Latest news with #GlynnisBreytenbach
Eyewitness News
a day ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Parliament to get to work on amending Constitution following high court order barring John Hlophe from serving on JSC
CAPE TOWN - Following last week's high court ruling that a judge impeached for gross misconduct can't serve on the Judicial Service Commission, Parliament is set to get to work on amending the Constitution during this administration. Besides a submission made to the Constitutional Review Committee by the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC), the DA says a bill to this effect is already in the pipeline. ALSO READ: The party's justice spokesperson, Glynnis Breytenbach, said it's important to tighten the law to prevent impeached individuals from making a return in other spheres of government. The National Assembly speaker is yet to announce the next steps in filling the vacancy on the judicial service commission. The seat belongs to the MK party, which plans to appeal a ruling preventing its parliamentary leader, John Hlophe from serving on the body. CASAC wants Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee to consider amending sections 177 and 194 to specify that any person removed from judicial office or a Chapter 9 institution may not hold any other public office. Breytenbach, co-chair of the committee, said a Private Member's Bill has already been prepared and is with Parliament's legal drafters. "I think it's very important that Parliament is populated with MPs who are ethical, honest, reliable and have integrity, so the sooner we can prevent bad eggs like John Hlophe and Busisiwe Mkhwebane coming to Parliament, the better." The Western Cape High Court said in a judgment last week that the National Assembly had not acted rationally nor constitutionally when it rubberstamped the MK Party's nomination for the JSC.
Eyewitness News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee receives more than 250 proposals to change the Constitution
CAPE TOWN - Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee has received more than 250 proposals to amend the Constitution. But it could take up to a year to decide how many of them are worthy of the attention of the committee which is currently still dealing with legal opinions on submissions made during the previous administration. ALSO READ: ActionSA proposes constitutional amendments to stem SA's immigration problems Co-chairperson of the committee, Glynnis Breytenbach says it's an arduous and painstaking process the committee will now embark upon after the deadline for submissions closed at the end of last May. The Constitution was last amended in 2023 to include sign language as an official language. Prior to that, the Constitution had not been amended since 2012 after an attempt to amend Section 25 to allow for land expropriation without compensation in 2021 flopped without the two thirds majority required by the National Assembly. Breytenbach says some submissions exceed 100 pages, and Parliament's administrative and legal staff will have to categorise the submissions depending on their substance. "It's not a must that the committee must find matters that must be brought to the National Assembly. If none of them are of any significant import, then we will again call for submissions." Breytenbach says it could take up to a year to grapple with these serious submissions. "Even that takes a long time because then you have to find the space for those people to come and present. You have to hear all the presentations. The pros and the cons." Among submissions received by the committee deal with the consequences for impeached individuals which Breytenbach says warrants Parliament's urgent attention.
Eyewitness News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Political parties bemoan inadequate protection for whistleblowers
CAPE TOWN - Political parties have bemoaned the inadequate protection for whistleblowers and the failure to reform the laws that will improve this. During an African National Congress (ANC) sponsored debate calling for guaranteed anonymity, job security and legal support for whistleblowers, every speaker referenced the assassination of Babita Deokaran, who was killed outside her house in 2021 for blowing the whistle on corruption at Tembisa Hospital. Parliamentarians said that despite a raft of laws dealing with whistleblowing, they have given rise to a culture of fear among whistleblowers who are punished rather than protected. Parliamentarians have added pressure on the Justice Department to speed up the process of improving its treatment of whistleblowers. The Protected Disclosure Act and Whistleblowing Act are currently under review by the department. The Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Glynnis Breytenbach is calling for the establishment of an independent whistleblower protection agency with prosecutorial referral powers. 'A dedicated, well-funded, autonomous institution must be created to receive disclosures, provide safe channels, investigate threats and offer physical protection.' Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi said employers should be prohibited from disciplining officials who make protected disclosures, and should refund them the cost of litigation if an employee wins the case. 'We must similarly make it impossible for those people to be dismissed until the matter has been closed.' Members of Parliament (MPs) are also calling for an incentive fund that will encourage people to come forward to lift the lid on corruption. ALSO READ: Freedom Under Law echoes calls for protection of investigators, whistleblowers in high-profile cases
Eyewitness News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
DA says NPA's failures make it necessary to introduce new anti-corruption unit
CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) said the failures of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had made it necessary to introduce a new anti-corruption fighting unit. The party said it's pursuing what it calls "a bold reform package" for the NPA, which includes passing the DA's "Scorpions 2.0" bill to create an independent Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) with the power to investigate and prosecute high-level corruption. ALSO READ: NPA shouldn't be let off hook for faltering on several cases: GL community safety committee The party said the commission would go a long way in addressing some of the systemic challenges plaguing the NPA and will also attract much-needed prosecution skills. The DA presented its bold plan on Friday morning after the NPA lost high-profile cases like the Vrede Dairy scandal, the Zizi Kodwa corruption case, and the Transnet corruption trial, which have all collapsed due to incompetence. The party said even routine prosecutions were slipping through the cracks, with private groups like AfriForum succeeding where the State failed. DA justice spokesperson, Glynnis Breytenbach, said the ACC would be free from political interference and go a long way in addressing the skills shortage. "To fill up an Anti-Corruption Commission with competent staff would be much easier than the NPA. The ACC would not be hampered by the appointment processes that hamstring the NPA. The commission would have a different funding model, so it would be able to compete with salaries." She's called on Parliament to support the reforms, "or continue protecting the status quo where the corrupt are able to walk away scot-free".
