Twenty years of constitutional democracy

Abstract

Despite South Africa's achievement in creating this new constitution, enshrining both rights and obligations, the past 19 years have not been easy, as South Africa has struggled to entrench a culture of constitutional democracy. The journey through transformative constitutionalism is being undertaken against the backdrop of a profoundly complex and dividend historical and political context. Despite this, democracy under the supreme law has made some long-term and arguably sustainable inroads. South Africa has made significant progress in ensuring that the state is both accountable and transparent to its citizens. However, it continues to face many difficult in its twentieth year of democracy.