The 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections is an opportunity firstly to learn from our achievements such as the Constitution, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring media freedom and the independence of the judiciary, as well as secondly to highlight the ongoing innovative efforts to advance democracy and address shortcomings such as social justice, access to food, quality education and healthcare, decent housing, a slow growth rate, and employment. 

Monitoring our progress as a country in addressing these shortcomings is made easier with Sabinet Discover. Offering a suite of services including Bill Tracker and Parliamentary Documents, as well as its Customised Monitoring Services (CMS) Sabinet Discover equips stakeholders with this journey of introspection. This combination of services will allow you to source all the information you need about legislative issues, government and parliamentary decisions, as well as documentation crucial to understanding the development trajectory of the economy and country 

Comprehensive legislative updates 

Bill Tracker and Parliamentary Documents is updated daily and provides a bird’s eye view of parliamentary bills, draft bills, policy papers discussed in parliament, and any supporting documentation by providing accurate, up-to-date information that has been cross-referenced and verified. We meticulously  cross-reference all sources of Government and Parliamentary information to help you stay abreast of the status of every Bill tabled before the South African Parliament, as well as draft Bills, policy documents, submissions and other documents. We track them every step of the way, so you don’t have to. The information we provide is accurate, complete and easy to use saving you valuable time and effort. 

The advantage of this service is its at-a-glance view of where a Bill is in the process, as well as the overviews we provide by illustrating the complete legislative history of that piece of legislation, right from the initial discussions in Parliament to the point at which it becomes an Act. The benefit to you is that you know that you are using complete and accurate information. 

As an illustration, some of the recent outputs available on Bill Tracker via Sabinet Discover include updates on the Pension Funds Amendment Bill, the National State Enterprises Bill, the Electoral Matters Amendment Bill and the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, as well as the repeal of the South African Airways Bill. With this service, you can trust that Sabinet will keep you updated on all the bills crucial to your operations. 

Recent outputs on the Parliamentary Documents service include a briefing document on issues emanating from the 2024 SONA, a briefing on 2024 SONA focus areas for oversight, the SONA follow up debates, and also provincial updates, such as a report on the state of police stations in the Free State. There is also a recent update from the National Prosecuting Authority on the status of investigations into the National Lotteries Commission, an update on the Public Service Amendment Bill, and a report on the public hearings on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill. Sabinet Discover allows you to fine-tune your search to return exactly what you are looking for with ease, instead of browsing through endless chronological lists of files until you come across something helpful. 

An early warning service for legislative policy and developments 

For those seeking in-depth information, the CMS offers customised alerts to track the legislative process. This includes monitoring draft bills, enacted Acts, and any subsequent amendments. Additionally, the CMS goes beyond Parliament to track regulation and policy drafted by Government Departments and additional regulatory documents issued by Regulators The service offers an early warning service for legislative policy and movements or developments in strategic industries. Extensive research is undertaken daily on your chosen topics.  

Users can fine-tune their alerts to specific industries or topics, ensuring that they receive timely updates relevant to their business. Sabinet Discover offers flexibility in subscription options, allowing users to choose between standalone services or bundled packages. You even have the option to subscribe to an option that monitors only one topic for you, be it mining, finance or engineering. 

Sabinet uses professional sources to certify unbiased and objective content and provide links to related material. You can refine your customised alerts according to your specific fields of interest. The service is delivered through a summary directly into your inbox. The report is delivered immediately if something of interest occurs in your selected fields of interests or on a weekly basis, depending on which service you’ve chosen. 

Flexible subscription options 

As the client, you can subscribe to Customised Monitoring Services and will receive Bill Tracker and Parliamentary Documents as part of the service. Or if you are only interest in Bills and Parliamentary documents you can subscribe to Bill Tracker and Parliamentary Documents as a standalone service.  

Click here for more information on how to subscribe to Sabinet Customised monitoring or if you would only like to subscribe to Bill Tracker and Parliamentary Documents as a standalone service, click here.

In conclusion, as South Africa reflects on 30 years of democracy, Sabinet Discover emerges as a vital resource for enhanced oversight and monitoring. By providing comprehensive legislative updates, in-depth insights, and customised monitoring services, Sabinet empowers stakeholders to navigate the complexities of governance with confidence and clarity. 

Submitted by Sabinet