Three new pieces of legislation aimed at controlling social and religious relief work and fund raising have been introduced in South Africa. In future all organised forms of social and charitable work will require official approval, under a racially-classified system of registration.
Under the National Welfare Bill all organisations offering social welfare services, including the 'relief of social distress, the prevention and combating of social decline, or the improvement or the promotion of the social functioning of persons, families or groups' must be registered under regional welfare boards, which may refuse registration, and must accept racially-separate classification. The boards will have power to determine regional welfare needs, while the Minister of Social Welfare has power, backed by penal sanctions, to investigate any welfare organisations and withdraw registration, although there is no appeal to the courts against any such decision.
The Social Workers and Associated Proffessions Bill makes it an offence for any person not registered as a social worker (under the racially separate social workers' bodies) to undertake 'any professional act, activity or method directed at diagnosing, eliminating, preventing or treating social malfunctioning in man, or at promoting social stability in man, including the rendering of any material assistance with a view thereto'. This wide and somewhat obscure definition could cover work by church workers, advice centres, alcoholic aid groups, social researchers, women's organisations etc.
The Fund Raising Bill controls the collection of funds for welfare purposes. All fund raising for 'any object relating to the rendering of material assistance to any other person' must be authorised by the state-appointed Director of Donation Funds, who is empowered to refuse permits, to investigate organisations, search premises and subpoena witnesses. Penalties for contravention are fines up to R1500 and three years' imprisonment, and there is no appeal to the courts. Exemptions include fund raising by state-controlled institutions e.g. hospitals and by churches for exclusively religious purposes. Unauthorised and unsolicited donations must be returned where possible or disposed of by the Directorate.
Both the content and the drafting of these Bills came under attack from churches and welfare groups who pointed out that the exact meaning of the law (largely contained in 'regulations' to be appended to the Acts) will be difficult to penetrate. The Bills, originally published on 8 July 1977, were thought to have been designed to control the extensive welfare activities, including clinics and direct material aid, of Black Consciousness and religious organisations. Their introduction in the first parliamentary session following the banning of Black Consciousness groups and the Christian Institute suggests that the legislation is designed to prevent associated groups from carrying on this work, and to hit particularly at remaining church groups, now responsible for most non-statutory welfare work in South Africa.
State welfare assistance is at a rudimentary stage in South Africa, while charitable bodies are at present registered for work with separate racial groups. It is possible that the new legislation, as well as controlling unauthorised social assistance and relief of the distress caused by apartheid, is designed to ensure that all such assistance for Africans be channelled through Bantustan agencies.
