36 International IDEA
Federalism
• South Africa places a constitutional obligation (articles 40 and 41) on the
national government, the provinces and local authorities to work
cooperatively in their ‘distinctive, interdependent and interrelated’ spheres
of authority, and requires all authorities, at all levels, to conform to certain
norms of cooperation, constitutionalism and good government.
Think Point 2
If federalism is primarily intended to provide recognition and autonomy for particular ethnic,
linguistic, cultural or religious groups, it is important for those engaged in constitutional
negotiations to consider how these objectives can be balanced and supported by provisions for
inclusion at the centre. What scope is there for trade-offs between autonomy and inclusion? What is
more important: decentralization of power to communities or the inclusion of those communities in
the central government?
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