Rule of Law Archives - FW de Klerk Foundation

LETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT ON FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION PARLIAMENTARY DISRUPTION RESEARCH

2026-06-08

The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the Presidency’s response to its research on the financial and constitutional cost of parliamentary disruptions. The Foundation’s analysis shows that disrupted sittings can cost taxpayers thousands of rand per minute while weakening Parliament’s duty to hold the Executive accountable. Following the Presidency’s encouragement, the Foundation will now engage Parliament directly on stronger accountability, consequence management and respect for South Africa’s constitutional institutions.

WHEN ANGER FINDS THE WRONG TARGET…XENOPHOBIC PROTESTS AND THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

2026-06-01

South Africa’s local government elections are approaching at a time of real unemployment, service delivery and governance failures, but xenophobic mobilisation is directing public anger at the wrong target. The article argues that anti-immigrant protests undermine constitutional accountability by replacing demands for competent local government with scapegoating, fear and unlawful vigilantism. The FW de Klerk Foundation warns that South Africa’s genuine grievances must be resolved through the rule of law, democratic accountability and constitutional governance – not hostility toward vulnerable minorities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION: SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS DIGITAL ACCESS LAW THAT MAKES SENSE

2026-05-15

The FW de Klerk Foundation notes ICASA’s recent statement that, under the current Electronic Communications Act of 2005, full recognition of equity equivalent investment programmes in telecommunications would require legislative amendment. That position, coupled with Minister Solly Malatsi’s stated intention to pursue such amendments, reveals a deeper problem than a single regulatory dispute. It reveals a legal and policy disharmony that South Africa can no longer afford. As the country moves toward the 4 November 2026 local government elections, digital access is no longer peripheral. It bears directly on service delivery, public participation, education, local accountability and economic inclusion.

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.

FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER RISING XENOPHOBIC MOBILISATION

2026-05-10

The FW de Klerk Foundation has expressed concern over the growing escalation of xenophobic mobilisation and anti-immigrant intimidation in parts of South Africa. While acknowledging legitimate concerns around undocumented migration and border management, the Foundation stresses that immigration enforcement must remain lawful, constitutional and state-led. The Foundation warns that vigilantism, collective punishment and hate-driven exclusion threaten human dignity, social cohesion and the rule of law.

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LETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT ON FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION PARLIAMENTARY DISRUPTION RESEARCH

WHEN ANGER FINDS THE WRONG TARGET…XENOPHOBIC PROTESTS AND THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

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

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

WHEN PARLIAMENT IS DISRUPTED, TAXPAYERS PAY

ELECTORAL COUNTDOWN AS JOHANNESBURG HANGS BY A THREAD

FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION: SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS DIGITAL ACCESS LAW THAT MAKES SENSE

LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESET MUST BRING THE CONSTITUTION HOME

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