It is likely that Cyril Ramaphosa will be the last national president to have participated in Codesa, whether or not his political party secures a majority in the next national election. It must take place by mid-2029, and might be held sooner if the new GNU collapses.

Codesa engineered the replacement of SA’s “whites only” old parliamentary sovereignty with a supreme constitution under the rule of law. With it came a first yet justiciable Bill of Rights designed to enable people to hold government to account in the immense task of reversing the exploitation of the people and natural resources of SA by colonialists between 1652 and 1910, “whites only” unionists until 1948 and then the apartheid regime until 1994.

Moeletsi Mbeki contends — credibly so — that this pernicious exploitation has continued since 1994 for the benefit of the cadres of the ANC’s national democratic revolution (NDR) who have been enjoying their turn to eat.

The unachieved objectives of SA’s new order include respect for inherent human dignity (an increased Gini coefficient since 1994, starvation stalking the poor, state capture, Marikana and Life Esidemeni) the promotion of the achievement of equality (more than half the population lives in poverty) and the enjoyment of human rights guaranteed to all (not widespread joblessness, and endless service delivery protests).

The abusive dominant party state in SA between 1948 and 2024 ended with the formation of the GNU after the May elections. It boldly professes to be informed by constitutional values and the rule of law, not the NDR. If the supremacy of the constitution is respected by the GNU and the rule of law is healed by it sufficiently to be taken off “life support in the ICU”, where prosecutions chief Shamila Batohi says she found it, a brighter future beckons for SA.

Much will turn on the adoption by the GNU of the DA’s plan to establish a new Chapter Nine entity to tackle the ongoing serious corruption at the root of illegal exploitation of the country and its people.

May constitutionalism blossom and misery end in SA. Those who were at Codesa set out to achieve this by creating a new order that would ensure peace, progress and prosperity for all.

The president knows this to be so, and is accountable for his legacy. He must lead the GNU wisely.

Paul Hoffman
Director, Accountability Now