Centralisation Is Not Reform, Free SA responds to SONA
The Foundation for Rights of Expression and Equality (FREE SA) notes with regret and concern that the prevailing theme of the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) is the further centralisation of executive authority, rather than the structural reform and institutional renewal South Africa urgently requires. While the Address emphasised greater presidential and national […]
Free SA: The President’s SONA Must Mark a Turning Point for Economic Reform, Fiscal Discipline and Global Re-engagement
As South Africa awaits the State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Free SA calls on the President to move beyond rhetoric and present a bold, measurable plan to restore economic growth, rein in the unsustainable public wage bill, and rebuild South Africa’s credibility on the global stage. South Africans have heard many […]
What do South Africans expect from the State of the Nation Address?
President Ramaphosa will deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, setting out government’s priorities and promises for the year ahead. At a time of slow economic growth, failing public services, high unemployment, and rising pressure on taxpayers, South Africans deserve more than slogans and recycled commitments. Join the conversation Free SA believes […]
Say No to Digital Exclusion and State Control: Free SA Rejects the AI-Powered Intelligent Population Register
Free SA strongly opposes the Department of Home Affairs’ proposed Intelligent Population Register (IPR), a centralised, AI-powered digital identity system that poses a serious threat to civil liberties, privacy, and democratic inclusion in South Africa. The White Paper, which introduces the IPR, outlines a vision where access to essential services and recognition as a citizen […]
Free SA: Decentralise Language Rights – Empower Provinces to Protect South Africa’s Linguistic Diversity
Free SA has expressed serious concern over the content of and the approach taken by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in its proposed amendments to the Use of Official Languages Act, which entrench top-down, centralised control over language policy, at the expense of South Africa’s vibrant and diverse linguistic heritage. While the Bill […]
Free SA Warns: Flawed Hate Speech Regulations Threaten Rights and Privacy, Over 400 South Africans Join Call to Stop Government Overreach
Free SA, the Foundation for Rights of Expression and Equality, has raised alarm over the draft regulations issued under the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act, 2023, warning that the proposed implementation framework threatens to undermine certain core values embedded in South Africa’s constitutional democracy. In a formal submission to the […]
Decentralise Language Rights: Power to the Provinces!
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture is proposing amendments to the Use of Official Languages Act that further centralise control over language policy at the national level. While the Bill appears to expand language use by requiring seven official languages for government purposes, it still reinforces a one-size-fits-all model, sidelining provincial and municipal voices. […]
Free SA Slams Draft Hate Speech Regulations as Threat to Privacy and Freedom of Expression
The Foundation for Rights of Expression and Equality (Free SA) has launched a national campaign calling on South Africans to speak out against the draft regulations under the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act, 2023. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is currently accepting public comment on the proposed regulations, […]
Stop Overreach: Fix the Flawed Hate Crimes & Hate Speech Regulations
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is calling for public input on the draft regulations for the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act, 2023. While South Africans overwhelmingly support action against real hate crimes, these draft regulations raise serious concerns about privacy, government overreach, and enforcement that could undermine free […]
Government’s Minimum Wage Policy Blocks Job Creation and Entrenches Poverty, Warns Free SA
The Foundation for Rights of Expression and Equality, Free SA, has issued a strong caution against the National Minimum Wage Commission’s proposed wage hike for 2026, calling it a “policy of exclusion” that risks deepening South Africa’s already catastrophic unemployment crisis. In its submission, authored by Free SA Director Paul Maritz, it argues that in […]