At the end of October, the National Assembly reviewed and revived a total of 14 bills which had lapsed by the end of the fifth Parliament. The Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) has stated that there are currently 39 unfinished bills that were left unattended.

The said bills are then to be revived and reintroduced, before they can undergo the process that allows them to become official laws.

These bills include:

Prevention and Combatting of Hate Speech and Hate Speech Bill

The Hate Speech Bill has been subject to public scrutiny since it was first tabled in 2016, and this is largely attributed to what the bill considers to be hate speech.

Under the law, hate speech is defined as a clear intention to be harmful or to incite harm, or promote or propagate hatred on the basis of the following characteristics:

• Age
• Albinism
• Birth
• Colour
• Culture
• Disability
• Ethnic or social origin
• Gender or gender identity
• HIV status
• Language
• Nationality
• Migrant or refugee status
• Race
• Religion
• Sex (which includes intersex or sexual orientation)

The latest draft of the bill (April 2018) now includes a section of scenarios where the hate speech rules will not apply.

SARB Amendment Bill (2018)

The EFF first tabled the South African Reserve Bank Amendment Bill, which aims to nationalise the central bank. South Africa’s central bank is one of the few in the world that is still owned by private shareholders instead of the state.

The draft bill provides for the following:

• The State as the sole shareholder in the Bank
• The responsibility of the President of the Republic in consultation with the Minister of Finance and Parliament to appoint the Governor, Deputy Governors and all other directors of the Bank
• The role of the Minister of Finance as a shareholder to exercise the rights attached to the shares in the Bank.

Road Accident Benefit Scheme (RABS) Bill

The RABS aims to replace the current Road Accident Fund, and will also act as a social security scheme those who have fallen victim to road accidents.

• Payments for loss of income will no longer be made in lump sums
• Regardless of whether an individual has been fully rehabilitated, payments will automatically cease after 15 years; when the injured party returns to work; or when the injured party reaches the age of 60
• Minors will qualify for compensation for lost earning potential only when they turn 18, regardless of how serious their injuries are deemed
• Claims must be paid through an administrator, and not a private attorney
• All claims will need to be submitted electronically
• Claimants will have to cover the costs of obtaining medical and police reports, with limited potential for reimbursement through the fund.

Picture: Pixabay

(SOURCE: CAPE TOWN ETC)