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Defending Non-negotiable /terns
As previously discussed non-negotiable items should be identified during
preparation for negotiation. It must also be noted that what may have been a nonnegotiable
item may end up as a bargaining tool. Therefore you must be in a position to
defend it ifyour opponents have realised it. This can be done in the following ways:
Once you have detected that some items are non-negotiable, you can use them
as a bargaining chip
~ Ifyour opponent wants you to make more concessions, emphasise clearly that
you have already made considerable concessions during the negotiations.
~ Make your non-negotiable items negotiable, but the trade-off should be so
unattainable that it won't be acceptable.
One of the non-negotiable items during the negotiations for a new democratic
South Africa between the African National Congress and the National Party was the
handing over of arms by Umkhonto Wesizwe (the military arm of the ANC) to the
South African Government. Mr Nelson Mandela made it absolutely clear in his speech
at the opening ofthe first session ofCODESA (the Convention for a Democratic South
Africa) at Kempton Park that the ANC would not hand over their weapons to Mr De
Klerk because there were a lot of people who were being killed and the government
was doing nothing to stop the violence. Therefore the weapons could not be handed
over to someone who was regarded by the people as responsible for the killings. The
perception was that some elements in the Security Forces were involved in the killings.
Instead of handing over the weapons the people were demanding to be armed. In fact,
Mr Mandela reiterated that the ANC had suspended the armed struggle in spite of the
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