Citation Act No. 74 of 1982 Date commenced 2 July 1982 | Date assented to 1 June 1982 | |
Enacted by Parliament of South Africa Date repealed various dates from 31 July 1991 to 20 May 2005 Administered by Minister of Law and Order, Minister of Justice | ||
The Internal Security Act, 1982 (Act No. 74 of 1982) was an act of the Parliament of South Africa that consolidated and replaced various earlier pieces of security legislation, including the Suppression of Communism Act, parts of the Riotous Assemblies Act, the Unlawful Organizations Act and the Terrorism Act. It gave the apartheid government broad powers to ban or restrict organizations, publications, people and public gatherings, and to detain people without trial. The act was passed in consequence of the recommendations of the Rabie Commission which enquired into the state of security legislation. Most of the act was progressively repealed during the transitional period between 1990 to 1996, with the last remaining sections repealed in 2005.