FreeFACTS - November 2022
This edition of FreeFACTS looks at South Africa’s cities and shows their importance, especially in terms of their economic contribution to South Africa.
23 January 2023 – In this submission, the IRR recommends that the draft Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill be promulgated by the President as soon as possible so as to decriminalise buying or selling sexual services, and limit any further harm being done in terms of the old, repealed laws.
FreeFACTS - October 2022
This edition of FreeFACTS looks at the state of South African democracy. While it notes that while South Africa does well on various indices that measure the state of democracy around the world there are some worrying trends with how South Africans feel about democracy.
9 December 2022 - In this letter to Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka, the Institute of Race Relations urgently requests the Office of the Public Protector to make public the answers given by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 22 July 2022 to 31 questions posed by that office on 7 June 2022.
11 November 2022 – In this submission on the Land Court Bill to the Select Committee on Security and Justice in the National Council of Provinces, the IRR argues that, instead of continuing to push a deeply flawed measure through a profoundly flawed public participation process, the Committee should recognise that a new specialist land court is not required, that the Bill will worsen the economic crisis already confronting the country, and that many of the Bill’s provisions are in conflict with the rule of law.
9 November 2022 - In this submission to the NCOP on amendments to the Electoral Bill the IRR points out the serious flaws in the bill and recommends that it be scrapped in its entirety. A recommendation is made that the next national election be held under the current electoral system with a compromise being reached so that the election itself be protected from any legal challenges. It also proves a number of proposed electoral systems, as well as the IRR’s own recommendations for what electoral system should be implemented in South Africa.
The Road to Electoral Reform
7 November 2022 – In this report commissioned by the Institute of Race Relations, independent elections analyst Michael Atkins makes the case for South Africa ‘(going) back to square one’ and embarking on ‘a rational and meaningful process of electoral reform’.
25 October 2022 - In this submission on the General Laws (Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of Terrorism Financing) Amendment Bill to the Standing Committee on Finance, the IRR recommends removing several clauses from the draft legislation, as well as that a comprehensive socio-economic impact assessment on the whole bill be conducted, and that the period for public comment be extended to the end of November 2022.
FreeFACTS - September 2022
This edition looks at South African healthcare expenditure. It notes that despite high levels of resources being expended on healthcare in the country South Africa still lags on certain indicators, raising questions of whether something like the NHI should be implemented.
FreeFACTS - August 2022
This edition of FreeFACTS looks at long-term trends with regard to economic growth in South Africa. It shows that economic growth has effectively stalled in South Africa and that the economy will need an urgent kickstart to get moving again.
16 September 2022 – In this submission to the Department of Justice and Correctional Services on the Unlawful Entry on Premises Bill of 2022, the IRR warns that especially in the light of the already high number of land invasions – and the risk that these will escalate once the Expropriation Bill and the Land Court Bill come into operation – various serious deficiencies in this legislation require urgent attention.
FreeFACTS - July 2022
7 September 2022 - While there have been some successes in post-apartheid South Africa it is not clear that this trend will continue. This edition of FreeFACTS shows how living conditions improve for most South Africans since the end of apartheid, but this trend could now be reversing.
