CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
AUDITOR-GENERAL TSAKANI MALULEKE TABLED THE CONSOLIDATED REPORT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUDIT OUTCOMES 2024-25 ON 24 JUNE 2026
Overall State: The 2024-25 Auditor-General report reveals that local government has failed to achieve a turnaround, resulting in unreliable services and failing infrastructure.
A DEFIANCE OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL COMPACT: THE PERIL OF XENOPHOBIC MOBILISATION
The FW de Klerk Foundation views the ongoing escalation of xenophobic violence, intimidation, and the scapegoating of foreign nationals in South Africa with profound alarm. We write this to state clearly: such acts are not merely “community grievances” – they are a direct, violent, and unacceptable affront to the foundational values of our 1996 constitutional settlement.
CIVIL SOCIETY CALLS FOR TIME-BOUND PARLIAMENTARY ACTION ON ELECTORAL REFORM
Civil society organisations and individuals urge Parliament to act without delay to finalise its consideration of the Electoral Reform Consultation Panel’s report, warning that the window to secure meaningful electoral reform before the 2029 national and provincial elections is rapidly closing.
PODCASTS
THE CONSTITUTION@WORK PRESENTS: 2023 CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS AND LINGUISTIC RIGHTS REPORT CARD
22 September 2023 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am –
In the latest episode of The Constitution@Work podcast, Tyla Dallas, FW de Klerk Foundation Manager of Constitutional Programmes, is joined by Foundation Chairman Dave Steward, Legal Officer Ismail Joosub, and Reseach Intern Liam Erasmus, to discuss the findings of the Foundation’s 2023 Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Report Card, which will be released this Friday, 22 September, in honour of Heritage Day.
THE CONSTITUTION@WORK PRESENTS: PROPERTY RIGHTS FOR ALL SOUTH AFRICANS
10 July 2023 @ 12:00 am –
In this special edition of the Constitution@Work, we discuss the Foundation’s upcoming conference in Johannesburg this Friday which will focus on the extension and defence of property rights for ALL South Africans.
THE CONSTITUTION@WORK PRESENTS: EMPLOYMENT EQUITY
28 June 2023 @ 12:00 am –
In this episode of The Constitution@Work, we discuss South Africa’s latest Employment Equity Regulations and how they measure up against the Constitution with Michael Bagraim, renowned labour law expert and a Member of Parliament’s Employment and Labour Committee…
SUBMISSIONS
SUBMISSION ON THE CONSTITUTION NINETEENTH AMENDMENT BILL
The FW de Klerk Foundation’s submission regarding the Constitution Nineteenth Amendment Bill.
SUBMISSION ON THE ELECTORAL REFORM CONSULTATION PANEL
The FW de Klerk Foundation’s submission regarding the electoral reform consultation panel.
THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION COMMENTS ON GENERAL MUNICIPAL BILL, OPPOSES EXTENDING TIME TO RECTIFY IRREGULAR APPOINTMENTS
Daniela Ellerbeck, the Foundation’s Constitutional Rights Manager, reviews the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ General Municipal Bill.
SPEECHES
THE ROLE OF BUSINESS AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA
SPEECH BY FORMER PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK TO THE INSTITUTE OF DIRECTORS, JOHANNESBURG, 6 JUNE 2006 THE ROLE OF BUSINESS AND CIVIL SOCIETY
DEALING WITH CULTURAL, ETHNIC AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY – THE CHALLENGE OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM
SPEECH BY FORMER PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK TO THE DISRAELIAN UNION LONDON, 22 MAY 2006 DEALING WITH DIVERSITY It is a
THE TIES BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE NETHERLANDS – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
SPEECH BY FORMER PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK ON THE OCCASION OF THE 125TH ANIVERSARY OF THE NEDERLANDS ZUID-AFRKA VERENIGING VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT AMSTERDAM, 20 MAY
EVENTS
FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION SUPPORTS PARLIAMENT’S CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY AND FASTER ACTION ON SCHOOL SANITATION
The FW de Klerk Foundation notes with concern Parliament’s Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and Creative Industries’ criticism about the Department of Basic Education’s communication on school sanitation. The Foundation shares Parliament’s concern that government must present an accurate picture of the challenges that remain. Parliament’s oversight visits to schools in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and North West found that many learners still use unsafe toilets and attend schools without reliable water. No child should face these conditions.
MODERN VOTING IS NOT ENOUGH IF MUNICIPALITIES REMAIN OPAQUE
South Africa is modernising the voting process through online registration, mobile tools and accessible election information. But after voters elect municipal councils, many still struggle to access clear, reliable information about service delivery, budgets, complaints and audit findings. This article argues that the 2026 local government elections must be about more than voting: Municipalities must open up, report back and account.
A VISIT TO THE CAPE TOWN SOCIETY OF THE BLIND
The CTSB is one of a few selected non-governmental organisations that received financial support from the FW de Klerk Foundation in recognition of the excellent work they are doing and the valuable contribution that they make towards fulfilling the constitutional rights of vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities. The funds dispersed in 2026 to these organisations were raised through the 2025 Nedbank SA Charity Golf Day, a yearly event of which President De Klerk is a Life Patron.
CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
- Equality
- Non-racialism
- Gender Rights
- The Constitution
- The Rule of Law
- Multiparty Democracy
- Personal Rights
- Cultural, Religious and Language Rights
- Freedom of Expression and Political Rights
- Social and Economic Rights
- Property Rights
- Education
- Access To The Courts, Information And Fair Adminstration