12 DAYS AWAY
By now, newspapers and radio stations were issuing daily reports of unfolding events in the CA. The nation was gripped. On 26 April, AM Live announced:
Constitutional Assembly sub-committees are to continue negotiations today on the nearly 300 proposed amendments to the Constitution to be filed with the Assembly this afternoon. Parties may hold closed-door negotiations throughout the weekend if necessary. Most of the amendments are technical, but several deal with substantive changes to the sections dealing with education, language, property rights and the rights of striking workers.
Morning Live radio programme
In addition, the NP was still pushing for the continuation of some form of the Government of National Unity.
The National Party pursued it even up to that point. They said that there should be some sort of way in which minority parties participate in the decision-making of cabinet. We told them in no uncertain terms that our mandate was to establish a full-blown democracy and there was no way in which, beyond the interim period, we would agree to any such arrangement.
Valli Moosa
then ANC member of the Constitutional Assembly
Behind closed doors, parties were worried that these substantive issues were becoming unmanageable. For the first time there was doubt that the Constitution would be adopted by 8 May 1996. Mandela and De Klerk agreed to an urgent bilateral meeting at Mandela’s Pretoria residence that Sunday.
At the CODESA negotiations, Cyril and I were prepared to take decisions and take it back to our respective principals – Mr. De Klerk and Mr. Mandela. Now the process was far more open and transparent and whatever we did here was immediately available to those who had concerns about what sort of agreements we were going to make. So, one had to interact all the time. Of course, that put a lot of pressure on those involved.
Roelf Meyer
then NP member of the Constitutional Assembly
A worried Cyril Ramaphosa and Roelf Meyer talking to other members of the Constitutional Assembly on the staircase in Parliament. Subash Jeram / Constitutional Assembly
