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FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION: MUNICIPAL COLLAPSE IS A FAILURE TO HONOUR THE CONSTITUTION AHEAD OF THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

2026-06-01

The FW de Klerk Foundation warns that municipal collapse is not merely a service-delivery failure, but a failure to honour the Constitution’s promise of democratic, accountable and development-oriented local government. With municipal debt to Eskom exceeding R130 billion and governance failures deepening across several municipalities, the Foundation argues that the 2026 Local Government Elections must become a genuine reckoning for elected officials and candidates. The Foundation calls for credible municipal recovery plans, ring-fenced service revenue, merit-based appointments and independent performance data to restore constitutional accountability at local level.

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PUBLIC PROCUREMENT MUST REDRESS THE PAST WITHOUT CONTRACTING SOUTH AFRICA INTO RACIAL FOREVERISM

2026-05-25

The FW de Klerk Foundation argues that South Africa must pursue meaningful redress for the injustices of apartheid without turning racial classification into a permanent organising principle of public procurement. This article cautions that the Public Procurement Act of 2024 and proposed 2026 regulations risk placing rigid preference mechanisms above fairness, competition, transparency, cost-effectiveness and municipal capacity. The Foundation calls for a more constitutionally disciplined model of procurement that targets real disadvantage, builds supplier capability, fights corruption and advances South Africa towards a genuinely non-racial society.

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WHEN PARLIAMENT IS DISRUPTED, TAXPAYERS PAY

2026-05-20

When Parliament is disrupted, taxpayers pay not only for lost time, but for weakened oversight and reduced accountability. This article argues that parliamentary disorder carries a measurable public cost, using official remuneration and budget figures to estimate what each wasted minute means in rands. It concludes that robust debate must be protected, but preventable obstruction should carry consequences that reflect the real cost to citizens.

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THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION WELCOMES NATIONAL HEALTH ACT JUDGMENT

2026-05-19

The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the Constitutional Court’s judgment yesterday declaring sections 36 to 40 of the National Health Act, 2003 are unconstitutional. The sections had required anyone establishing, or operating, a health facility or service to obtain a certificate of need proving, amongst other things, its necessity, alignment with state planning and contribution to equitable access to healthcare.

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ELECTORAL COUNTDOWN AS JOHANNESBURG HANGS BY A THREAD

2026-05-15

Johannesburg’s growing fiscal and governance crisis has become more than a municipal problem. It is now a constitutional and economic warning about what happens when political instability, infrastructure decay and financial mismanagement begin to hollow out local government. As South Africa approaches the 4 November 2026 local government elections, the future of Johannesburg may well become a referendum on whether democratic governance can still deliver stability, accountability and basic services.

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SAHRC REPORT: SERVICE DELIVERY FAILURES IN THE NORTHERN CAPE, NO LONGER ADMINISTRATIVE GLITCHES, BUT SYSTEMIC HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.

2026-05-15

The South African Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) 2025-2026 Provincial Inquiry Report into the Northern Cape serves as a harrowing indictment of local governance. Spanning 26 local municipalities, the report details a landscape where the constitutional promise of dignity is being systematically eroded by institutional incapacity, financial mismanagement, and a catastrophic failure of basic infrastructure.

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESET MUST BRING THE CONSTITUTION HOME

2026-05-11

The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the Reviewed Draft White Paper on Local Government and argues that South Africa’s municipal crisis requires a constitutional reset rather than isolated technical fixes. The statement highlights the importance of accountable, professional and depoliticised local government that can give practical meaning to constitutional rights through reliable service delivery and responsive governance. It further cautions that reform must strengthen local democracy, municipal autonomy and public participation while restoring trust in local government institutions.

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