Consideration of legislation by South African members of Parliament to provide Fifa with a legislative platform to manage South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup in 2010 began at Parliament on Tuesday — with a discussion whether previous versions of the South African flag should be banned during the staging of matches.
The National Assembly’s Sports and Recreation committee — in conjunction
with the National Council of Provinces Select Committee on Education and Recreation — began discussing the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa Special Measures Bill this morning.
Sports and Recreation Ministry legal adviser Gideon Boshoff proposed that a clause in the legislation providing for the singing of national anthems and the carrying of flags could carry the proviso that the old South African flag should be proscribed — effectively banning the carrying of the flag by match spectators.
Both African National Congress MP Lanval Reid and Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Donald Lee asked whether this was necessary. Fellow DA MP Willem Doman asked whether this would apply to the crowd or just the official activities of a national side. Boshoff said it was envisaged that this would apply to the control of the crowd.
The Bill also provides for no-go zones for traffic and the facilitation of easier visa approval processes for match spectators. It also provides for the declaration of a World Cup stadium venue by the Minister of Sport and Recreation.
A second Bill — which deals with provincial competencies relating to trade and industry matters and to the governing of medicine use — is also to be considered by the committees.
The first Bill at present says that no person may prevent the playing of the national anthem of any country represented by a team during any match or other official event of the World Cup in 2010 and the flying of the national flag of any country represented by a team during any match or other official event.
This wording was apparently in accordance with a government guarantee issued by the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs on July 14 2003.
In terms of a clause in the Bill the Minister of Home Affairs may approve work permits during the World Cup subject to Fifa approval.
The first Bill also makes provision for traffic-free zones preventing an unauthorised person from driving a vehicle into such a zone unless he or she carried a prescribed notice. The areas would be identified by the national commissioner of the South African Police Service.
The Bill also provides that a peace officer may search ”any person intending to enter a designated area or found inside such area and may search any vehicle or container in the possession or under the control of such person or any vehicle being driven into or found in a traffic-free zone for any prescribed object and may seize such an object found on such person, in or on such vehicle or in or on such container and deal with the seized object in the prescribed manner.”
A peace officer ”may use such force as may be reasonably necessary in and proportional to the circumstances to overcome any resistance to the search or seizure, including breaking open the vehicle or container”. – I-Net Bridge