The Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill was made available for public comment in 2016, after a protracted process that commenced almost 10 years ago.
Join us for a discussion hosted by the Centre for Unity in Diversity (CUD), supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). The topic will look at the role of law in constituting a contemporary South African Identity.
Join us for a discussion hosted by the Centre for Unity in Diversity (CUD), supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). The topic will look at the role of law in constituting a contemporary South African Identity.
The FW de Klerk Foundation condemns the vitriolic attack by EFF Deputy President, Floyd Shivambu, on Ismail Momoniat at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance on 5 June 2018. This indicates yet again the abuse of parliamentary privilege and more significantly, the rabid race politics of the EFF.
Shivambu objected to the presence of Treasury Deputy Director-General Ismail Momoniat at the meeting. He asked why Director-General Dondo Mogajane did not appear and concluded that this undermined African ‘representativeness’. He went so far as to say that Momoniat’s presence undermined African leadership. An EFF statement reasserted Shivambu’s comments, “Momoniat has no regard for black, particularly African leadership in National Treasury and this includes his disrespect of Director-General and African Ministers and Deputy Ministers. To him, leadership that deserves respect is only those of Indian, Coloured or White origin. In virtually everything that National Treasury does, Momoniat dictates.”
A perusal of the proceedings of the Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee, of its 23 May 2018 meeting, makes for grim reading in respect of the work of the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB).
The Auditor-General (AG) Kimi Makwetu and the Minister of Cooperative Governance, Zweli Mkhize, recently stated things are worsening with the finances (and by implication therefore with service delivery) at municipalities. The shocking figures in this regard are already well known: irregular expenditure increased to R28.3 billion (from R 16.2 billion in 2015/2016) nationwide – an increase of 75%. In addition, 128 of the 257 the municipalities across the country are experiencing serious financial difficulties, and only 13% (33) received clean audits. Eskom has announced that municipalities now have more than R14 billion worth of outstanding debt for unpaid electricity bills alone.
By government’s own admission, it is no longer necessary to continue embellishing the state of affairs. It is enough to make one ill, literally in the case of millions of South Africans who are on the receiving end of dismal municipal service, if at all. The question staring us in the face is: how can this crisis be solved? How can we get back to a place where municipalities put the people they are supposed to serve first? To answer this question, one first needs to examine the causes of this state of affairs.
The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the passing of the Public Audit Amendment Bill (the Bill) by the National Assembly on 29 May 2018. The Bill gives the Office of the Auditor-General (AG) more powers to effectively address maladministration.The Bill will empower the AG to refer adverse findings in its reports to investigative bodies at all levels of government, as well as state-owned entities.
The specific amendments will permit the Office of the AG to refer gross irregularities to authorities, including the National Prosecuting Authority, as well as the Public Protector, to recover funds lost due to non-adherence to the Public Finance Management Act, from accounting officers. This includes fraud, theft or any breaches of fiduciary duty where significant harm to the general public or a public entity occurs.
On the 25 May 2018, the Continent will ring in 55 years of the declaration of Africa Day.
Large posters atop buildings, along highways and roads commemorate 24 years since the genocide in Rwanda with the words Kwibuka24-remember-unite-renew (Remembrance24).
