General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill set to receive final approval
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) ad hoc committee on the so-called Spy Bill is expected to rubberstamp the key legislation when it meets on Wednesday morning.
FILE: Refurbishment after Parliament was gutted by a fire in January 2022. Picture: Supplied
JOHANNESBURG - The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill is set to receive final approval on Wednesday, despite constitutional concerns.
The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) ad hoc committee on the so-called Spy Bill is expected to rubberstamp the key legislation when it meets on Wednesday morning.
The committee is expected to adopt the bill even though Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni rejected some of its recommendations.
The legislation is intended to address shortcomings in the State Security Agency that took place during former President Jacob Zuma's administration and were highlighted by a high-level review panel.
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The NCOP’s ad hoc committee processing the spy bill has been considering the legislation this week and adopting the final report is one step before final adoption by the house on Thursday.
The bill's adoption, which will give the Inspector General of Intelligence (IGI) more autonomy, is expected before the sixth Parliament officially ends this week.
But Ntshavheni said they’re not happy with some recommendations like legislating the bi-annual meetings the president is compelled to attend with the joint standing committee on intelligence.
“It’s literally three issues: the evaluation committee, the legislating the frequency of meetings of the committee with the president and the appointment of the deputy IGI.”
Legal advice presented to the committee was to adopt the legislation now and sort out any outstanding issues in the next Parliament.