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The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of State Information Bill is set to meet tomorrow afternoon. The Democratic Alliance (DA) will seize this pivotal opportunity to ensure that key issues plaguing the Bill do not fall off the agenda.

According to preliminary indications, less than two hours have been allocated to discussing and adopting the committee programme. This may not be enough to produce a sufficiently detailed plan to ensure that the broadest possible public participation on the Bill takes place.

Accordingly, the DA intends to take all possible steps to ensure that producing a comprehensive plan for public consultation remains the priority at tomorrow’s meeting. It is imperative that the meeting does not become a talk shop while failing to address this key issue.

The plan must ensure that ordinary citizens, both in rural and urban South Africa, are well informed and consulted on the Bill and its potential impact on their lives.

Additionally, the committee must make adequate provision for in-committee consultation with relevant industry, media and civil society stakeholders and public submissions on the Bill.

We trust that the ANC members of the Ad Hoc Committee will approach the committee’s work in a congenial spirit while being open to key changes, including:
a strengthened public interest override;
a sufficiently limited definition of “national security”; and
a review of sections pertaining to almost all offences (such as the possession and disclosure of classified information).
The DA will take all possible steps to ensure that the deliberations take place in an open and transparent manner, and that the necessary amendments are made to align the Bill with our Constitution and the values of a democratic society.