Legislation: Committee to work on Credit, Copyright Bills during recess

With the aim of finalising the National Credit Amendment Bill and continuing deliberations on a second draft of the reworked Copyright Amendment Bill, the National Assembly’s Trade and Industry Committee has scheduled several meetings during an extended eight-week constituency period starting today, reports Pam Saxby for Legalbrief Policy Watch. On 31 July the committee will consider the opinion of senior counsel on the constitutionality of its National Credit Amendment Bill; stakeholder input on proposed new provisions with implications for section 86A(6)(d) of the Act (debt review); and a clause dealing with funding for ‘financial literacy and capability programmes’. As Legalbrief Today has already reported, the proposals were released at the end of last month for comment. According to Parliament’s latest committee meeting schedule, a fine-tuned Bill will be ‘formally considered’ on 2 August in anticipation of being tabled in the House for consideration when it reconvenes. On 1 August, members will continue their work on the Copyright Amendment Bill, which will also be the focus of meetings planned for 2, 7 and 8 August.

Meanwhile, a media statement issued yesterday by the office of ANC Chief Whip Jackson Mthembu has thrown some light on the rationale for adding three weeks to this year’s National Assembly winter recess. The ruling party is apparently concerned about the ‘gap between MPs and their constituencies’ and related accountability issues. It has blamed the ‘disproportionate’ amount of time MPs spend in Parliament – and would like the National Assembly to achieve a ‘50/50% balance’, in keeping with the resolution taken at an ANC parliamentary caucus lekgotla in 2016. The eight-week break will apparently bring the amount of time MPs spend this year ‘meaningfully’ engaging with ordinary South Africans (and ‘instantly’ intervening in matters ‘afflicting’ them) to 33% of their ‘overall parliamentary programme’ as elected public representatives. It will also add to the pressure of finalising more than 30 Bills now before National Assembly committees before the end of the country's fifth democratic Parliament.