Written by: FOR SA 
Article source: forsa.org.za

The Department of Justice has released the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Amendment Bill (the Amendment Bill) for public comment until Wednesday, 12 May 2021.

FOR SA believes that this Amendment Bill represents possibly the biggest single threat to religious freedom of individuals, religious institutions/organisations, and even NPOs, that we have experienced to date.

This video explains the main issues of concern.

The Amendment Bill seeks to address weaknesses in the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, 4 of 2000 (PEPUDA or “the Equality Act”).  However, in the process it:

  • significantly broadens the definitions of “discrimination” and “equality” found in the Act;
  • seeks to extend the scope of the prohibition of unfair discrimination; and
  • provides for “joint and several liability”. This means that employers will be liable for the discriminatory actions of their employees, even if the employer did not know about it and even if the employee did not act intentionally.

FOR SA is currently in the process of conducting a detailed evaluation of this Amendment Bill, consulting local and international legal experts and academics for their views.  Over the next two weeks, we will collate, distil and summarise these inputs, whereupon we will present our concerns in detail on why we believe that this Amendment Bill is such a major threat, particularly regarding its implications for religious organisations and people of faith.

FOR SA will also inform you of opportunities – as part of the democratic process – where you can become involved to oppose this Amendment Bill to make sure that your voice is heard and your views taken into account.

CALL TO ACTION:

Immediate request for extension:
FOR SA has already written to the Department of Justice and we been granted an extension of the deadline for comment on this Bill to Wednesday, 30 June 2021. However, we have now received communication from the Department of Justice to state that they “do not agree to a general extension for the submission of comments” and that they will only consider this should “requests be sent directly to us for consideration”.

Given that this new law will impact every South African – particularly people of faith – we encourage you to write to the Department of Justice today to indicate that you intend to make a submission, but need more time to consider the Bill, take (legal) advice, consult with your leadership and/or constituency and prepare an appropriate submission (or something along those lines). You accordingly request an extension to comment until Wednesday, 30 June 2021.

*Note:
This is the first step in making submissions on the Bill. If no extension is requested, submissions are due by the original deadline of 12 May 2021. Without the Department’s agreement, any submission made after this date may well not be considered.

The contact details of where to send your request are as follows:
Attn.: The Director-General: Justice and Constitutional Development
E-mail: fbhayat@justice.gov.za
Please consider cc’ing info@forsa.org.za for our records.

Finally, please will you consider how you can support FOR SA finacially?  We are 100% dependent upon voluntary contributions to enable us to continue our work to protect and promote our constitutional rights to religious freedom.  Any donation – big or small – is greatly appreciated and will be dedicated to this purpose!

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Date published: 17/04/2021
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only. unsplash.com

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