Judicial Matters Amendment Bill

The Select Committee on Security and Justice invites you to submit written submissions on the Judicial Matters Amendment Bill [B 7B-2023].

The Judicial Matters Amendment Bill [B 7B-2023]
• Provides for amendments to 19 different Acts administered by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. The “proposed amendments are intended to address practical and technical issues of a non-contentious nature”

• The Bill also proposes the repeal of the common law crime of defamation

• The Bill also seeks to decriminalise admission of guilt fines issued during the Covid-19 hard lockdown in terms of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002, during which thousands of ordinary citizens were fined for various transgressions of the Covid-19 Regulations issued in terms of this Act

• Other noteworthy amendments include the amendment of the: (a) Matrimonial Properties Act, 1984 to ensure that the regimes of all existing customary law marriages are now regarded as being in community of property; and
(b)(i) Intestate Succession Act, 1987 and (ii) Maintenance of Surviving Spouses Act, 1990 to include a partner in a permanent life partnership in which the partners have undertaken reciprocal duties of support under the definition of a spouse, for the purposes of inheritance and maintenance, respectively.

Submissions or general enquiries can be emailed to [email protected] by no later than 13:00 on 17 November 2023.

Issued by Hon. S Shaikh, MP, Chairperson: Select Committee on Security and Justice

(National Council of Provinces)

Track the bill here

How to write a submission