STATEMENT BY PRINCE MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI, MP
PRESIDENT OF THE INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY

The occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Constitution is a time for a reflective and objective reflection upon our success in inculcating amongst our people the human rights provisions and guarantees contained within this living document.

In order to practise liberty, a nation must have a critical mass of individuals who truly grasp it. Well-constructed institutions and well-crafted texts do not of themselves ensure democracy and freedom. We must strive unceasingly to narrow the divide between intent and the real lives ordinary South Africans lead.

It is relevant to note that today is not, in fact, the 10th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Constitution. The IFP, and other political parties, asked the Constitutional Court to review some of the provisions of the draft Constitution, included the powers of provinces. The Constitution was only certified in October 1996.

I believe a Constitution is as only strong as its weakest link. A decade on it is clear that many of the IFP's concerns about inherent weaknesses in the Constitution have come to pass. Of particular concern to me is the relentless concentration of power at the centre. The lack of institutional autonomy is giving rise to autocracy. Power in South Africa is inexorably drifting towards a narrow political and economic oligarchy, whilst the plight of the poor ever worsens.

We must therefore not lose focus that we are celebrating today is, for many, merely political intent. We still need to bring about economic freedom that will transform our country into a truly free society based upon human dignity in which none of our people are afflicted by HIV/Aids, poverty, crime or despair.