Effective from: The founding conference of SAAPS, July 2001, University of Durban-Westville, Durban

1. NAME

The name of the Association is the “South African Association of Political Studies”.

2. DEFINITIONS

Save where the context otherwise requires, the words standing in the first column in the table below shall bear the meanings set opposite to them respectively in the second column thereof.

MEANING OF WORDS The Council: The National Council The Executive Committee: The National Executive Committee of the National Council The Association: South African Association of Political Studies

Words importing the singular number include the plural number, and vice versa.

3. OBJECTIVES

The Objectives of the Association are:

3.1 To perform an educational function by promoting knowledge and an understanding of national and international political affairs through teaching, workshops, discussion and study groups, seminars, congresses, publications and research, and by such other means as may be approved by the Council; and

3.2 To encourage contact and to stimulate co-operative relationships amongst individuals and institutions concerned with the scientific study of national and international political affairs.

4. LIMITATION

The Association shall not express by resolution its opinion upon any aspect of any problem or question within the scope of the objectives set forth in Article 3 and this limitation shall apply to and be binding upon the Council (vide Article 10).

5. ASSOCIATION A CORPORATE BODY

The Association is, and in terms of the Constitution shall continue to be, a body corporate with perpetual succession and is, in its own name, capable and shall continue to be capable, of suing and being sued and of acquiring rights and incurring obligations.

6. MEMBERSHIP

6.1 Any individual or institution interested in the realisation of the objectives if the Association may apply for membership.

6.2 Membership of the Association shall comprise:

6.2.1 Full Membership Full membership of the Association is open to: 6.2.1.1 South African residents; and

6.2.2 Associate Membership 6.2.2.1 Associate individual membership shall be open to non-residents of South Africa.

6.2.3 Student Membership The Association may admit to its activities bona fide, full-time students at the tertiary level. The annual membership fee for such student members shall be less that that for other members. Student members have voting rights.

6.2.4 Institutional Membership Educational or other institutions, having objectives compatible with those of the Association, may be admitted as institutional members of the Association.

6.3 Membership fees Council determines fees from time to time as necessary. Members who are two years’ member’s fees in arrears, lose their membership automatically.

7. HONORARY APPOINTMENTS

Council may appoint honorary members at its discretion.

8. OFFICERS

The officers shall consist of a President, a Vice-President and a Secretary/Treasurer, all of whom shall be elected by ordinary majority vote at the biennial General Members’ Meeting of the Association.

9. DUTIES OF OFFICERS

The President or the Vice-President or, in their absence, some other member of the Council appointed for the purpose, shall preside at all meetings of the Council and of the Executive Committee. The Secretary/Treasurer shall receive and have custody of the funds belonging to the Association and shall dispense them as directed by the Council.

10. NATIONAL COUNCIL

10.1 Composition There shall be a council consisting of:

10.1.1 Officers (directly elected) 10.1.1.1 the President 10.1.1.2 the Vice-President; and 10.1.1.3 the Secretary/Treasurer

10.1.2 Co-opted Members 10.1.2.1 the immediate Past President; and 10.1.2.2 the Editors(s) of the Association’s official journal.

10.1.3 Additional Members (directly elected) Nine members, a third of who shall retire every two years.

10.2 Election procedures

10.2.1 At least six weeks before a Biennial Council Meeting and a General Members’ Meeting are due to be held, the names of the retiring members of the Council, together with the notice and agenda of the General Members’ Meeting, shall be circulated to all full members of the Association.

10.2.2 Nominations shall be called for the positions of all officers, namely a President, a Vice-Presidents and a Secretary/Treasurer, as wll as for that of three additional members. Such individual nominations shall be signed by a proposer and a seconder, who shall both be full members of the Association, and shall reach the Secretary/Treasurer at least one month before the date of the General Members’ Meeting, together with the candidate’s acceptance of the nomination.

10.2.3 The names of the candidates thus proposed shall be put before the General Members’ Meeting and all members present shall be entitled to vote. In case there are more nominations than vacancies available, voting shall be by closed ballot.

10.3 Eligibility for Re-election The holders of the offices of President and Vice-President, as well as the three additional members, who shall retire every two years, shall not be eligible for immediate re-election to the specific positions they had held for the preceding two years.

10.4 Vacancies The Executive Committee acting on behalf of the Council, shall fill vacancies, which may from time to time occur in the Council, subject to confirmation by the biennial General Members’ Meeting. Such vacancies shall only be filled for the duration of the original term to which the office bearer who vacated the particular position was elected.

