The Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) is pleased to announce that the Gauteng Petitions Amendment Bill of 2024 has officially been enacted into law as the Gauteng Petitions Amendment Act No. 3 of 2025. Building on the foundation laid by South Africa’s first petitions legislation, enacted by the GPL in 1998, this progressive amendment strengthens the province’s democratic framework by enhancing government responsiveness and reaffirming the constitutional right of citizens to petition the Legislature.
All new petitions submitted from this point forward will be subject to the provisions of the 2025 Act.
The revised Act introduces several critical developments aimed at improving the petitions process, including:
- Enhanced accountability: Members of the Executive Council (MECs) are now required to report both quarterly and annually to the Legislature on all petitions received and the actions taken in response. In addition, when invited by the Petitions Committee, MECs must ensure that senior officials with appropriate authority from their departments attend Committee hearings to account for petitions relevant to their respective portfolios.
- Mandatory Internal Remedies: Before submitting a petition to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, petitioners are now required to exhaust all relevant internal processes, for example, at the municipal level. This includes submitting their service delivery concerns to the local municipal petitions committee and providing evidence of these steps. This provision, introduced by the Gauteng Petitions Amendment Act, 2025, aims to promote procedural fairness and administrative efficiency.
- Defined timeframes: Executive authorities and municipalities must respond to petitions within 30 working days. If additional time is required, they must formally request an extension and commit to a new deadline not exceeding 14 additional working days.
The Way Forward
The Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), in collaboration with the Portfolio Committee on CoGTA and the Department of CoGTA, will engage municipalities across the province to ensure alignment of their internal petitions processes with the provisions of the Gauteng Petitions Amendment Act (no. 3, 2025). Municipalities are expected to review and update their procedures accordingly, while petitioners are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the revised requirements to enhance effective participation in the petitions process.
To support this transition, the GPL has scheduled a series of public roadshows aimed at educating the citizens of Gauteng on the changes introduced by the amended Act and how these impact their right to petition.
“This Act marks a significant step toward a more responsive, transparent, and people-centered provincial government. It reaffirms the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s commitment to open, inclusive governance and participatory democracy by compelling both the Legislature and the Executive to ensure that the voices of all residents, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, are heard, acknowledged, and acted upon,” concludes Hon. Jentile, Chairperson of the Petitions Standing Committee at the GPL.
ISSUED BY GPL’S MEDIA SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON PETITIONS, HON. VUYISWA JENTILE
