SOLAR ENERGY

• National Treasury issued a media statement announcing the launch of an ‘energy bounce back loan guarantee scheme’, which will operate at three levels:
  • loans to small and medium enterprises and households for solar panels, batteries, inverters, and other installation-related costs
  • loans to energy service companies for upscaling and expanding leasing services to households and small businesses, and
  • working capital loans for businesses in the rooftop solar supply chain.

 

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

• The South African Law Reform Commission issued a media statement calling for public comments on a discussion paper entitled, ‘Domestic violence: The criminal law response’. Among other things, the paper draws attention to the need for:
  • prevention or early intervention, and
  • recognising recent amendments to the sentencing regime,:
    • ‘detailed victim impact statements’
    • ‘appropriate consideration’ of ‘relevant aggravating factors’, and
    •  possible alternatives to sentencing.

 

PUBLIC SERVICE

• The Department of Public Service and Administration published a framework document on a process expected to go some way towards professionalising the public sector. Among other things, this:
  • will begin with all ‘relevant institutions’ developing implementation plans by 1 April 2024, and
  • will include ‘fundamental public sector reforms’ focusing on:
    • stabilising the political-administrative interface
    • merit-based recruitment and selection
    • consequence management, and
    • a review of all professionalisation-related legislation.

 

LEGAL PRACTICE ACT

• Regulations on community service for legal practitioners and candidate attorneys were gazetted on 11 August 2023 and came into effect immediately. Among other things, the new regulations:
  • prescribe the circumstances in which the work of a practising legal professional or candidate attorney qualifies as ‘community service’, and
  • require that, annually:
    • a practising legal professional should dedicate at least 40 hours to community service, and
    • a candidate attorney eight hours.

 

• The Legal Practice Council called for public comments on minimum remuneration proposals for:
  • candidate attorneys undergoing practical vocational training, and
  • those in pupillage under the supervision of practising advocates.

 

SUPREME COURT RULES

• The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development called for public comments on draft amendments to Supreme Court of Appeal Rule 10, dealing with heads of argument.

 

FOODSTUFF ADVERTISING AND LABELLING REGULATIONS

• The Department of Health extended the deadline for public comments on three sets of draft amendments to regulations affecting foodstuff labelling and advertising:
  • 14 April 2023
  • 21 April 2023 (1)
  • 21 April 2023 (2)

 

Prepared by Pam Saxby