23 March 2022 – In this submission on the the Social Relief of Distress Procedure Manual under the Social Assistance Act of 2004, the IRR argues that oth the Manual and the Regulations (see the IRR’s 11 March 2022 submission on the Amended Regulations to the Social Assistance Act) should be abandoned until such time as a proper socio-economic impact assessment has been carried out and its results made available to the public.
Reports
11 March 2022 – In this submission on the Amended Regulations of 2022 to the Social Assistance Act of 2004, the IRR warns that if the Regulations are adopted in their current form, the fiscal cliff will draw closer, growth will wither further, public debt and interest payments will expand, unemployment will worsen, and the jobless poor are likely to become ever more dependent on shrinking social grants that cannot be maintained.
1 March 2022 – This an edited version of the oral presentation by the South African Institute of Race Relations NPC (IRR) to the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on the Land Court Bill of 2021
23 February 2022 - In this submission the IRR argues against the new proposed electoral system put forward in the Bill, arguing that it will be confusing and does not meet the spirit of the Constitutional Court ruling which made the new legislation necessary. It argues that some form of a mixed-member proportional representation system should be adopted and the Bill as it stands be withdrawn.
18 February 2022 - This edition of FreeFACTS looks at the latest matric results. As has become the norm with the school-leaving examinations there is a mixed bag of good and bad news. Concerns raised in this edition include the poor throughput in our schools and the low proportions of pupils who pass subjects with 80% or above.
26 January 2022 - This edition of FreeFACTS looks at the assets of South Africans. It also reflects how South Africa’s economy continues to degrade, with clear evidence that South Africans are getting poorer and struggling to make ends meet.
26 November 2021 - This edition of FreeFACTS looks at the local government election held on 1 November. It looks at the overall results and the state of the metros and also identifies some key trends.
17 November 2021 - This edition of FreeFACTS looks at South African trade statistics. It argues that South Africa must expand trade with other countries on the continent, as these are places which import more finished goods from South Africa than the rest of the world, which can result in significant economic multipliers.
11 November 2021 - This edition of FreeFACTS looks at a number of macro-indicators to give a bird’s eye view of the local economy and shows how South Africa continues to face enormous headwinds.
10 November 2021 – This paper argues that property rights are human rights which not only give people legal and social recognition of their assets, but are an intrinsic part of maintaining a free society.
31 October 2021 – In this submission to the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition, the IRR recommends jettisoning all provisions in the Draft Companies Amendment Bill of 2021, including the wage-gap ones, that are calculated to deter investment, curtail growth, add to unemployment, and which will inevitably worsen the inequality problem that the measure is (supposedly) intended to help cure.
29 October 2021 – In this submission to the Department of Social Development on the Draft Non-Profit Organisations Amendment Bill of 2021, the IRR outlines various necessary or desirable amendments.