The public will soon get its first say on a long-awaited intelligence bill that will make it illegal for the State Security Agency (SSA) to spy on people without informing them once the surveillance is over.
The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill is aimed at restructuring the intelligence services in response to a high-level presidential review panel of the State Security Agency and the Zondo Commission of Inquiry.
Just last week, the SSA’s director-general, Thembi Majola, quit less than two years into the job.
On Thursday, an ad hoc committee of Parliament raised concerns about whether it would have enough time to adequately gauge public opinion on the bill.
It’s a race against the clock for the ad hoc committee on the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill to get this highly sensitive legislation through the parliamentary hoops in just three months.
Next week, the committee will be briefed for the first time about the bill’s intentions by the state law advisor and the State Security Agency.
The national intelligence coordinating committee, the Office of the Interception Centre, and the interception judge are set to follow early next month.
But even some of this process could be shrouded in secrecy as pointed out by the ad hoc committee chairperson, Jerome Maake.
“It’s possible they might ask for closed meetings in relation to some of the things. If I’m wrong, I will be corrected. Meaning that if it’s a closed meeting then it means a virtual meeting can’t work.”
The bill says expanding the SSA’s surveillance capacity is necessary to deal with shortcomings identified by the Financial Action Task Force to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
This would include a vetting process for the establishment of NGOs and churches.
The bill is set to be advertised for public comment next week until early January.
-EWN
In other news – Big Brother Titans winner Khosi Twala on her fans gifting her over R500K since winning the show
Khosi Twala‘s dedicated fan base, called Khosi Reigns, continues to shower her with more money, apart from her receiving a $100,000 (about R1.6m) cash prize when crowned the Big Brother Titans winner.
The reality TV star recently had a luncheon organized by her fans in Rosebank where they showered her with many gifts and cash in the form of a money bouquet and a money cake. “My journey since Big Brother has been quite interesting. It has taken a great turn. I thought by now people would be over my winning or celebrating me, Read More
