The South African Law Reform Commission is calling on interested parties to submit written submissions on its discussion paper which seeks to review apartheid-era and colonial legislation.
The inquiry will assess whether the legislation is compatible with expressive rights contained in the Constitution.
It will further advise on whether legislation found wanting in this regard should be retained as is, retained with amendments, or revoked.
The sections of interest deal with Freedom of Religion, Belief and opinion, Freedom of Expression, Assembly, Demonstration, Picket and Petition as well as Association and Political Rights.
Although South Africa became a constitutional democracy on 27 April 1994, old-order legislation in force was retained to ensure, amongst others, an orderly transition.
However, the continued existence of these laws has garnered much criticism prompting Parliament to initiate a government-wide review of all pre-democratic era legislation to ensure they are compatible with the spirit and letter of the Constitution.
Comments on this review must be submitted by 30 September 2024.
