Cabinet has approved two bills for submission to Parliament.
The two bills, including the Child Justice Amendment Bill of 2018 and Civil Aviation Amendment Bill of 2018, were approved for submission to Parliament.
The introduction of the Child Justice Amendment Bill of 2018 has been approved for submission to Parliament.
Briefing the media on Thursday, following a Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, Communications Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said the bill amends the Child Justice Act, 2008 (Act 75 of 2008), in order to review the minimum age of criminal capacity of a child by increasing it from the age of 10 to 12 years.
“The bill goes further in upholding the rights of children in conflict with the law. It also de-links the issue of criminal capacity from diversion by removing the requirement to prove criminal capacity for purposes of diversion and preliminary inquiries,” Mokonyane said.
Civil Aviation Amendment Bill
Cabinet also approved submission of the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill of 2018 to Parliament.
Mokonyane said the bill, which amends the Civil Aviation Act, 2009 (Act 13 of 2009), will strengthen the aviation safety, security and environmental protection regulatory frameworks to ensure sustainability and stability of the civil aviation industry.
“This will ensure that South Africa continues to meet her international obligations in the civil-aviation arena, which strengthens support to our economic development, as a catalyst for increased trade, tourism and job creation.”
The bill also provides for, amongst others, the operational independence of the aircraft accident and incident investigation, and to rectify inconsistencies and shortcomings.
Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Amendment Bill
Meanwhile, Cabinet approved the publication of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Amendment Bill of 2018 for public comment.
The bill, which amends the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, 1993 (Act 130 of 1993), recognises domestic workers who were excluded from the Act, as employees for the purpose of benefits, as well as improving existing benefits.
“The amendments improve the benefits payable to employees and their dependents, and aim to assist injured and diseased employees to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the workplace and society,” Mokonyane explained. – SAnews.gov.za
