Cabinet approves a raft of bills for public comment

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The Bill amends the Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Act, 2007 (Act 12 of 2007), the Minister told reporters during a Post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday.

“It regulates the powers of municipalities to levy development charges in respect of land development applications submitted to the municipality,” he said at the briefing held at the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) head office in Pretoria.

According to the bill, development charges are one of the instruments that municipalities can use to finance the development of municipal infrastructure.

“This enables municipalities to execute their role of providing well-maintained and functioning infrastructure services to unlock economic growth,” he said.

Expropriation Bill

The Expropriation Bill was another legislative piece that was on Friday approved for comment by Cabinet.

Mthembu said the Bill has been enhanced by inputs from the extensive consultation with the public and from different formations.

“Once passed into law, the Bill will provide uniform procedures to be followed when effecting the expropriation. It provides a legal framework for government departments and other organs of state in the three spheres of government to apply uniform land and other infrastructure expropriation procedures,” he said.

The bill will see the amendment of Section 25 of the South African Constitution.

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Auditing Profession Amendment Bill

Meanwhile, Cabinet has also approved the submission to Parliament of the Auditing Profession Amendment Bill. The Bill amends the Auditing Profession Act, 2005 (Act 26 of 2005).

“The Bill proposes that the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors be empowered to subpoena any person with any information required to complete an investigation on improper conduct by auditors,” said Mthembu.

The amendments also empower the Minister of Finance to determine the maximum amount which can be imposed on an auditor with a guilty finding following a disciplinary hearing.