On Wednesday, 7 February 2024, Parliament’s second house, the National Council of Provinces’ committee working on the Expropriation Bill, met to discuss changes to the Bill.
The rule of law is one of the Constitution’s founding values. It is accordingly most disturbing to learn that one-third of magistrates were threatened or harmed in 2021/2022.
While South Africa is meant to be a participatory democracy, recent events have highlighted concerns about Parliament listening to the people.
The SOE Bill proposes a significant structural change to address challenges in South Africa’s strategic State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). While aiming to provide a unified oversight structure, concerns linger about its effectiveness.
Introduced on May 22, 2023, the Public Procurement Bill (B 18-2023) seeks to streamline South Africa’s public procurement framework. Concerns persist about its ability to ensure transparency and fairness. Urgent revisions are crucial to align the Bill with constitutional principles, upholding democratic values.
The statement highlights the revisions to the bill, specifically the removal of a contentious vetting clause for NGOs and religious bodies. Despite this positive change, the statement emphasizes persisting flaws, including vague definitions, threats to constitutional rights, and the absence of oversight mechanisms, indicating that GILAB continues to pose risks.
The chronic inefficiency plaguing the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the persistent delays in delivering judgments by our courts raises serious constitutional concerns, jeopardising the very essence of justice in our democratic society.
On behalf of the FW de Klerk Foundation, I would like to personally congratulate our national team and join my fellow South Africans in celebrating the Springboks’ glorious win at the 2023 Rugby World Cup at the Stade de France last Saturday.
On 12 October, the FW de Klerk Foundation made a submission on the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill to Parliament and the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services.
