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CODESA

CODESA was a negotiating forum aimed at producing a new constitutional dispensation for a post-apartheid South Africa. It was established by the end of 1991 and all political parties with a proven support base could send representatives. Certain parties decided not to participate, including the Conservative Party (CP), Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO), the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and far-right groups. CODESA I laid an important foundation for future multiracial talks in South Africa. At the first meeting it was decided that a second round of talks, CODESA II, would be held in March 1992. But the Inkhatha Freedom Party (IFP) refused to attend the second plenary session when the Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini was not given full negotiation rights.

CODESA II was only held in May 1992, and soon reached a deadlock as the different parties could not reach on agreement on two important issues, namely an interim government and constitution. After the convention's failure, the USA urged President F.W. de Klerk and ANC president Nelson Mandela Lars, please link this to Mandela special project . to settle their differences and to resume negotiations.

A few months after CODESA II, talks began again with the Multi-Party Negotiation Process (MPNP), which tried to solve the problems which CODESA could not. Multiracial negotiations continued in 1993, a year before the first fully democratic elections in South Africa. This time the CP, PAC, Afrikaner Volksunie and the KwaZulu government took part in the discussions.

Read more on South Africa's move to democracy and specifically the origins, aims, events and problems of CODESA 1 and 2.

Source:

Brits, J. P. (1995). The Penguin concise dictionary of historical and political terms. Johannesburg: Penguin.

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