Stop the Public GAG Order: Say NO to the Polling Ombud
South Africa’s democracy thrives on informed citizens and open debate. But a new proposal threatens to silence vital sources of public information. The Draft Electoral Laws Amendment Bill currently open for public input seeks to create a Polling Ombud—a new body with sweeping powers to control, restrict, and punish the publication of political opinion polls […]
Save Joburg’s Water!
Johannesburg is facing a full-blown water crisis — leaking infrastructure, diverted funds, unpaid contractors, and rampant non‑revenue water have pushed the system to the brink. The city is failing its people: taps run dry in affluent and informal areas alike, protests erupt, and service breakdowns threaten public health, livelihoods, and trust. With this campaign demand […]
Free SA Calls for Sunset Clause on BEE: “Empowerment Must Be Effective, Not Eternal”
Civil rights organisation Free SA is calling for a legislative sunset clause on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE), arguing that South Africa’s current empowerment framework is outdated, constitutionally tenuous, and economically harmful. Free SA has launched a national campaign urging Parliament to review and time-limit all BEE-related legislation, ensuring any affirmative action measures are evidence-based, […]
BEE: Don’t review, repeal
Our Constitution sets the goalposts: dignity, equality, non-racialism and freedom (section 1). It allows remedial measures to advance those unfairly disadvantaged (section 9(2)). It does not say such measures are permanent, immune from evidence, or above review. Any remedy must be reasonable, proportionate and effective. Free SA believes BEE, as currently designed and enforced, isn’t […]
Defend Our Right to Self-Protection: Ongoing Public Submissions on Firearm Ownership
South Africans are facing growing uncertainty around their right to own firearms for self-defence. Recent public statements, draft legislation, and regulatory proposals indicate a continued push to restrict lawful firearm ownership, despite the country’s ongoing challenges with violent crime and limited state protection. Closes: 1 December 2024 Make your voice heard More about this campaign […]
Stop the Granny-Tax
Many retirees in South Africa, including foreign nationals living here and South Africans returning home after years abroad, rely on pensions as their primary — often sole — source of income. The government’s recent proposals to tax foreign pensions signal a dangerous precedent: that even the retirement savings of elderly people are a pool from […]
PAUL MARITZ: Why the PSC Bill’s romanticism threatens local democracy
There is a familiar saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. SA, with its fondness for ambitious plans and solemn policy papers, seems determined to make it so. The latest example in a long and tragic list is the Public Service Commission (PSC) Bill, which was recently before the National Council […]
Five key steps to fixing Joburg
I grew up in Johannesburg. Without getting soppy, those noisy streets and cracked sidewalks raised me. Like many who grew up there, I no longer live there, but it will always be my home. My home isn’t what it used to be. The streets are scarier and more blistered, the taps are drier, and the […]
Free SA calls on citizens to speak out in landmark inquiry into police corruption and political interference
The Foundation for Rights of Expression and Equality (Free SA) urges all South Africans to seize the rare and critical opportunity to participate in Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee inquiry into the damning allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Lt Gen Mkhwanazi’s testimony on 6 July 2025 laid bare a deeply troubling picture of political […]
Be heard! Have your say to the Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Allegations of Lt Gen Mkhwanazi
On 6 July 2025, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner, made explosive allegations implicating top-level officials, law enforcement, and the judiciary in systemic corruption and criminal syndicate operations. In response, Parliament has established an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate these claims, and they are now inviting the public to participate. Closed: 17 […]