Parliament, Wednesday, 28 September 2022 – The National Assembly (NA) has at its hybrid plenary sitting today passed two Bills, the Fund-Raising Amendment Bill and the Expropriation Bill.

The Fund-Raising Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament on 20 November 2020. On 2 June 2021, the Committee received a briefing from the Department of Social Development on the Bill.

As part of public participation process in compliance with the Constitution, the Committee advertised the Bill in the national, local and regional newspapers and requested public comments on the Bill. The Committee received only one submission, from the Western Cape Government, which was analysed and presented to the Committee and the department provided a response to the issues raised.

The objectives of the Bill are to amend the Fund-Raising Act of 1978, in order to amend certain definitions; to effect certain textual amendments to provide for the discontinuation of certain funds, and for the dissolution of any boards responsible for those funds. It also seeks to establish the Disaster Relief and National Social Development Fund and to transfer any amounts remaining in the discontinued funds to the Disaster Relief and National Social Development Fund.

Furthermore, the bill aims to empower the Minister to make regulations in respect of the financial year of a fund; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

At the same sitting, the House also considered the Expropriation Bill. In processing the bill, the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure engaged with the public, organised citizen groups, political parties, and traditional leaders across the country to learn their views on the Expropriation Bill.

It had further engagements with stakeholders, citizens and civil society organizations to listen to formal presentations on specific clauses of the bill. The committee further collected views from broader society through email and WhatsApp to deepen its understanding of the views of the public.

The purpose of the Expropriation Bill is to repeal the existing Expropriation Act of 1975 to provide a common framework in line with the Constitution to guide the processes and procedures for the expropriation of property by organs of state. It further seeks to provide for certain instances where expropriation with nil compensation may be appropriate in the public interest. The NA plenary agreed to both Bills today.

The Bills will now be sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence.

ISSUED BY PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA 
Enquiries: Moloto Mothapo