The Congress of the People regrets the passing of one of South Africa's pioneers of racial reconciliation, Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert.

The Congress National Committee of COPE, meeting today in Johannesburg, noted the significant contribution he had made to South African politics, as a student, as an MP, as Leader of the Opposition in the then Parliament and as a civil society activist.

Slabbert was a visionary in a time when it was easy to conveniently ignore the injustice of the system of Apartheid. His moral objection to the Tricameral system led to him leaving Parliament with the conviction that if he could not change the system from within, he would focus his energy on forcing change from the outside.

As one of the leaders of the Dakar group, he was instrumental in opening up negotiations with the ANC in exile, an unprecedented gambit which shocked the Apartheid government. He was an Afrikaner intellectual who saw the shape of things to come.

Despite having their passports revoked by PW Botha's National Party government, these meetings paved the way for further negotiations with the liberation movement in exile, a courageous rebellion against a system which was designed to offer privilege to Afrikaners.

One of the unfinished works of this great man is the Commission on Electoral Reform. Van Zyl Slabbert's proposal on reform was a marriage of proportional representation and a constituency based system, thus making elected representatives directly accountable to the people.

Cope is of the opinion that such a system would do wonders for accountability and transparency, resulting in better service delivery. Such reform is a critical part of the Cope Manifesto.

We call on President Zuma to revive this debate by revisiting Slabbert's proposal. This would be in the best interests of the people of South Africa, and surely a fitting tribute to an icon of the liberation.

The Congress of the People offers its condolences to the Slabbert family, his comrades who served with him in politics and especially the broader family of Stellenbosch University, his Alfa Mater and institution where he served as Chancellor.

Cope intends to consult with interested and affected parties to support the nomination for a posthumous award for Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert.