Cape Town – ANC chief whip Pemmy Majodina says the country’s Constitution needs to be amended, as it no longer serves the needs of the majority.
According to News24, Majodina said that the Constitution was initially meant for transitional purposes.
“This is the 25th anniversary of the Constitution, and that Constitution needs to be amended. Remember, this was a transitional Constitution, actually, to accommodate everyone,” the report quoted Majodina.
Her sentiments were echoed by Dr Mathole Motshekga, the co-chairperson of the Constitutional Review Committee, who told a three-day national conference on the Constitution that opposition parties used their “freedom of speech and motions of no confidence” to derail Parliament, according to Daily Maverick.
The conference hosted by the department of justice and constitutional development in Midrand, aimed to reflect on how far the Constitution has come and the work that still needs to be done.
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Speaking during the opening of the conference on Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said without the rule of law, South Africa is vulnerable to mayhem.
“Working together with Parliament, I think there should be an opportunity for us to look at our Constitution as a product of long and protracted struggles for freedom, for justice and a better life for all the people of our country.”
REFLECTIONS ON 25 YEARS OF SA CONSTITUTION https://t.co/iNVbvvsIXu
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) March 22, 2023
“It should also reflect on matters such as how we deal with corruption, with crime, national security, and how these issues impact on the exercise and the protection of human rights. This conference gives us an opportunity to reflect on the road that we must traverse to strengthen our constitutional democracy,” Ramaphosa said.
The conference came after the Economic Freedom Fighters held its national shutdown on Monday, March 20, calling for an end to load shedding and for Ramaphosa to step down.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola on Friday said the conference was a success.
“From the outcomes of this conference, we will be able to channel the inputs through our constitutional development unit and hopefully we will be able to find resources somewhere so that it is able to do its job of the development of the constitution,” he said, according to eNCA.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
