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Following president Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address on Thursday (13 February), parliament is now set to consider a number of key pieces of legislation in the coming months.
Chief among these is the Constitutional amendment allowing for land expropriation without compensation, and the introduction of South Africa’s new demerit system for motorists.
However, Ramaphosa, the cabinet, and the Department of Labour have also announced new legislation this week which will likely be considered before the end of the year.
BusinessTech looked at these planned laws in more detail below.
BEE changes
Cabinet has approved the submission of the Employment Equity Amendment (EEA) Bill of 2020 to Parliament, it said in a statement on Tuesday (18 February).
First announced in 2019, the EEA Bill will regulate the setting of sector-specific employment targets to address the gross under-representation of blacks, women and persons with disabilities.
It will also ensure that an employment equity certificate of compliance becomes a precondition for access to state contracts.
A draft version of the bill published at the end of 2018 indicated that the changes being were made to speed up transformation in the country.
The bill states that while the public sector has seen significant changes, the private sector continues to lag behind.
Minimum wage
Minister of labour, Thulas Nxesi, has gazetted South Africa’s new minimum wage which will take effect from 1 March 2020.
The gazette states that the new national minimum wage is R20.76 – an increase of 3.8%.
As with the original minimum wage introduced on 1 January 2019, the gazette also outlines the minimum wage for workers in certain sectors.
This includes:
Farmworkers are entitled to a minimum wage of R18.68 per hour;
Domestic workers are entitled to a minimum wage of R15.57 per hour;
Workers employed on an expanded public works programme are entitled to a minimum wage of R11.42 per hour.
Compulsory schooling
Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga says the department will table a bill this year that will make two schooling years before Grade 1 compulsory.
“We are in the process of declaring the two years prior to Grade 1 compulsory. The Basic Education Amendment Bill, which pronounces on this, will be tabled in Parliament this year,” she said in a statement on Tuesday (18 February).
“We are in the process of finalising the National Framework for ECD, which we will release for broad consultations early in the 2020/21 financial year.
“Guided by the Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC), we are determining the financial and human resource implications of an integrated ECD programme at local, provincial and national levels.
“We are in the process of conducting a readiness assessment of the DBE [Department of Basic Education] readiness to receive and effectively deliver the ECD function,” said Motshekga.
Railway safety
Cabinet also approved submission of the Railway Safety Bill of 2020 to Parliament.
“The Bill seeks to strengthen the safety of our railway and ensure rail becomes an attractive mode of transport that is also able to positively contribute to the economy,” it said.
First approved for public consultation in February 2018, the Bill went out for public consultation in all provinces in March 2018.
The approved Bill, to be submitted to Parliament, takes into account inputs received during public consultations.
“The parliamentary process will also refine the Bill before it is passed into law,” said Cabinet.
Procurement Bill
In his SONA, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the new Procurement Bill will improve efforts to empower black and emerging businesses and advance radical economic transformation.
Approve by cabinet on Tuesday (18 February), the bill sets out procurement strategies that support government’s socio-economic objectives.
“The Bill proposes a single regulatory framework of public procurement. It establishes the procurement authority to regulate and promote Section 217 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996 across government,” cabinet said.
“Once passed into law, the Bill will repeal the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act, 2000 and amend other procurement-related laws.”
Climate change
Ramaphosa has also indicated that the Presidential Commission on Climate Change will ensure that South Africa ‘move towards a low carbon growth trajectory’ that will leave no one behind.
“We will finalise the Climate Change Bill, which provides a regulatory framework for the effective management of inevitable climate change impacts by enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change – and identifying new industrial opportunities in the green economy,” he said. |
