LAND REFORM

• On 7 December, the National Assembly is scheduled to debate the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill, according to the latest parliamentary programme.

 

JUSTICE

• The South African Law Reform Commission has called for public comment on a discussion paper outlining ‘preliminary proposals’ for law reform affecting the process of relocating a minor child.

 

• The South African Law Reform Commission has extended the deadline for input on its matrimonial property law issue paper.

 

• Justice & Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has confirmed that a five-year ‘litigation strategy’ is now in place for positioning the Office of the Solicitor General as the ‘nerve centre’ in:
  • providing ‘state legal services’, and
  • implementing the 2014 State Attorney Amendment Act.
• In that context, the Minister referred to:
  • a ‘state litigation management policy’, ‘mediation policy’ and ‘state legal representation policy’, which have already been presented to Cabinet for endorsement, and
  • policies on ‘initiating and defending … matters’ and ‘briefing and outsourcing … legal work’, which have been submitted for socio-economic impact analyses.

 

COMMUNICATIONS

• The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa has called for public comment on draft amendments to regulations governing aspects of its complaints and compliance committee.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL

• The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has called for public comment on a ‘non-detriment finding’ report on exporting cheetah for commercial purposes.

 

FINANCE

• The South African Reserve Bank has called for public comment on a consultation paper proposing reforms to its monetary policy implementation framework.

 

MINING

• The National Assembly’s Mineral Resources and Energy Committee has issued a media statement announcing its intention to:
  • consult stakeholders on September’s Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) judgment, which set aside ‘some clauses of the Mining Charter’, and
  • seek an opinion from parliamentary legal services ‘on grounds to compel the department to launch an appeal, in order to avoid a pattern of similar judgments’.

 

Prepared by Pam Saxby