The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa is per definition a federal one. It entrenches original authority for all three spheres of government – central, provincial, and municipal – whereas in a unitary state the scope of provincial or municipal government would be left entirely to the discretion of the central government.

Nonetheless, given the ideological convictions of the political party that has controlled South Africa’s central government since the Constitution’s adoption, the country’s political scene has been one of centralisation. South Africa is a federation without federalism.

The collapse of the central government and the immense harm it has done to the economy and to society however necessitates widespread decentralisation – or, stated positively, Home Rule – to be brought about. This will in all likelihood not occur as a result of devolution (a concession by the central government) but must increasingly occur as a result of unilateral action on the part not only of provinces and municipalities, but also of organised communities and businesses.