CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT MUST REDRESS THE PAST WITHOUT CONTRACTING SOUTH AFRICA INTO RACIAL FOREVERISM
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 THE PRICE OF LOST OVERSIGHT
The FW de Klerk Foundation has released new calculations detailing the severe public cost of parliamentary disruptions, revealing that just one hour of disorder in a joint sitting can cost taxpayers nearly R1 million.
WHEN PARLIAMENT IS DISRUPTED, TAXPAYERS PAY
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.
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
BELA BILL ORAL SUBMISSION TO PARLIAMENT
On 7 March, Ismail Joosub, the FW de Klerk Foundation’s Legal Officer, made an oral submission to Parliament on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (the BELA Bill).
GAS GOVERNANCE: FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION RAISES CONCERNS ON GAS AMENDMENT DRAFT BILL
The FW de Klerk Foundation has submitted detailed comments on the Gas Amendment Draft Bill to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
EXTENSION GRANTED TO AD HOC COMMITTEE ON GENERAL INTELLIGENCE LAWS AMENDMENT BILL
The Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee working on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (“the GILAB”) has been granted an extension until 22 March 2024.
SPEECHES
TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE: FROM CONFLICT TO RESOLUTION AND HEALING
SPEECH BY FORMER PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK TO THE CONFERENCE ON TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE: FROM CONFLICT TO RESOLUTION AND HEALING; BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA; 17 APRIL
COMBATTING THE AIDS PANDEMIC
STATEMENT BY MR F W DE KLERK; ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, JOHANNESBURG, 6 DECEMBER 2000 I have been asked to say a few words about
THE PLIGHT OF THE CHILDREN OF AFRICA
MEMORIAL LECTURE BY FORMER PRESIDENT F W DE KLERK TO THE OSIGWE ANYIAM – OSIGWE FOUNDATION, LAGOS, 30 NOVEMBER 2000 ‘LEADERSHIP AND ITS
EVENTS
FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION RELEASES “WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT ANYWAY?” – A NEW DIGITAL GUIDE TO THE 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
The FW de Klerk Foundation and its partners have launched Whose Responsibility Is It Anyway?, a new digital guide designed to help South Africans, particularly young voters, navigate the 2026 Local Government Elections. The guide explains the role of local government, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and the practical steps required to register and vote. As the first in a three-part series, it aims to strengthen constitutional literacy, democratic participation and accountability beyond election day.
STATE ABDICATION AND INCAPABILITY: THE CATALYST FOR VIOLENCE, CORRUPTION, AND LAWLESSNESS
South Africa possesses one of the world’s most progressive constitutions and highly sophisticated policy frameworks. Yet, a catastrophic disconnect exists across every tier of governance: chronic state inaction and regulatory blindness, followed inevitably by frantic, performative, and costly reactive crisis management.
LETTER FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT ON FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION PARLIAMENTARY DISRUPTION RESEARCH
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.
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