of arts. 1-5 of the resolution of the First Volksraad dated 23 Aug. 1894. Vide above, p. 502.

hebben en heeft die bevoegdheid ook nooit gehad, noch bij de Grondwet, noch bij eenige andere wet, zich het zoogenoemd toetsingsrecht aan te matigen.

2. De Rechters, de Landdrosten en andere leden van de Rechterlijke Macht zullen in het vervolg vóór het aanvaarden hunner betrekking den volgenden eed afleggen:

Ik beloof en zweer plechtig trouw aan het volk en de wetten dezer Republiek, in mijne betrekking en ambt rechtvaardig, billijk, zonder aanzien des persoons, overeenkomstig de wetten en Volksraadsbesluiten en

naar

mijn beste kennis en geweten te zullen handelen; mij
geen zoogenoemd toetsignsrecht te zullen aanmatigen;
[enz.]

De leden van het Hoog Gerechtshof en Landdrosten leggen den eed af in handen van den Staatspresident en leden van den Uitvoerenden

Raad.

3. De Rechter, die niet handelt overeenkomstig art. I dezer wet, zal geacht worden zich te hebben schuldig gemaakt aan een ambtsmisdrijf, als bedoeld in art. 86 der Grondwet van 1896.

4. ZHEd. de Staatspresident wordt hierbij gemachtigd de tegenwoordige leden van de Rechterlijke Macht te vragen of te doen vragen of zij het beschouwen te zijn overeenkomstig hun eed en hun plicht recht te spreken volgens de bestaande en later te maken Wetten en

in other words, it is not competent, nor has it ever been competent, for the Judicial Power, either by the Grondwet or by any other law, to arrogate to itself the so-called right of testing. 2. The Judges, the Landdrosts and other members of the Judicial Power shall in future, before entering on their office, take the following oath :

"I promise and swear solemnly to be true to the people and the Laws of this Republic, to act in my office and official capacity in a manner just, fair and without respect of persons, in accordance with the Laws and Resolutions of the Volksraad, to the best of my knowledge and according to the dictates of my conscience; not to arrogate to myself any so-called right of testing; "[etc.] The members of the High Court of Justice and the Landdrosts shall take the oath before the State President and the members of the Executive Council.

3. Any judge who does not act in accordance with the provisions of art. I of this law shall be considered to be guilty of an offence in his official capacity as mentioned in art. 86 of the Grondwet of 1896.

4. The State President is hereby authorised to ask the present members of the Judicial Power, or to cause them to be asked, whether they consider it compatible with their oath and their duty to pronounce judgment in accordance with the Laws and Resolutions of the Volksraad now in force or hereafter to be passed, and not to arrogate to themselves the

Volksraadsbesluiten en zich het zoogenoemd toetsingsrecht niet aan te matigen en verder wordt ZHEd. opgedragen die leden, waarvan ZHEd. of een ontkennend of een zijns inziens onvoldoend of binnen den gestelden tijd in het geheel geen antwoord ontvangt, uit hunne betrekking te ontslaan.

5. Onder Volksraadsbesluiten worden in deze Wet verstaan zoowel Besluiten van den ouden Volksraad als Besluiten van den Eersten Volksraad en ook de Besluiten van den Tweeden Volksraad, die volgens art. 31, Wet No. 4, 1890,1 thans art. 79 der Grondwet van 1896, van kracht zijn. Onder 't Volk zullen worden verstaan de volstemgerechtigde burgers der Zuid-Afr. Republiek.

6. Deze Wet zal niet aantasten de rechten eventueel door vonnissen van het Hoog Gerechtshof vóór deze Wet verkregen.

7. Deze Wet zal in werking treden dadelijk na publicatie in de Staatscourant.

Locale Wetten der Z.A. Rep. VIII. 5.

No. 232. EERSTE VOLKSRAADSBESLUIT, 22 JULI 1897.a [Geen ambtenaar mag zich verkiesbaar stellen voor de betrekking van Staatspresident.] Locale Wetten der Z.A. Rep. VIII. 170.

so-called right of testing; and the State President is likewise instructed to dismiss from office any member from whom he may receive an answer in the negative, or one which in his opinion is not satisfactory, or no answer at all within the period specified.

5. By the term, "resolutions of the Volksraad," shall be understood, for the purposes of this Law, resolutions of the old Volksraad as well as resolutions of the First Volksraad and resolutions of the Second Volksraad which according to art. 31 of Law No. 4, 1890,1 now art. 79 of the Grondwet of 1896, have the force of law. By the term, "the People," shall be understood the burghers of the South African Republic possessing the full franchise.

6. This Law shall not interfere with rights procured through judgments of the High Court of Justice prior to the passing of this Law.

7. This Law shall take effect immediately on its publication in the Staatscourant.

No. 232. RESOLUTION OF THE FIRST VOLKSRAAD, 22 JULY 1897.2

[No official may accept nomination for the post of State President.]

