Ramaphosa refers Copyright Amendment Bill to apex court to determine constitutionality

JOHANNESBURG - A bill aiming to assist blind and visually impaired people in converting published works into accessible formats – has been referred to the constitutional court by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, The Presidency says the Copyright Amendment Bill has been sent to the apex court to rule on its constitutionality.

Both houses of Parliament have passed the bill. It is awaiting Ramaphosa’s signature to become law. 

Organisations representing the blind and visually impaired people have been urging Ramaphosa to sign the bill into law.

ALSO READ: Blind SA thrilled after court victory for 50 visually impaired students

The bill seeks to decriminalise the process of turning published material into an accessible format like  Braille, a universally accepted system of writing used by and for blind people.

Blind SA - an organisation that advocates for the rights of visually impaired people – says there’s a limited number of books in South Africa that are accessible.

But the president won’t be signing the bill anytime soon as he still has reservations on its constitutionality.

Ramaphosa has also referred the Performers Protection Amendment Bill (PPAB) to the Constitutional Court for a similar reason.

The PPAB seeks to protect creatives' rights.