South Africa: South Africans Urged to Have Their Say On New Pieces of Legislation

What the report says

South Africans are being invited to comment on several approved draft laws and related amendments announced by Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi at a media briefing in Tshwane, as reported by SAnews.gov.za and carried by AllAfrica. The package includes the General (Mining) Laws Amendment Bill 2026, the Legal Practice Amendment Bill 2026 and the Regulation of Trusts Bill, while the Conspiracy, Instigation and Incitement to Commit Offence Bill 2026 is set to proceed to Parliament for processing.

The mining bill is aimed at curbing illegal mining rather than penalizing licensed artisanal miners. The department says it would strengthen offences and penalties tied to illicit prospecting and mining, and support enforcement against so-called zama zamas. The report says the proposed changes also touch existing laws on criminal procedure, diamonds, minerals and petroleum, and precious metals. Kubayi said illegal mining has damaged infrastructure, threatened community safety and has been linked by the department to other serious crimes.

The legal practice bill seeks to update the Legal Practice Act to improve skills development, access to the profession and access to justice, while also addressing practical problems in the current system. Among other things, it would expand the Legal Practice Council’s role in assessing certain fees and change some governance and funding rules.

The trusts bill is intended to modernize a law last comprehensively reviewed decades ago, with the department saying it wants better accountability, stronger oversight and reduced risk of trust structures being misused. The separate incitement bill would replace older apartheid-era legislation, which the ministry says is outdated.