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The feedback from communities in Gugulethu and Thembalethu at the first NCOP secrecy bill hearings today is a harsh wake up call for the ANC.
Successive speakers voiced their opposition to the proposed legislation, followed by spirited applause at the hearing I attended in the crowded hall of the Gugulethu Sports Complex.
With some speakers calling for the withdrawal of the Bill and even a general referendum, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the ANC simply ignored or underestimated the public outcry over the legislation.
Members of the community questioned government’s intentions with the Bill, referring to increasing exposure of corruption by the media and civil society.
Some reflected on the antics of the Apartheid-era intelligence operatives and the hiding of information from the public at the time, juxtaposing the Bill against the freedoms we have obtained since 1994.
We hope that the feedback from South Africans across the country will further embolden the NCOP committee to make substantive and meaningful amendments to the draft legislation.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will also ensure that the call for a public interest defence, again echoed at today’s hearings, remains on the agenda when the committee prepares to tackle serious amendments to Bill.
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