A draft terrorism bill, which has been more than two years in the making but was speeded up after the September 11 attacks in the United States, will probably be before Cabinet in July, according to government representative Joel Netshitenzhe.
The legislation was being prepared by the South African Law Commission, (SALC) he told reporters in Cape Town on Wednesday. The United Nations and Organisation of African Unity Conventions on the suppression, combating and prevention of terrorism had been at during Cabinet’s fortnightly meeting on Wednesday.
These would be forwarded to Parliament for ratification.
”This will soon be followed by our own legislation on the matter,” Netshitenzhe said.
The drafting of a new terrorism law to replace the draconian terrorism legislation of the apartheid era has been in the pipeline for two years.
The new bill has been mired in controversy after human rights activists complained about some provisions, including a clause allowing detention without trial for 14 days for interrogation purposes.
The drafting of the legislation was speeded up after last year’s September 11 attacks. According to media reports, the proposed anti-terrorism bill is based on the OAU convention, which distinguishes liberation movements from terrorist groups.
Pierre van Wyk of the SALC is on record as saying that the proposed bill condemns all terrorist acts as unjustifiable, makes material support for such acts an offence and extends the jurisdiction of South African courts to cover crimes committed on aircraft and ships outside the country.
It is not year clear how it bodes for two militant Muslim organisations in South Africa — Qibla and People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) — which were branded ”terrorist” groups by the US State Department in 1998, reports said at the time. – Sapa