Draft Bill to Repeal 149 Pre-1994 Justice Laws Tabled
Brought to you by SA Legal Academy: The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is preparing to table the Repeal of Certain Pre-1994 Justice Laws Bill in Parliament, which aims to formally repeal 149 redundant pre-1994 statutes.
In terms of the legislative program of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the draft Repeal of Certain Pre-1994 Justice Laws Bill has been published by the Parliamentary Monitoring Group ahead of its formal tabling in Parliament. This follows the publication of the Bill’s explanatory summary on 3 July 2026.
According to the draft Bill’s memorandum on the objects, the targeted pre-1994 Acts no longer serve any practical or legal purpose and pointlessly remain on the active Statute Book. The proposed Bill seeks to clean up the regulatory landscape by formally repealing these obsolete instruments in their entirety.
What this means for you, your business, or your clients
- For yourself: No direct individual compliance obligations; however, legal professionals should note the impending removal of these 149 obsolete statutes to ensure they do not cite repealed legislation in legal pleadings or opinions.
- For your business: Ensure that internal legal databases, compliance registers, and reference libraries are updated once the Bill is enacted to reflect the repeal of these pre-1994 statutes.
- For your clients: Advise clients operating in historically complex sectors that these redundant laws are being formally expunged, reducing potential confusion regarding historical statutory obligations.
Originally published at https://legalacademy.co.za/news/read/justice-repeal-of-certain-pre-1994-justice-laws-bill-heads-to-parliament