Madam Deputy Speaker
The ACDP will support this report. The role of the Equality Review Committee is to advise the Minister on the operation of the Equality Act. It must submit regular reports to the Minister on the Act and make recommendations on any necessary amendments to the Act.
This latter provision is very important because in 2021, very substantive amendments to the Equality Act were proposed which would have had devastating and negative consequences, not only for all people and organisations of faith, but indeed, for all South Africans, by expanding the definitions of ‘equality’ and ‘discrimination’ way beyond what the Constitution envisaged.
The then Deputy Minister of Justice stated, “it is not the intention of government to regulate or to interfere with religious institutions, what they believe and how they put it forward.”
After overwhelming public opposition, including from the ACDP, with some 150,000 submissions, the proposed amendments were withdrawn.
In a similar vein, the ACDP wishes to place it on record that any unconstitutional attempts by the CRL Rights Commission to regulate churches under the guise of ‘self-regulation’ will be met with the same opposition.
Let’s make it very clear: Parliament did not give the CRL Rights Commission any mandate to pursue this ill-advised course of action. Existing laws are more than sufficient to cover any abuses in faith-based organisations. Like before, thousands of churches and church organisations have expressed their opposition to this attempt.
Madam Deputy Speaker, this also illustrates how important this appointment will be. The appointment of Mr Xola Nqola is representative of all of us in the National Assembly and we will support his appointment. I know him well. I’ve worked with him on the Justice Committee and the ACDP supports this report.
I thank you.
