GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

• According to Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola, the following Acts and their enabling regulations will be operationalised ‘from 31 July 2022’, the:
  • Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2021
  • Criminal and Related Matters Amendment Act, 2021, and
  • the Domestic Violence Amendment Act, 2021.

 

THEATRE AND DANCE

• The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has gazetted a notice calling for public comments on a draft policy that, among other things, envisages:
  • a ‘reprioritisation of resources, infrastructure and expertise’ in support of ‘programmes and initiatives to enable citizens to enjoy their constitutional right’ (to participate in the cultural life of the community and to enjoy the arts) in underserved provinces, and
  • ‘legal protection ... (for) practitioners as independent contractors with the same rights ... as workers in other sectors of the economy, and with social benefits’.

 

SMALL TOWN REGENERATION

The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs has published a revised strategy in which the term ‘small town’:

• is defined as ‘a settlement of varying size (in population and geographical area) existing below intermediate cities in the settlement hierarchy’, and
• is understood to:
  • create ‘the spatial and economic link between ... cities and rural areas’
  • serve as ‘a local node, which typically relies on natural resources and other functions’, and
  • ‘is characterised by varying levels of resources, services, infrastructure, and a limited presence of effective governance structures/authorities’.

 

THE AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, PHASE 2

• A ministerial policy directive has been gazetted requiring the International Trade Administration Commission to propose amendments to the programme’s regulatory framework and guidelines. This is with the intention of addressing the plight of manufacturers in KwaZulu-Natal:
  • affected by the April floods, and
  • temporarily unable to produce the volumes necessary to qualify for benefits under the programme.
• The draft amendments have not yet been published.

Prepared by Pam Saxby