Analysing the resilience of the emergent political culture of constitutionalism in South Africa

Abstract

The aims of this article are twofold: to identify the nature of South Africa's political culture or pattern of orientations towards participation in and respect for constitutional government that helps to sustain democracy in the country; and to assess the resilience of the spirit of constitutionalism in government circles, as well as among ordinary South African citizens. The article also has a subtext about the factors that can derail South Africa's fledgling democracy, but which, because of length constraints, were not systematically developed or fully explicated in the text itself. The term "emergent political culture" is used expressly to signify the embryonic and vulnerable nature of a common culture of constitutional compliance to the rule of law.