Parliament asked to debate and stop new race law
13 June 2023
The Cape Forum and Solidarity, together with community leaders today petitioned Parliament in Cape Town about the new race law and the recently published race regulations. Among other things, these groups request a special parliamentary debate on the matter and for Parliament to intervene and stop the law. According to the petition, the new law and the regulations are unconstitutional and irrational.
“The regulations that have been published have provoked major reaction countrywide. Their impact will cause major disruption in South Africa. This is plainly a race law that classifies and manipulates society on the basis of race,” Heindrich Wyngaard, chairperson of the Cape Forum said.
According to Solidarity Chief Executive Dr Dirk Hermann, the regulations show what the government’s real intention is with the law. “The consequences of the law passed by the Parliament are obvious. This not only justifies a parliamentary debate but it necessitates it. South Africa will want to hear how Parliament can justify such kind of social engineering. Now that the intention is clear and the unconstitutionality is obvious in the regulations, Parliament must do the right thing and stop the law and the regulations,” Hermann said.
This action taken by Solidarity and the Cape Forum stems from the resolution these two parties, together with around 30 other organisations had signed on 6 June in which they undertake to resist the regulations.