CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY AND EVENTS
ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS
STATEMENT: THE OPEN-ENDED NATURE OF BROAD-BASED BLACK ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
When he briefed the media yesterday before the debate on the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Bill in Parliament, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, said that the country was nowhere near the point where a sunset clause for BBBEE measures could be considered. He said that according to a -007 survey by the University of Pretoria, most companies were still at the lowest level of BBBEE.
STATEMENT: THE CENTENARY OF THE 1913 NATIVES LAND ACT
19 June 2013 will rightly be commemorated as a key point in the dismal story of the dispossession of the land of the black population of South Africa.
The process began in 1652 with the first settlement of the Cape by the Dutch East India Company. Despite Jan van Riebeeck’s instructions to live in amity with the Khoi Khoi population of the Cape, the rapid expansion of the settlement soon led to conflict over land.
STATEMENT: THE DISPUTE BETWEEN MARIUS FRANSMAN AND THE JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES
On 27 February ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman gave an interview to the local Voice of the Cape, a local Muslim radio station, in which he alleged that “… the DA had given over building contracts … as well as lots of contracts in Woodstock and Observatory that historically were in the hands of Muslim participants … to people from the Jewish community.”
PODCASTS
SUBMISSIONS
SPEECHES
EVENTS
STATEMENT: FW DE KLERK FOUNDATION WELCOMES APPOINTMENT OF NEW NDPP
The FW de Klerk Foundation welcomes the announcement by President Ramaphosa of Advocate Shamila Batohi as the new National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP). Advocate Batohi is well qualified and experienced to fulfil this significant role. This, at a time when the country is at a critical crossroads and the justice system cries out for an independent and fair-minded individual to fulfil the mandate of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). In line with section 179 of the Constitution, we trust that she will pursue her mandate without “fear, favour or prejudice”. Advocate Batohi has experience as a former Director of Public Prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal and has gained international exposure in her role as the Senior Legal Advisor to the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC). This latter experience we believe will be important, as it gives her the necessary distance and objectivity from matters facing prosecution.
ARTICLE: FIVE WISHES FOR SUCCESS FOR SOUTH AFRICA IN 2019
2018 is almost over. December is a time for many South Africans to wrap things up and conclude business, to take some time off and to rest. But it is also a time of taking stock of the year and what was achieved – and to start thinking about what 2019 holds.
Call it a combination of wishes for Christmas presents and New Year’s resolutions, but if there are say, only five things that can be chosen, I would choose the following five for the country. It could be the recipe for success for South Africa in 2019.
ARTICLE: WORLD AIDS DAY – #KNOWYOURSTATUS
On 1 December 2018, the global community will celebrate World AIDS Day, dedicated to raising awareness in the fight against the AIDS epidemic. This year marks the 30th anniversary of this global awareness campaign and the theme for 2018 is “Know your status”. The 2018 campaign urges nations to remove barriers to accessing HIV testing and to find new and innovative approaches to HIV testing. This commitment falls squarely in line with South Africa’s constitutional obligation to take active steps, within its resources, to ensure that access to healthcare services is “progressively” made available to everyone. On World AIDS Day it is appropriate to take a step back and shed some positive light on the innovative steps that have been taken to remove barriers in providing access to HIV testing.
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