Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has moved to allay fears that the country's constitution is under threat, saying the executive remained committed to the supremacy of the document.
Speaking at a Black Management Forum (BMF) constitutional symposium on Thursday, Zuma said while government welcomed comments on the country's constitutional development, people should not use the constitution "for cheap politicking and to gain cheap political points".
In a clear reference to a recent march to the constitutional court by leaders of the Democratic Alliance and Independent Democrats over what they called a threat to the constitution, Zuma said the country's constitution will remain protected. He described the actions of the two political parties on Freedom Day as "mischievous".
"As the executive, we've always underlined our respect for the independence of the judiciary and our respect for the constitution. We therefore take a view that we should not be rigid in our definition of the separation of powers," said Zuma.
He said the ruling African National Congress was the first to defend the constitution when it drafted the Freedom Chatter in the late 50s. "We were the first to defend it and we will be the last to defend it," he said to loud applause.
South Africa's constitution, he said, remained one of the best in the world because of the amount of time spent in drafting in it. "Ours is also a unique constitution because it entrenches key socio-economic rights".
Zuma went on to say that one of the state's constitutional obligations is to ensure that land is linked to the development of people's lives as enshrined in the Bill of Rights. "That is why we have decided as government that, in order to move forward with land redistribution and restitution certain changes needed to be made in the willing buyer willing seller model," he said.
Government is investigating cheaper ways of ensuring that the issue of land was resolved as swiftly as possible within the boundaries of the constitution.
Zuma undertook that the practice of land invasion, witnessed in some African countries, would never take place in South Africa saying the country had law abiding citizens.
An honorary member of the BMF, Zuma called on those attending the meeting to have a frank and constructive debate on the constitution, saying he was looking forward to receiving a report on the debate.
He urged them to expose the practice of fronting that often accompanies Black Economic Empowerment transactions.
Zuma, who also acknowledged that BEE and employment equity were still not being applied fully, said government viewed the unintended consequence of fronting as a challenge and it needed to be rooted out.
"We are aware that the majority of our black people still lack behind in terms of ownership of resources...and BEE remains an integral part to address that".
Earlier, BMF President Jimmy Manyi said his organisation will not stop in its work "until we have real black business in this country".
"We want to see black mangers and we want to swell the ranks of government and we are unapologetic about it," said Manyi who is also the Labour Department's Director General.
Zuma promised that government will use the BEE Advisory Council, launched earlier this year, to identify any bottle necks that may still exist in the transformation of the country's economy.
