Relying on political leadership to come to political agreements was only one part of the challenge. It was quite another thing to have the lawyers creatively articulate these into legally acceptable formulations. The ANC relied on several experts, one of whom was Arthur Chaskalson. Arthur very quickly stood out for the masterful manner in which he was able to construct constitutional solutions. His crisp understanding of the issues and sharp legal mind allowed him to craft some very precise legal and constitutional proposals.

That Christmas of 1993, the dreaded South Easter came with more than the usual amount of rain and strong relentless winds. Despite this, I was spellbound by the amazing work done by Arthur Chaskalson and Zam Titus who prepared the final legal text. This paved the way to the establishment of the Transitional Executive Council, which was to oversee the run-up to the first democratic election scheduled for 27 April 1994. The ANC’s Negotiations Commission had effectively completed its mandate.