10.5 Sub-committees The Council may appoint such sub-committees as it deems fit.

10.6 Meetings 10.6.1 A General Members’ Meeting to constitute the Council and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting, shall be held in the month of October in every second year, or as near to that month as possible. The date and venue of the meeting shall be decided by the Executive Committee acting on behalf of the Council.

10.6.2 Extraordinary Council Meetings may be convened at the President’s discretion or upon the requisition (in writing) of five members of the Council. Such requisitions shall state the object of the meeting and shall be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer. The President shall designate the date and venue of the meeting, and notice of the date, venue and object of any extraordinary meeting shall be given to all members of the Council.

10.6.3 The Council shall meet annually. Five members of the Council shall constitute a quorum. A proxy (in writing) may be given by any member who is not present to any member who is present.

10.6.4 Six months’ notice of Biennial Council Meetings and two weeks’ notice of Extraordinary Council Meetings shall be given to all members of the Council.

11. FINANCES

11.1 All membership subscriptions, grants, bequests and other income shall belong to the Association and shall be administered by the Council.

11.2 Accounts, kept by the Secretary/Treasurer and audited by a registered public accountant, shall be presented annually not later than six months after the close of the financial year, to a meeting of the Council, or failing that, to a meeting of the Executive Committee. In addition, all accounts and financial statements for the preceding two years shall be presented to the biennial General Members’ Meeting.

11.3 Unless the Council or the Executive Committee otherwise determine, the financial year of the Association shall be the period of twelve months ending on the 30th day of June in every year.

12. NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

12.1 There shall be a National Executive Committee to carry on the affairs of the Association between Council Meetings, and the Executive Committee shall have all the powers and all the functions of the Council when it is not in session. The Executive Committee shall consist of five members appointed by Council from its own ranks.

12.2 The President shall decide the date and venue of Executive Committee meetings. Three weeks’ notice of its meetings shall be given to all members of the Executive Committee. The quorum shall be three.

13. CONGRESS AND GENERAL MEMBERS’ MEETING

13.1 The Association shall hold a biennial Congress at a date and venue determined by the Executive Committee acting on behalf of the Council. A General Members’ Meeting shall also be held during the Congress and the members present shall constitute a quorum. Six\weeks’ notice of the dates, on which both the Congress and the General Members’ Meeting are to be held, shall be given to all members of the Association.

13.2 The programme of the Congress and the agenda for the General Members’ Meeting shall be decided by the Executive Committee acting on behalf of the Council. Members of the Association may make proposals regarding the agenda of the Executive Committee, provided that such proposals reach the Executive Committee at least four weeks before the General Members’ Meeting is due to be held.

Urgent matters for consideration by the General Members’ Meeting can be submitted to the Executive Council 36 hours before the commencement of the meeting. Such a proposal must be in writing, the urgency has to be demonstrated and must have, beside the proposer, the support of vat least five full members by their signatures. The Executive Committee has the discretion to reject frivolous and / or non-urgent matters and refer such proposals to the next full meeting of Council.

13.3 A Special Members’ Meeting for the discussion of urgent matters may be convened at the Council’s or the Executive Committee’s discretion or upon the requisition (in writing) of at least fifteen full members of the Association. Such requisitions shall state the object of the meetings and shall be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer. The President shall designate the date and venue of the meeting and two weeks’ notice of the date, venue and object of any special meeting shall be given to all members of the Association. Only the matter for which the meeting was called shall be discussed at such a special meeting.

14. OFFICIAL JOURNAL

14.1 The Association shall publish a journal, which shall serve as the official publication of the Association.

14.2 The Council shall appoint an Editor(s) for the journal every two years, and she/he shall be an ex officio member if the Council, if s/he is not already a member of the Council.

14.3 The Editor is accountable to Council and shall provide Council with full and regular reports regarding the affairs of the Journal. Council shall respect the independence of the Editor regarding the professional content of the journal but will have the right to approve the editorial advisory board of Politikon.

15. AMENDMENT

Any clause of this Constitution, or any part thereof, may be amended at a General Members’ Meeting or a Special Members’ Meeting by resolution passed by an ordinary majority of members present and entitled to vote, provided that notice of the terms of the proposed amendment accompanies the notice of the meeting.

16. AFFILIATION

The Council may on behalf of the Association accept membership of, or enter into, affiliation with any other similar organisation, subject to ratification by the biennial General Members’ Meeting.

17. WINDING UP

In the event of the Association at any time being wound up or liquidated, all assets (if any) remaining after satisfaction of its liabilities shall not be distributed, but shall be transferred to some other society, association or body with objects similar to those of the Association. A Special Members’ Meeting shall be convened for this purpose.

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