President Jacob Zuma surely knows that the parliamentary sovereignty of the union and the republic that preceded the establishment of our constitutional order were not a success and did not serve the interests of all the people of SA.

His flirtation with the notion that the supremacy of the Constitution should be replaced with the tyranny of a parliamentary majority shows that he has lost touch with the desire of the people to govern themselves through a system that constrains their politicians to act in a manner consistent with the values and principles enshrined in the Constitution. Our national accord was designed to protect the people against the excesses of delinquent politicians.

If the National Assembly in August, the ANC in December and the voters in the next general election do not reject the presidential flirtation with tyranny, the country will truly and sadly be left with the government it deserves.

Paul Hoffman Accountability Now

Letter published in Business Day on 5 July 2017