Parliament, Saturday, 27 January 2024 – The Ad Hoc Committee on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill concluded public hearings on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill in the Gauteng Province in the City of Johannesburg yesterday at the Jabulani Recreation Centre where approximately 170 members of the public participated in the engagements.
The committee received several submissions from the public that included submissions calling for the committee to reconsider some of the definitions used in the Bill, notably that of national security. Other inputs expressed the need for safeguards to be built into the Bill, especially regarding the provisions for bulk surveillance by the intelligence services. The public reiterated the need for the right to privacy to be considered in the final Bill.
Members of the public also commented on the structural design of the security services as proposed in the Bill. Some members noted the need for the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee (NICOC) to be independent from services. Inputs also called for the independence of the Inspector-General of Intelligence to be ensured. They argued that it is needed for accountable intelligence services.
Some participants called for further time for members of the public to familiarise themselves with the Bill in order to make meaningful input. The committee informed the participants that the first adverts calling for comment on the Bill appeared in national newspapers from mid-December 2023. However, the committee reassured the public that further opportunity for written submissions on the Bill remains available. The deadline for written submissions has subsequently been extended to 15 February 2024.
The committee will reconvene in George in the Western Cape on Tuesday 6 February 2024 for further public engagements on the Bill and move to Cape Town on 7 February 2024. The committee encourages the communities in the Western Cape to familiarise themselves with the published Bill and attend the public hearings to express themselves on the Bill.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON THE GENERAL INTELLIGENCE LAWS AMENDMENT BILL, MR BHEKI HADEBE.
For media enquiries, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Ms Faith Ndenze
Parliamentary Communication Services
Cell: 081 377 0686
Email: fndenze@parliament.gov.za
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