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Parliament, Thursday, 9 May 2024 – The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) approved the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Amendment (PDAL) Bill and six other pieces of legislation during its hybrid plenary session this morning.

The BELA Bill which seeks to make Grade R the new compulsory school-starting grade and provide for penalties when parents fail to enrol their children for Grade R, was deferred to 16 May to allow for the amended committee report to be published in the document for parliamentary Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports (ATC).

The NCOP also passed the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Amendment (PDAL) Bill.   The PDAL Bill seeks to address the shortcomings of the Subdivision of Agricultural Land Act (SALA) of 1970 by facilitating cooperative governance in the administration of the Act. It also aims to address other identified weaknesses, including that SALA only applies to privately owned land, which inadvertently prevents the protection of high-value agricultural land owned by the state, statutory bodies, communal land, and land administered by traditional authorities.

It also intends to harmonise the need for the use of agricultural land for agricultural purposes and non-agricultural uses in line with local authorities’ spatial planning.

Other bills passed by the NCOP this morning include:

National Nuclear Regulator Amendment Bill

The National Nuclear Regulator Amendment Bill seeks to amend the National Nuclear Regulator Act to align with the current international regulatory best practices. This is necessary because South Africa is one of the founding members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and is a signatory to various international conventions governing nuclear safety that have been promulgated under the auspices of the IAEA.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account Defrayal Amendment Bill 

The Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account Defrayal Amendment Bill was first tabled in Parliament by the Minister of Finance on 21 February 2024. The Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account is an account held at the Reserve Bank (SARB) where losses and profits on certain foreign currency transactions are captured and protects the SARB from currency volatility. The Bill provides, among others, for direct charges against the National Revenue Fund for the Contingency Reserve Account of the SARB. It also provides for the reporting of such funds, informed by a New Settlement Agreement between the Minister of Finance and the SARB Governor. 

The South African Institute for Drug-free Sport Amendment Bill

The South African Institute for Drug-free Sport Amendment Bill aims to promote participation in sports free from prohibited substances or methods that enhance performance artificially. In the interest of the health and well-being of sportspersons, the Bill prohibits doping practices that contradict the principles of fair play and medical ethics. It also provides for the establishment of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport, the composition of the Institute, the remuneration and allowances of members of the Institute, its expenditure, finances, and accountability, as well as its powers and duties.

The Division of Revenue Bill

The Division of Revenue Bill was tabled in Parliament on 21 February 2024 by the Minister of Finance, Mr Enoch Godongwana, during his budget speech. The Bill, among others, provides for the share of each sphere of government of the revenue raised nationally for the relevant financial year;each province’s share of the provincial share of that revenue; and any other allocations to the provinces, local governmentor municipalities from the national government’s share of that revenue, and any conditions on which those allocations are or must be made.

The Statistics Amendment Bill 

The Statistics Amendment Bill seeks to strengthen co-ordination and enhance collaboration among data producers and data users by creating an enabling environment for the production and consumption of quality statistics in the country. It will also provide for the establishment of statistics units by organs of state, the submission of annual statistics plans and annual reports by organs of state, and theestablishment of the Statistical Clearing House to promote the functions and objectives of the National Statistics System. 

The Public Procurement Bill

The objective of the Public Procurement Bill is to regulate public procurement and to prescribe a framework within which preferential procurement must be implemented. The Bill intends to address the fragmentation of public procurement legislation, align it to international best practices, where appropriate, and help implement the government’s socio-economic policy objectives. 

All the bills passed today will be sent to the President for assent.

Issued by Parliament