COPE and AfriForum take hands in opposing the amendment of the Constitution
10 September 2018
COPE and AfriForum announced today at a joint media conference held in Pretoria that they are joining forces to request that the South African public and the international community apply pressure to stop the ANC/Parliament from acting without a legal mandate from the South African voters in their illegitimate bid to amend the Constitution, to protect the Constitution, property rights, the economy and the 1994 settlement.
Mosiuoa Lekota, President of the South African opposition party COPE, and Kallie Kriel, CEO of the civil rights organisation AfriForum, will visit foreign embassies in South Africa together to request that the international community apply pressure on the South African government and the ruling ANC to honour the South African Constitution, property rights and the 1994 settlement and that the ANC accepts that they don’t have a legitimate mandate from South African voters via an election to amend the Constitution. The embassies to be visited will be announced as soon as the appointments have been made.
COPE and AfriForum’s decision to defend the Constitution, property rights and the 1994 settlement came after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on 31 July this year that he and the ANC had decided to amend the property rights clause in Section 25 of the South African Constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation.
According to Lekota, President Ramaphosa’s announcement to change the Constitution’s conditions in terms of property rights has violated his oath of office as well as Section 83(b) of the Constitution, which stipulates that the President of South Africa must uphold, defend and respect the Constitution. Lekota pointed out that the amendment of the Constitution is the sole right of the South African voters and not of the ANC, Ramaphosa, Parliament or any party.