PRESS RELEASE: RP Ready to Submit Non-Racialism Bill to Parliament

Referendum Party Ready to Submit Non-Racialism Bill to Parliament\

(Afrikaans version below)

The Referendum Party (RP) has now formally notified the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development that, together with more than 5000 members of the public, it will be petitioning the committee to adopt and table its Non-Racialism Bill (official title: Constitution Twenty-second Amendment Bill). The party has also requested an audience with the committee to introduce and motivate for the Bill.

The notification and request were submitted on Friday, 14 February 2025. The Referendum Party will announce the date of the handover as soon as it has been agreed upon with the committee.

In essence, the Bill asserts that race-based policy is fundamentally incompatible with a constitutional order founded on non-racialism. If passed, all race-based policy and legislation will become unlawful. The RP believes that this is long overdue.

The Bill recognises the need to advance people who have been unfairly discriminated against in the past but requires that henceforth, the state cannot make decisions based purely upon race. Instead, it must consider the individual circumstances of all persons affected by its intended actions. The Bill also requires that actions taken to remedy past discrimination cannot themselves create new forms of discrimination in the present. These steps will end an ongoing cycle of discrimination and lay the foundations for a fairer and more just society for all.

RP leader, Phil Craig, says, “The timing of our Bill couldn’t be better. We wrote it last year because non-racialism is a principle the Referendum Party is deeply committed to, and it seemed no-one else had the fight in them to bring such a Bill. We could never have imagined that President Trump and Elon Musk would be calling South Africa out over its use of race-based policy at precisely the time we would be submitting our bill. I guess some things are just meant to be.”

DATE: 14 February 2025
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Referendum Party gereed om Wet op Nie-Rassigheid by die Parlement in te dien

Die Referendum Party (RP) het nou formeel aan die Portefeuljekomitee oor Justisie en Grondwetlike Ontwikkeling kennis gegee dat dit, saam met meer as 5 000 lede van die publiek, ‘n petisie gaan indien vir die aanvaarding en indiening van sy Nie-Rassigheid Wet (amptelike titel: Twee-en-Twintigste Wysigingswetsontwerp op die Grondwet). Die party het ook ‘n versoek gerig om ‘n vergadering met die komitee te hê om die wetsontwerp voor te lê en te motiveer.

Die kennisgewing en versoek is op Vrydag, 14 Februarie 2025, ingedien. Die Referendum Party sal die datum van die oorhandiging aankondig sodra dit met die komitee bevestig is.

In wese bepaal die wetsontwerp dat rasse-gebaseerde beleid fundamenteel onversoenbaar is met ‘n grondwetlike orde wat op nie-rassigheid gebaseer is. Indien dit aanvaar word, sal alle rasse-gebaseerde beleide en wetgewing onwettig verklaar word. Die RP glo dat hierdie stap lank reeds nodig is.

Die wetsontwerp erken die noodsaaklikheid om mense te bevorder wat in die verlede onregverdig gediskrimineer is, maar bepaal dat die staat voortaan nie besluite uitsluitlik op grond van ras kan neem nie. Alle individue se omstandighede moet in ag geneem word wanneer regeringsaksies oorweeg word. Verder mag enige poging om vorige diskriminasie reg te stel nie self nuwe vorme van diskriminasie skep nie. Hierdie stappe sal ‘n voortdurende siklus van diskriminasie beëindig en die grondslag lê vir ‘n meer regverdige en billike samelewing vir almal.

RP-leier, Phil Craig, sê: "Die tydsberekening van ons wetsontwerp kon nie beter gewees het nie. Ons het dit verlede jaar geskryf omdat nie-rassigheid ‘n kernbeginsel van die Referendum Party is, en dit het gelyk asof niemand anders die moed het om so ‘n wetsontwerp in te dien nie. Ons kon nooit voorsien dat President Trump en Elon Musk juis op hierdie tydstip Suid-Afrika sou uitdaag oor sy rasse-gebaseerde beleid nie. Ek dink sommige dinge is net voorbestem om te gebeur."

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