1 Vide above, p. 494.

2 Repealed by Procl. No. 34 of 1901.

No. 233. EERSTE VOLKSRAADSBESLUIT, 27 AUG. 1897. ART. 981. [Het volgend commissie-rapport wordt goedgekeurd :]

De Commissie [geeft] uwe Vergadering in overweging, of het niet wenschelijk zou wezen, dat de Superintendent van Naturellenzaken alleen hoofd-ambtenaar en geen lid van den Uitvoerenden Raad zal zijn, omreden de Commissie het niet raadzaam acht, dat een ambtenaar die voor zijn leven is aangesteld als zoodanig als lid van den Uitvoerenden Raad zitting neemt.

Locale Wetten der Z.A. Rep. VIII. 173.

No. 233. RESOLUTION OF THE FIRST VOLKSRAAD, 27 AUGUST 1897.

ART. 981.1 [The following report of the Committee is adopted :]

The Committee submits for the consideration of your Assembly the question whether it would not be desirable that the Superintendent of Native Affairs shall be merely a chief official and not a member of the Executive Council as well; for the Committee does not deem it advisable that an official who is appointed for life shall be an ex officio member of the Executive Council.

No. 234. ANNEXATION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN
REPUBLIC. [1 Sept. 1900.]

PROCLAMATION No. 15 OF 1900.

WHEREAS certain Territories in South Africa, hitherto known as the South African Republic, have been conquered by Her Majesty's Forces, and it has seemed expedient to Her Majesty that the said Territories should be annexed to, and should henceforth form part of Her Majesty's Dominions, and that I should provisionally and until Her Majesty's pleasure is more fully known, be appointed Administrator of the said Territories, with power to take all such measures, and to make and enforce such Laws as I may deem necessary for the peace, order, and good government of the said Territories.

Now, therefore, I, Frederick Sleigh, Baron Roberts of Kandahar and Waterford, K.P., [etc.] by Her Majesty's Command, and in virtue of the power and authority conferred on me in that behalf by Her Majesty's Royal Commission, dated the fourth day of July, nineteen hundred, in accordance with Her Majesty's instructions thereby and otherwise signified to me, from and after the publication hereof, do proclaim that the Territories known as the South African Republic are annexed to and form part of Her Majesty's Dominions, and that pro1 Repealed by Procl. No. 34 of 1901.

visionally, and until Her Majesty's pleasure is fully declared, the said Territories will be administered by me with such powers as aforesaid. Her Majesty is pleased to direct that the new Territories shall henceforth be known as The Transvaal.

Statute Law of the Transvaal, 1900-6, II. 441.

VEREENIGING PEACE TREATY, 31ST MAY 1902.
[See No. 173.]

THE TRANSVAAL: ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE, 1902-1910.

[District Courts of Resident Magistrates on the model of the Cape Courts were established by Proclamation No. 21 of 1902 (10 April), but with greater powers. Their jurisdiction in civil cases extended to those founded upon liquid documents to an amount of £500, to illiquid cases in which the amount claimed did not exceed £250, and to other cases where the sum or matter in dispute did not exceed £100. Their criminal jurisdiction included all crimes and offences not punishable by death, transportation or banishment from the Colony. They could sentence to fines not exceeding £75, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months, or whipping not exceeding twenty-five lashes. Several laws of a later date modified the provisions of this Ordinance. Among those to be noted are Ord. No. 12 of 1904, Act No. 18 of 1907, and Act No. 30 of 1908.

Proclamation No. 14 of 1902 (10 April) established a !! High Court of the Transvaal" to consist of at least four judges with the usual jurisdiction and powers. The judges held office during good behaviour and could be dismissed by the Crown, or by the Governor subject to the Crown's approval, on misconduct being proved. The High Court could review sentences of the inferior courts, and in certain cases appeals were allowed from its decisions to the Privy Council. The Roman-Dutch Law was retained. The same Proclamation set up a superior court for Johannesburg called the "Witwatersrand District Court," in which there sat one judge with the same jurisdiction and powers as those exercised by the High Court except in matters of appeal. Ordinance No. 2 of 1902 (4 July) changed the names of these two courts respectively to Supreme Court of the Transvaal," and "Witwatersrand High Court." Ordinance No. 38 of 1902 (21 Nov.) provided for the withdrawal of Martial Law from the Colony. Circuit Courts were provided for by Ordinance No. 10 of 1903 (27 Feb.). Like the Rand High Court they had no appellate jurisdiction. Otherwise they exercised the same authority as the Supreme Court. Like the Rand High Court they exercised some of their powers only subject to appeal to the Supreme Court. Ordinance No. 31 of 1904 provided that one judge could constitute a court, to be styled a Divisional Court, if parties in a case consented to this, or if by order of the Supreme Court any action was remitted to be so heard. The chief Ordinance dealing with juries is No. 10 of 1902..