Why there is no party ban in the South African constitution

With the decision to abstain from introducing a constitutional provision for the banning of particularistic and extremist parties South Africa appears to be the exception in Africa. This article is interested in the main reasons for this particular constitutional practice. For this purpose three hypotheses will be developed. The article argues that the structures of South Africa's transition to democracy, in particular the beliefs, experiences, and interests of the main transition actors, account for this specific constitutional choice.