Members of the National Council of Provinces’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of State Information Bill who attended the Vryheid (in KwaZulu-Natal) public hearings have applauded the community for submitting their views on the proposed legislation.
Vryheid community proposed various amendments to the Bill, including a review of the clause 16 (2) which gives heads of organs of state authority to classify or declassify. This clause is found in Chapter 5 of the Bill and states that, “the head of an organ of state is the declassification authority but he or she may delegate the authority to declassify and downgrade to a staff member at a sufficiently senior level within the organ of state”.
Other proposals submitted by the Vryheid community included:
- The review of penalties for transgressors of the Bill,
- An introduction of an independent classification body which would determine the kind of Information to be classified.
Members of the public, who proposed the inclusion of a clear public interest defence clause, stated that they were in agreement with other aspects of the Bill.
Committee members voiced their appreciation to the Vryheid community and promised that all submissions made would be considered by the Committee when it deliberated on the Bill in Parliament.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Leader of Group 1 delegation, please contact:
Faith Kwaza
Parliamentary Communication Services
Cell: 072 122 0371
Tel: 021 403 8062
E-mail: fkwaza@parliament.gov.za
