Free SA to Submit Public Petition on BEE: Over 1,000 South Africans Call for Reform and an End Date
Free SA will tomorrow formally submit a public participation dossier calling for urgent reform of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), backed by more than 1,000 South Africans who have signed onto the organisation’s two national campaigns. The submission follows growing public concern that BEE, in its current form, has failed to deliver meaningful, broad-based economic […]
Stop Podcast Regulation: Defend Free Speech in South Africa
Parliament is exploring whether podcasting and online audio content in South Africa should be brought under formal regulation—potentially requiring creators to comply with rules similar to traditional broadcasters. This could mean licensing requirements, content oversight, and increased government control over what South Africans can say online. While the stated aim may be to ensure accountability […]
Free SA Warns Against “Top-Down” Control in Proposed Development Regulations, Calls for Protection of Municipal Autonomy
Civil rights organisation Free SA has raised serious concerns about the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ proposed Amendment Regulations aimed at aligning long-term development planning across South Africa’s three spheres of government. While the regulations are presented as a mechanism to improve coordination and service delivery, Free SA cautions that, in practice, they […]
Draft Broadband Policy a Step Forward, But Overregulation Risks Undermining Progress
Free SA has noted the publication of the Draft Policy Direction on Electronic Communications Network Deployment by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, aimed at accelerating broadband rollout across South Africa. While the intention to reduce delays and expand access to affordable, high-speed internet is commendable, the current draft raises serious concerns about the […]
Peace before Politics: Oppose Escalation at the 4 March 2026 Hague Meeting
The government of South Africa set to take part in an emergency diplomatic meeting on 4 March 2026 convened by The Hague Group in The Hague, Netherlands. The stated purpose of this meeting is to accelerate coordinated state action to enforce international law in response to Israel’s conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories. Some international […]
Free SA: Budget 2026 Must Choose Growth Over Redistribution
As South Africa prepares for the 2026 National Budget Speech to be delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, Free SA calls on government to make a decisive shift toward fiscal responsibility, economic growth, and meaningful regulatory reform. With debt levels rising, economic growth stagnating, and unemployment remaining among the highest in the world, this Budget […]
Raise the VAT Threshold to R2 Million To Protect Small Businesses & Jobs
Small businesses are the engine of local jobs, community services, and everyday innovation. But many are being squeezed by rising costs and heavy compliance requirements. Free SA is calling on national government to increase the VAT registration threshold to R2 million. This would reduce unnecessary red tape for smaller businesses, help informal and emerging enterprises […]
Free SA Launches Campaign to Stop the 2026 BEE Regulations
South Africa Needs Growth, Inclusion, and Competitiveness, Not Failed Policies Repackaged Free SA has launched a national campaign opposing the proposed 2026 amendments to the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Codes, warning that the draft regulations will deepen economic stagnation, deter investment, and further entrench race-based economic engineering at the expense of growth and job […]
QLFS: Marginal Employment Uptick Cannot Mask South Africa’s Deepening Labour Market Crisis
Free SA notes the release of Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for Q4: 2025. While headline figures reflect a marginal quarter-on-quarter improvement, the broader labour market picture remains bleak, structurally fragile, and deeply concerning. According to the QLFS, employment increased by 44,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025, bringing total employment to […]
Stop BEE — We Will Not Be Silenced
The proposed 2026 amendments to the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Codes represent a continuation — and intensification — of an economic policy framework that has failed to deliver inclusive growth, job creation, or competitiveness for South Africa. Instead of broadening participation in the economy, the proposed framework narrows opportunity, deters entrepreneurship, and weakens South […]