Parliament, Friday, 20 June 2025 – The Joint Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) today concluded robust deliberations on the feasibility of amending the Constitution, following up on legacy submissions inherited from the previous Parliament.
These submissions were subjected to public hearings during the 6th Parliament, and the current deliberations represent the final phase of the public participation process – the first phase being the hearings, and the second being feedback to submitters on the outcomes.
The committee considered 10 legal opinions provided by Parliamentary Legal Services. These opinions informed the committee’s detailed assessment of various proposals for constitutional amendment.
Co-Chairperson of the CRC, Mr Mtikeni Patrick Sibande, emphasised that the committee does not process Constitutional Amendment Bills. Instead, its mandate is to review public submissions proposing constitutional changes and determine the feasibility of these proposals, in line with the Joint Rules of Parliament. He reiterated that any actual amendment to the Constitution can only be considered through a resolution passed by both Houses of Parliament.
The proposals considered during the deliberations today included amendments related to the protection of private property rights, calls for a more transparent; merit-based and depoliticised process in the appointment of the National Director of Public Prosecutions and other senior positions in the National Prosecuting Authority; incorporation of African law in consultation with traditional leaders; a proposed amendment to the Preamble, specifying that South Africa belongs to all legally residing citizens; and a requirement for the Judicial Service Commission to publish additional criteria used in the appointment of judicial officers to ensure transparency and consistency.
Co-Chairperson Adv Glynnis Breytenbach noted that, after thorough deliberations, the committee resolved that it was not desirable to amend the Constitution on any of the 10 matters considered.
Mr Sibande concluded that the committee will now turn its attention to the more than 600 new submissions received last month, which also propose various constitutional amendments.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW COMMITTEE, ADV GLYNNIS BREYTENBACH AND MR MTIKENI PATRICK SIBANDE
For media enquiries or interviews with the co-Chairpersons, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Rajaa Azzakani (Ms)
Cell: 081 703 9542
E-mail: razzakani@parliament.gov.za
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