Parliament of South Africa

09/09/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/09/2021 12:52

National Assembly Passes the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Bill

Parliament, Thursday 9 September 2021 -Today, the National Assembly (NA) passed the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Bill.

The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, 1993 by amending and repealing specific definitions and sections. It provides for matters about the Board and its members and allows the Commissioner to perform certain functions that the Director-General previously performed. It further provides for issues pertaining to the rehabilitation, re-integration and return to work of occupationally injured and diseased employees and regulates the use of health care services. It additionally provides for the Commissioner to review pension claims or awards and provides for administrative penalties.

The bill will now be sent to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for concurrence.

At the same sitting, the NA agreed to grant the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development permission in terms of National Assembly Rule 286(4)(c) to amend other provisions of Sectional Titles Act, 1996.

The Committee is currently deliberating on the Bill. Given the inputs from members of the public and insights from further deliberations, the Committee has realised that it is necessary to amend provisions of the Principal Act that were not included in the Bill as introduced.

National Assembly Rule 286(4)(c) provides that a committee may, if it is considering a Bill that amends provisions of the legislation, seek the permission of the Assembly to inquire into amending other provisions of that legislation.

Accordingly, the Committee explicitly seeks permission to amend section 54(2)(c) of the Principal Act to remove a requirement for the Sectional Titles Regulation Board to include two persons having special knowledge of sectional title development schemes. This requirement is no longer necessary as the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act, 2011 (Act No. 8 of 2011) now regulates.

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Enquiries: Moloto Mothapo 082 370 6930