CODESA’s starting date is set

Delegates from twenty groups agreed, after preparatory talks in Johannesburg, on a date for the start of substantive negotiations on South Africa's future constitution through the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA). Its' opening session in Johannesburg was going to be on December 20 - 21. The SA government and the ruling National Party (NP) sent two separate delegations. The delegations of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) were joined at the talks by the Pan Africanist Party (PAC), Democratic Party (DP), South African Communist Party (SACP) and a host of other political parties. Delegates agreed that all the parties, including those that refused to attend the preparatory talks, would be invited to CODESA. A steering committee, comprising of a delegate from each of the twenty parties, chaired by Zach de Beer, was established in order to expedite the CODESA discussions.