Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality hearings a success

Although weather conditions were unfavourable, residents of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality came out in numbers to present their submissions on the Protection of Information Bill (B6B-2010) to the Committee dealing with the Bill.

Many of the submissions presented suggested improvements on critical issues in the Bill. These included:

• The importance of the Bill in safeguarding the rights of citizens of South Africa in relation to access to classified information.
• Reducing the number of days for an application to declassify to less than the 14 days stipulated in section 19 of the Bill.
• Reducing the number of days of the appeal procedure to less than the 30 days stipulated in section 31 of the Bill.
• The lack of confidence by the public in state investigative institutions that would deal with South African citizens who have classified information in their possessions.

The Committee also noted the clear appreciation of accurate information by the community of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality about the Bill and appreciated the frank and robust discussions from the public.

These views will be considered when the Committee engages on the submissions made on the Bill.

Enquiries:
Faith Kwaza
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 8062
Cell: 072 122 0371
E-mail: fkwaza@parliament.gov.za