2024 recap: President Cyril Ramaphosa’s year in Bills

In 2023, the most notable bills related to President Cyril Ramaphosa were found in the sofa cushions of a farmhouse.

Fast forward to 2024 and the President signed into law several pieces of legislation, some whose effects won’t be felt until the next decade. 

The jokester-in-chief laughed about not having a pen earlier in the year, but he was soon waving it like a magic wand, granting the wishes of many segments of society. 

Ramaphosa’s 2024 Bills

Here are five of the most important bills that President Ramaphosa turned into Acts in 2024:

Electoral Matters Amendment Bill

In the month of the 2024 national elections, the President signed the Electoral Matter Amendment Bill.

The amendment removed a R15 million limit on donations to political parties as well as the R100,000 threshold for having to declare donations to the Electoral Commission.

There were doubts about the lack of limits being abused, but in August, the Western Cape High Court ruled that the pre-amendment limits would still be in place.

My Vote Counts (MVC) had argued that the bill would make political funding less transparent and as of November, the President had not yet attempted to adjust the limits.

READ MORE: Electoral Matters Amendment Bill signed into law despite donation limit concerns

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Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill

The day before the 2024 national elections, the president signed the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill.

An earlier draft stipulated the amounts marijuana users and cultivators could carry and grow, but the draft signed by Ramaphosa excluded this stipulation.

The bill was focused on outlining the responsibilities adult users have around children and non-consenting individuals but removed any penalties for home users.

“The consequent regulatory reform enabled by the CfPPA will, amongst others, entirely remove cannabis from the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act,” stated The Presidency via a press release.

READ MORE: Cannabis bill among the last acts of Ramaphosa seeking re-election

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Two Transport Bills

The National Land Transport (NLT) Bill was signed shortly after the elections, granting greater authority to the provinces, municipalities and the transport minister, while implementing greater regulation on e-hailing drivers.

The NLT Bill was signed on the same day as the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill, whose main aim was to establish a transport sector regulator.

Just two months before the bills were signed, the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and their Gauteng branch, the NTA launched their e-hailing service called ‘Shesha’ in April.

“Ongoing consultations between senior Shesha operational staff and regional e-hailing representatives are aimed at ensuring that everyone gets the memo,” a Shesha spokesperson told The Citizen.

READ MORE: Bills signed by Ramaphosa “loyalty to old partners” says political analyst

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National Health Insurance (NHI)

The previous bills had little fanfare when compared to the Act that could define healthcare in South Africa for generations.

Aimed at ending the disparity between private and state healthcare treatment, the debate centres around whether the Department of Health has the financial and managerial capacity to undertake the mammoth task of centralised quality healthcare.

Detractors have vowed to fight NHI tooth and nail in the courts, while supporters have accused their opponents of wanting to protect their private healthcare privileges.  

In November, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi floated the idea of using the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) to fund new hospitals.

The PIC currently holds roughly R2.7 trillion in assets, including the pensions of government and private employees.

READ MORE: ‘The proposal is ridiculous’: Why PIC money can’t be used to build public hospitals and fund NHI

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Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill

Language has always been the tinder that has lit the fiercest debates throughout South African history.

So heated was the Bela Bill backlash, that President Ramaphosa was forced to include special provisos that delayed the promulgation of two important clauses for further debate.

In early November, the Voortrekker Monument hosted thousands of pro-Afrikaans supporters, who were later questioned on the optics of the colours prominent on the day.

Those against the Bela Bill believe the language clause will be used to eradicate Afrikaans from schools, while the bill’s authors believe it will bring great equality to the classroom.

READ MORE: AfriForum says Bela Act ‘targets Afrikaans schools and threatens our cultural survival’