DA PROPOSED CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE BILL IRRELEVANT

The Office of the ANC Chief Whip in Parliament notes the DA’s announced intention today to table a proposed private member’s bill supposedly aimed at repealing the National Key Points Act.

Such publicity stunts from the DA are not new. Lindiwe Mazibuko pulled a similar stunt in 2013 when she proposed exactly the same ill-informed Bill, which was rejected.

The DA is aware that there’s a comprehensive and legitimate process within the police ministry to repeal the National Key Points Act to bring it in line with the provisions of the democratic constitution.

As the police minister Nathi Nhleko recently stressed in May this year, “given that conditions had changed significantly since 1980, and a number of policy gaps were detected, it was decided that a National Critical Infrastructure Protection Bill be developed in line with the National Critical Infrastructure Protection Policy, which will seek to repeal the National Key Points Act.”

In the light of the unfolding due process to develop this important piece of legislation by the ministry, which Parliament shall then process, the purpose of the DA’s bill thus becomes meaningless and a sheer publicity stunt.

Issued by Moloto Mothapo on behalf of the Office of the ANC Chief Whip, 15 September 2015