While public hearings on the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill continue nationally, it is no surprise that the majority of the comments received have voiced strong opposition to it.
In his recent articles on the Constitution, Prof Koos Malan expresses the view that those of us who supported the constitutional transformation of South Africa between 1989 and 1996 were motivated by some kind of liberal-religious delusion. Dave Steward, Chairman of the FW de Klerk Foundation, responds.
Firing a Cruise Missile Across South Africa’s Bow? Issued By the FW de Klerk Foundation on 15/05/2023 Enormous confusion has been created by US
Dis vandag International Day of Parliamentarism waartydens die aandag gevestig word op die rol van ‘n parlement in ‘n demokrasie. Suid-Afrika se parlement het ‘n
By the end of this week the ANC’s wayward secretary-general, Ace Magashule, either has to step aside from his official top-6 position or face immediate suspension. But already there are signs of soft-pedalling should the ANC not follow through, with Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile saying last week that the ANC does not regard the deadline as being D-Day.
Now that we are entering Phase III of the COVID19 lockdown process, this may be a good time to take stock.
We live in the strangest of times. The world’s great airports are idle. Hundreds of thousands of hotels have closed. Schools and universities are empty. Millions of restaurants are shut. Everywhere owners of small and medium-size businesses are wracking their brains and scraping the barrel of their resources to keep their doors open. Tens of millions throughout the world have lost their jobs – and tens of millions more are subsisting on greatly reduced wages.
All those who are concerned about the future of sport and recreation in South Africa should give very serious attention to the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Bill [B-2020] that has been presented for public comment before 28 February. The Bill has serious implications – not only for sport and recreation – but also for the principle that citizens and organisations in free societies should be able to go about their lawful activities and business without undue interference or prescription by the state.
The Bill – which will amend the National Sport and Recreation Act, No. 110 of 1998 – would diminish the role of sports federations, clubs and individuals and give the Minister (Mr Nathi Mthethwa) wide-ranging powers to dictate policy to virtually everyone involved in the sport and recreation sector. In terms of 1998 Act, his power was limited to determining general policy – only after consultation with the Sports Confederation. The Bill would give the Minister the untrammelled power, “from time to time to determine and publish policy objectives to be achieved by Sports and Recreation South Africa, the Sports Confederation and sports or recreation bodies”.
There are few issues that are discussed as often as the success (or not) of President Cyril Ramaphosa – even during Rugby World Cup time. Everyone (except the Zuptas and EFF) wants him to succeed and believes that he will succeed. But doubts erode this trust every time something negative happens in the country: whether it’s yet another SOE demanding a lifeline, or the case of a student raped and murdered by a public servant. And the recurring refrain is that if Cyril does not succeed soon, there will be no economy or country left to save. William Saunderson-Meyer recently posed the question: can he be referred to as Cyril the Tiger, or is he merely Puss in Boots?
The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) issued a report on 28 August entitled “Running out of Road: South Africa’s public finances and what is to be done”. They conclude that if South Africa does not overcome its fiscal crisis, there will be no accelerated economic growth. However, the opposite is also true: if we don’t start growing the economy, we will not be able to cope with the fiscal crisis. South Africa needs an uncompromising growth strategy, which must be applied strictly. CDE Chief Ann Bernstein warns that Government and the ruling party do not seem to fully realise how profound the changes are that are needed and how much leadership it will take from the President to get it right.
