CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESET MUST BRING THE CONSTITUTION HOME
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.
CAN TECHNOLOGY SAVE DEMOCRACY? A LOOK INTO AI AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS
As South Africa approaches the 2026 local government elections, the growing role of artificial intelligence presents both democratic risks and democratic opportunities. While misinformation, synthetic media and declining public trust threaten electoral integrity, technology can also strengthen civic education, improve access to verified information and reconnect young people to democratic participation. The real challenge is therefore not whether technology can save democracy, but whether it can be responsibly used to strengthen constitutional resilience, public trust and active citizenship.
FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER RISING XENOPHOBIC MOBILISATION
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.
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
RACE, RIGHTS AND RESOURCES: ANALYSING THE UPRD BILL
The Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill, which seeks to introduce significant amendments to laws governing the exploration and extraction of petroleum resources, will have profound implications for South Africa’s energy sector and constitutional framework.
UPSTREAM PETROLEUM RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT BILL SUBMISSION
UPSTREAM PETROLEUM RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT BILL SUBMISSION Click here to read the submission.
BELA BILL SUBMISSION NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
BELA BILL SUBMISSION NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES Click here to read the submission.
SPEECHES
PRESIDENT DE KLERK’S SPEECH AFTER THE ADOPTION BY PARLIAMENT OF THE 1993 CONSTITUTION
PRESIDENT DE KLERK’S SPEECH AFTER THE ADOPTION BY PARLIAMENT OF THE 1993 CONSTITUTION EMBARGO: VERGELYK TEEN LEWERING CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY TOESPRAAK BY GELEENTHEID VAN AFSLUITING
SPEECH BY PRESIDENT FW DE KLERK ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
SPEECH BY PRESIDENT FW DE KLERK ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE SPEECH BY THE STATE PRESIDENT, MR F W DE KLERK, ON
THE DISMANTLING OF SOUTH AFRICA’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS
STRICT EMBARGO: 16:45 ON 24 MARCH 1993 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EXTRACT FROM SPEECH BY THE STATE PRESIDENT, MR F W DE KLERK, TO A JOINT
EVENTS
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.
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