On Sunday I became a signatory to the Asmal Declaration ‘against the injunction to kill and in defence of the Constitution we must live for'. I now call on Jacob Zuma to add his name to the declaration, to announce formally that he has done so and to call on his allies to retract their recent unconstitutional remarks.

This initiative by Kader Asmal, the ANC's leading defender of the constitution, must be welcomed at this critical juncture in our history. In the last few weeks, we have seen an unprecedented attack on the Constitution by key tripartite alliance leaders Zwelinzima Vavi, Julius Malema, Buti Manamela and Gwede Mantashe.

All of these leaders have rubbished the Constitution in the political interests of their leader, Jacob Zuma. They have shown South Africa that the rule of law counts for little if it stands in the way of untrammelled political power.

Instead of reining in and denouncing those who undermine the Constitution in his name, Zuma has remained quiet. His silence, if it continues, must be taken as a sign that he too has no respect for our constitutional order. Indeed, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that this is so.

All political leaders, particularly one who aspires to the office of President of the Republic, should sign the declaration. It commits those who sign it to nothing more than upholding the values of our Constitution - what one would expect to be the minimum requirement for any politician.

Now is the time for Jacob Zuma to take a stand against those in his party who hold the Constitution with contempt. By signing Kader Asmal's declaration and publicly expressing his support for it, Jacob Zuma would send out the signal that a future ANC government will respect the rule of law and our nation's founding values.

Statement issued by Helen Zille, leader of the Democratic Alliance, July 8 2008