CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS FAILING SOUTH AFRICANS – HERE IS HOW WE FIX IT
For millions of South Africans, the Constitution promises open, accountable and responsive government, dignity, equality and access to basic services like water. Yet for many communities, those promise collapses at local government level. Water taps run dry, refuse is not collected, potholes are permanent and corruption goes unpunished.
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.
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
MARRYING SOUTH AFRICA’S MARRIAGE LAWS
Today, the FW de Klerk Foundation made a submission to Parliament on the Draft Marriage Bill 2022.
THE FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION MAKES A SUBMISSION TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES ON THE PREVENTION AND COMBATING OF HATE CRIMES AND HATE SPEECH BILL
On 22 May, the FW de Klerk Foundation made a submission to the Select Committee on Security and Justice of the National Council of Provinces on the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill (the Bill).
STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN SECTION 25 AND SECTION 26 OF THE CONSTITUTION
Striking a Balance Between Section 25 and Section 26 of the Constitution Issued By the FW de Klerk Foundation on 02/05/2023 On Tuesday 25
SPEECHES
EVENTS
THE COST OF COLLAPSE: HOW MUNICIPAL DYSFUNCTION IS DISMANTLING THE VAAL TRIANGLE’S ECONOMY
Spending two days in this municipality exposes the stark reality of its collapse. The former heartbeat of the South African economy has been reduced to a dilapidated landscape scarred by massive, neglected potholes and failing public utilities. Residents are left to navigate a complete infrastructural mess, a reality made all the more frustrating by the nearly R700 million that was spent on municipal employee overtime between 2019 and 2025, despite consistently worsening service delivery.
FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION RELEASES DOWNLOADABLE PDF VERSION OF “WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT ANYWAY?” – THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION GUIDE 2026
The FW de Klerk Foundation and its partners have released the free downloadable PDF version of Whose Responsibility Is It Anyway? The Local Government Election Guide 2026. Written in clear and accessible language, the guide explains local government, voter registration, municipal accountability and the importance of participating in the 2026 local elections. It is the first instalment of a three-part civic-education series designed to help South Africans move from registration to informed participation and continued accountability.
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.
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