Cabinet approves tabling of Electoral Laws Amendment Bill

Cabinet has approved multiple bills to be tabled before Parliament, including the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill of 2020, Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu announced on Thursday.

Mthembu briefed the nation on the outcomes of Cabinet’s virtual meeting on Wednesday.

The Electoral Laws Amendment Bill amends three sections of legislation – the Electoral Commission Act of 1996, the Electoral Act of 1998 and the Local Government Municipal Electoral Act of 2000.

Mthembu said Cabinet also approved the submission of the Sectional Titles Amendment Bill to Parliament.

“The Bill amends the Sectional Titles Act, 1986 (Act 95 of 1986), which provides for the establishment of sectional title schemes. The proposed amendments provide clarity and protect the lessees in the properties under the sectional-arrangement buildings,” Mthembu said.

Another bill that has been approved for tabling is the Agricultural Produce Agents Amendment Bill of 2018.

Mthembu said amendments proposed in the bill were fully canvassed with the relevant stakeholders, adding that changes would also improve market access opportunities for smallholder producers, as well as previously disadvantaged market agents, traders and hawkers.

Cabinet also approved the postponement of hosting the 2020 International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and World Maritime Day event, which was expected to be held in October.

The hosting of the event was approved in November 2015, but will now be moved to October 2021 because of Covid-19, Mthembu said.

He added that Cabinet continued to support the hosting of the event, but agreed it would be impossible to get the important stakeholders to gather because international travel was not yet permitted in South Africa.

“Because of all these reasons, because of Covid-19, we have agreed with the minister of transport, as Cabinet, that let’s have these events, IMO as well as World Maritime Day in October 2021,” Mthembu said.

Back to school for officials

Cabinet also approved two training programmes for members of the executive and senior managers in the public service.

The first programme – Economic Governance Spring School training – will be for members of the executive from all spheres of government, including ministers, deputy ministers, premiers, MECs and mayors, Mthembu said.

The spring school is designed to broaden learning perspectives through analysis and critical reflection on the nature of challenges faced by government.

Mthembu said the programme would be conducted by the National School of Government, in partnership with the Wits School of Governance and the O.R. Tambo School of Leadership.

Another programme approved by Cabinet, was for heads of departments. It has three components, namely an Executive Induction Programme, Executive Education Programme and a new programme called Etella, the minister added.

“As I speak about these programmes, as Cabinet was reflecting on these, Cabinet said that if there is one thing that we have always been accused of as government, it’s our inability to implement.

“What has always been a difficulty is the implementation. We are hopeful that these training programmes for both the ministers, deputies, premiers, MECs, mayors will assist us in confronting this inability to implement what are good policies, and therefore robbing our people [of] service delivery,” Mthembu said.