CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
SECURING THE FOUNDATION OF PROSPERITY: WHY SOUTH AFRICA MUST EXPAND, NOT ABOLISH, PROPERTY RIGHTS
Three decades after South Africa’s transition to a non-racial democracy, the country’s unresolved land question remains one of its most volatile political and economic fault lines. Recently, calls to abolish private land ownership have resurfaced with renewed vigor. Promoted by political figures such as Mzwanele “Jimmy” Manyi and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), this populist rhetoric advocates for the elimination of private property in favour of total state ownership or state trusteeship.
WHEN ANGER FINDS THE WRONG TARGET…XENOPHOBIC PROTESTS AND THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
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
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.
PODCASTS
THE CONSTITUTION@WORK PRESENTS: THE IMPACT OF THE BASIC EDUCATION LAWS AMENDMENT BILL ON LANGUAGE RIGHTS IN SA
14 September 2022 @ 12:00 am –
In this series of The Constitution@Work, FW de Klerk Foundation Chairperson Dave Steward and Manager of Constitutional Programmes Tyla Dallas discuss the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (“BELA Bill”) and the severe impact it will have on language rights and undocumented learners in South Africa.
THE CONSTITUTION@WORK PRESENTS: THE CURRENT THREAT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS WITH JONATHAN GRANOFF
29 August 2022 @ 12:00 am –
Thirteen years ago, the United Nations declared 29 August as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. In honour of the occasion, the latest episode of The Constitution@Work – the new podcast series by the FW de Klerk Foundation – features Foundation Chairman Dave Steward in conversation with Jonathan Granoff on the current threat of nuclear weapons, particularly against the backdrop…
SUBMISSIONS
BASIC EDUCATION LAWS AMENDMENT BILL SUBMISSION TO THE WCPP
The FW de Klerk Foundation’s submission regarding the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament.
PARLY’S SECOND HOUSE PASSES THE EXPROPRIATION BILL
On Tuesday, 19 March 2024, Parliament’s second house, the National Council of Provinces, passed a version of the Expropriation Bill which allows for expropriation without compensation.
THE GILAB: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
The FW de Klerk Foundation outlines the problems and potential solutions to the GILAB, whilst also outlining the progression of the Bill from inception to its current form.
SPEECHES
GLOBALISATION WITHOUT ISOLATION
SPEECH BY FORMER PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY, KENTUCKY, 10 MARCH 2005 NORTH-WEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY, 5 OCTOBER 2005 BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE,ALABAMA,16
THE ROLE OF MINORITIES IN THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA
SPEECH BY FORMER PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK TO THE CAPE TOWN PRESS CLUB: 28 FEBRUARY 2005 THE ROLE OF MINORITIES IN THE NEW
THE EFFECT OF SANCTIONS ON CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA
THE EFFECT OF SANCTIONS ON CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA SPEECH BY FORMER PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK TO THE INSTITUT CHOISEUL PARIS, 14 JUNE
EVENTS
THE WARD COUNCILLOR YOU’VE NEVER MET IS MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT YOUR LIFE
As first appeared in Sunday World. With local election turnout declining and youth disengagement deepening, too many South Africans remain disconnected from the ward councillors and municipalities that shape their daily lives. A new civic research initiative seeks to turn citizens’ experiences into evidence that can strengthen democratic participation, service delivery and municipal accountability ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
ABDULLAH IBRAHIM: A JAZZ ICON OF INTERNATIONAL STATURE
Abdullah Ibrahim’s influence extends far beyond the distinctive sounds of District Six, the townships, and the broader narrative of Africa’s struggle against injustice. Through his compositions, he endowed African jazz with symphonic depth and elevated it to the international stage. His legacy lives on in the communities where he laid the groundwork for the next generation of jazz musicians. It lives on across both local and international stages. It lives on in every musician who pays tribute to him by interpreting his music as their own.
THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION URGES PARLIAMENT TO ACT ON R1 BILLION MILITARY HOSPITAL FAILURE
The FW de Klerk Foundation urges Parliament to act to ensure that public funds are used efficiently, economically, effectively, and transparently. The Foundation is concerned about the repair and maintenance project at Tshwane’s 1 Military Hospital. More than R1 billion has been spent, yet the project remains incomplete. Government is now considering a new facility.
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