 He helped to draft the Constitution of South Africa in 1996.His interest in human rights and land affairs led him to become Deputy Minister of Agriculture under Lulu Xingwana in the governments of Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe from 1999 until his retirement following the 2009 election.During his tenure, he supported land reform and worked to end the exploitation and unfair eviction of farm workers.