Parliament, Wednesday, 13 May 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Social Development has expressed deep concern over further delays by the Department of Social Development in processing the Children’s Amendment Bill.
The department briefed the committee today and outlined progress made in reworking the Bill after it was referred back to the department by the 7th Parliament in 2024. Members of the committee raised concerns about the timelines after hearing that the Bill is now only expected to return to Cabinet for approval for introduction in Parliament by March 2027.
The committee raised concerns that the Bill has been in drafting for seven years while vulnerable children continue to wait for the protection and services that the legislation seeks to provide.
The Children’s Amendment Bill was sent back for redrafting after public hearings during the 6th Parliament raised critical concerns that needed to be addressed. Since then, the department has undertaken a lengthy consultation process involving provinces, government departments, stakeholders and children themselves.
Cabinet approved the publication of the Bill for public comment in July 2025, with the draft gazetted between September and October that year. More than 1 800 submissions were received from members of the public.
The department told the committee that it considered further consultation necessary because the Bill affects multiple sectors and will require coordinated implementation across provinces and departments once enacted. Stakeholder workshops were held in November 2025 and January 2026, while a dedicated consultation session with children took place in December 2025.
Although the committee acknowledged the importance of public participation and consultation, it questioned why the timelines it was presented with at the start of the process had changed. March 2027 was not included in that timeline.
The department’s revised timelines indicate that the Bill will only be finalised for submission to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) by July 2026, before being sent to Cabinet and Parliament in March 2027. The timeline was affected because it had initially not considered NEDLAC as one of the stakeholders that need to be consulted.
The committee said it expects the department to accelerate the process and ensure that children’s interests remain at the centre of decision-making. The department committed that it will revise the timelines and bring the deadline forward. It will also engage with NEDLAC in the coming week.
The committee noted the department’s progress report but indicated that it would continue to exercise oversight over the process to ensure that the Bill is urgently finalised and tabled in Parliament.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, MS BRIDGET MASANGO.
For media enquiries, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Ms Faith Ndenze
Parliamentary Communication Services
Cell: 081 377 0686
Email: fndenze@parliament.gov.za
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