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Associated Press
A man shouts his objections during a protest against the Protection of State Information Bill outside Parliament in Cape Town on Saturday 17 September this year.
“Ordinary” citizens – in rural areas, not cities – are to be consulted on the Protection of State Information Bill before the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) accepts or rejects the contested piece of legislation, ANC MP Johannes Tau has said.
The bill entered the next phase of its passage through the parliamentary system on Wednesday when Tau was elected unopposed to chair the ad hoc committee established by the NCOP to deal with the bill.
The committee had set itself a deadline of April to complete its work, but would not be “mechanical” about meeting this deadline, Tau said.
Tau told journalists in Cape Town that the multiparty committee – and the NCOP – would not “rubber-stamp” the bill, but would invite submissions from interested parties during its deliberations.
He also gave the assurance that the committee would hold public hearings on the bill and, if necessary and time allowed, would travel to all nine provinces to hear what “ordinary citizens” thought of it.
“And of course when I say all provinces, I don’t mean the big cities. We want to reach out to ordinary citizens,” he said.
Asked why urban residents would be sidelined, Tau said the debate about the bill had been dominated by “elites”.
“If you look at the nature and level of the debate, it has been highly, highly elite.
“It has been a process that has been de-linked from the ordinary citizen. So that is where, as the NCOP, we would want to push our energy towards – to ensure that our ordinary people on the ground understand what this piece of legislation is all about.”
Asked what he understood the bill to be about, Tau said his committee would have to be briefed on the “objectives and everything of the bill”.
But his “basic understanding” was that the bill “is in the main to protect state information”.
Tau implied that citizens were confused by the public debate about the bill and by the “many different messages” being communicated.
“So it would be in our interests to ensure that whatever product we arrive at as the NCOP is a product that is understood by that ordinary South African,” he said.
To fulfil its mandate of representing the interests of provinces, the NCOP would “engage with ordinary citizens on how they feel, how they see the bill, how the bill is going to impact on them and what their views are”.
At the end of the NCOP process, the House may concur with the bill as it stands, in which case it would go directly to President Jacob Zuma for his signature, or it may propose amendments before referring it back to the National Assembly.
As the bill is classified as a Section 75 bill – an ordinary bill that does not affect the provinces – the National Assembly may choose to ignore any NCOP amendments and pass it as it stands. Only in the case of a Section 76 bill – an ordinary bill affecting provinces – does the constitution require agreement between the two Houses.
The National Assembly passed the bill in November with 229 votes in favour and 107 against, despite unprecedented unity among opposition parties – and a well-publicised civil society campaign – to oppose it.
The DA said it would push for the “broadest possible public participation in the deliberations on the bill”. It called on Tau to “produce a detailed public participation plan” as required by NCOP rules.
Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has said he was told the NCOP process would “open the space” for amendments.
While Cosatu was “unequivocally opposed to acts of espionage or activities that are hostile to the state”, it was “concerned that relevant provisions in the bill are capable of such broad interpretation that it would have the effect of imposing criminal responsibility on whistle-blowers who disclose information in the public interest”. - Political Bureau
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City dweller, wrote
Traditionally cities exist (amazing!) to protect people who are no agrarian by nature. Arts and science flourished. Cities need food and farmers need cities. It is not possible for true democracy to return RSA to an agrarian society against the will of the people.
Anonymous, wrote
@British Brendan, you are a fool. Mandela and Mbeki are both from rural areas and are they not educated?
Lionel, wrote
What a propoganda ploy by the ANC when they have stronger support in rural areas and an extreme high majority of these supporters are uneducated, unemployed and live in absolute poverty. They will vote ANC until the day they die, as they know no better and the Info Bill means absolutely squat to them and it will have no impact what so ever on their lives, should the bill be passed into law. They are extremely gullible and naive as they believe everything the ANC says abd does and do not care a damn about exposing corrupt ANC cadres via the media and bringing them to book. The biggest issue impacting on the lives of rural citizens is where their next meal is coming from. The ANC prays on the poor for their own selfish gains and agenda.
Anonymous, wrote
tzME, wrote
Lecturer to Students at tertiary institution: "Does your grandmother understand what politicians say when they address the country in English?": Reply:'No'."why not? Does she speak any English at all?": "No". "Does she vote?": 'Yes'. "Do you speak any English at all when you're home on holiday?": 'No'. "Why not?": 'Nobody can speak English.' Democracy = keep the electorate as ill-or under-educated as possible... and vote on tribal or ethnic lines.... and claim that the power of the vote should carry over the decisions of the judiciary.
eish, wrote
Deena Naidoo, wrote
So now we have to hope and pray that our rural illiterates get to be 'deciding factors' in our 'stay-in-jail' or 'get out for free' scenario. This is the final straw! I'm quitting the DA to join Malema and his cahoots.
British Brendan, wrote
@Bohobe: You're right when you say that our presidents are from rural areas, but what's SO funny is that NONE OF OUR PRESIDENTS FROM RURAL AREAS ARE EDUCATED!! Think before you go online...
British Brendan, wrote
Talk about taking dieting advice from a fat man!! Go on, ask the uninformed, misled, uneducated masses to assist in making a decision which regards the running of a country. How stupid is that!?!
Russell Travers, wrote
Such a cynical manipulative fact-dodging ploy comes easily to the gangsters and bullies in the once impressive anc. Ask the rural population and they will tell you it's okay to torture animals, to kill your neighbors virgin daughter for body parts and that the tokoloshe exists. To reduce the democratic discourse to a one-sided trabalistic discourse is a true reflection of the anc's clear preferance for a one party, ethnocratic and fascist state. This sort of recourse to the 'dictatorship of the proletariat' might have worked in China and Cambodia but we are a civilised country - for Gods sake!
Frazier, wrote
Will the rurals know a what a secrecy bill is? Are they the ones who get to decide if we need to bomb Zimbabwe? Oh, forgot, its a secret!!!!!
Bohobe, wrote
Not all rural area people are uneducated that we can agree in whatever we are been told. Stop with rural area; rural area; rural area you are undermining us. Are you not aware that presidents of South Africa are all from rural areas?
Anonymous, wrote
aNON, wrote
good point @dry lemon but i dont think the comments here are aimed at people such as yourself. i think the scary thing is the 'really uneducated' people (maybe not their fault) simply have no understanding of the implications beyond the environment they live in. maybe we are wrong in our perceptions of the rural people and hopefully there are more that are aware of the moral bankruptcy of the anc?
aNON, wrote
good point @dry lemon but i dont think the comments here are aimed at people such as yourself. i think the scary thing is the 'really uneducated' people (maybe not their fault) simply have no understanding of the implications beyond the environment they live in. maybe we are wrong in our perceptions of the rural people and hopefully there are more that are aware of the moral bankruptcy of the anc?
badballie, wrote
Its to late for any sort of consultation now, the ANC is trying to close the stable after the horse has bolted. They act of treason will not be forgiven.
Ringmaster, wrote
KingAfrica, wrote
This is exactly why education is every citizen's concern. You can afford that your child gets good education in private school and therefore you don't care with what is happen in rural school. ANC is deliberately undermining education system because they will use poor education to their advantage. There are many challenges facing education but because they are affecting poor people not one is toyitoying. Info bill affect us all now you want the rural poor to be on your side. No one is saying thing about school books or teaching or libraries.
LK, wrote
A vote for the ANC is a vote for the old NP. Don't be fooled by the change in colour. The song remains the same.....
Plaas Jappie, wrote
Bring die Bill!Ons will wiet whats the fuss is all about?Are being strung along.please let the program be known.I hope places will be choosen easily and will be accessible to us.
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