Police brutality in South Africa before the 1994 Constitution Prior to 1994, South Africa was a state based on parliamentary sovereignty.[12] When the National Convention met in 1908 and 1909 to form the Union of South Africa, delegates were not concerned about a Bill of Rights.[13] However, one of the main features of the South African Constitutions of 1910, 1961 and 1983 was the absence of a Bil