The FW de Klerk Foundation was officially incorporated as a not-for-profit trust on 6 June 1999. Learn about the Foundation’s efforts thus far and its goals for the future.
On 15 September, the FW de Klerk Foundation made a written submission to the National Council of Provinces on the National Health Insurance Bill. The Foundation analysed key failures of the NHI Bill with specific reference to the constitutional principle of the Rule of Law and rationality, the feasibility of the proposed system and governance concerns, coupled with the unfettered power of the Minister of Health (“the Minister”).
On 15 September, the FW de Klerk Foundation made a written submission to the National Council of Provinces on the National Health Insurance Bill. The Foundation analysed key failures of the NHI Bill with specific reference to the constitutional principle of the Rule of Law and rationality, the feasibility of the proposed system and governance concerns, coupled with the unfettered power of the Minister of Health (“the Minister”).
On 30 July 2023, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) Amendment Bill was introduced in the National Assembly, and is currently being considered by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police. Despite being labelled as unconstitutional by legal experts, including the Office of the Chief State Law Advisor, the Bill seeks to grant unprecedented power to Police Minister Bheki Cele over the IPID. The Bill has sparked intense debate and legal scrutiny in South Africa, with concern expressed over the potential implications it carries for the nation’s policing sector.
On 15th September, parliaments around the world celebrate International Day of Democracy, introduced by the UN General Assembly in 2007 with the aim of actively promoting the principles of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
On 29 August 2023, Kholeka Gcaleka, who is the Acting Public Protector (APP), was nominated as the candidate to succeed the disgraced Busisiwe Mkhwebane as Public Protector (PP). Mkhwebane’s predecessor, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, demonstrated how the office of Public Protector could play a crucial role in holding to account state institutions that were suspected of improper conduct. Indeed, her fearless exposure of state capture under President Jacob Zuma played a pivotal role in forcing his resignation. Sadly, Mkhwebane did not continue this proud tradition and instead mired the office in unseemly controversy after controversy, racking up an unprecedented number of judicial rebukes in the process.
In a recent interview with Alec Hogg of BizNews, Dr. Mavuso Msimang, the Deputy President of the ANC’s Veteran’s League, took issue with Anthea Jeffery’s epic analysis of the ANC’s National Democratic Revolution. He said that “in summary, the NDR is not inherently part of the ANC’s framework”. The ANC was not committed to socialism and was “more likely to follow the example of the Scandinavian countries, which are capitalist economies with strong social safety nets.”
The challenge of the new Electoral Act by the Independent Candidate Association of South Africa (ICA), which will be heard in the Constitutional Court next week, illustrates some of the great strengths and dismal weaknesses of our democratic system.
As we continue to commemorate Women’s Month and the ongoing journey towards gender equality, South Africa is making great strides through two transformative legislative initiatives: the Divorce Act Amendment Bill and the Draft Marriages Act.
