Statistics Amendment Bill endangers public safety

Dear Editor

As South Africans gear up to head to the polls next year, the ANC is hellbent on ramming through as much legislation as possible, while they still can. This not only shows their lack of care as elected representatives but also has negative implications for South Africans.

On Friday, the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation met to consider the Statistics Amendment Bill. Concerns were raised by the DA, with our major concern being the amendment of Clause 9 to Section 15(2) of the principle Act, which provides Statistics SA officials with the right to access private property for purposes of data gathering.

As it stands in the existing Statistics Act, private dwellings are precluded from absolute right of access. By allowing this amendment, we believe that constitutional rights to privacy and security will be in jeopardy, especially in a country with some of the worst crime rates in the world.

We near the end of the annual ‘16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children’, which the ANC seeks to commemorate through bad legislation that could endanger South Africans. The DA was also joined by other parties in our objection, which fell on deaf ears as the ANC used its numbers to force the amendment through.

We find this completely unacceptable and in contravention of House rules, which state that should legislation not be in unanimity, the views of the minority are subject to a House debate. We will therefore write to the Committee Chair, as we believe that minority viewpoints were not thoroughly considered. The DA will fight this Bill, as we do not believe that it will benefit South Africans. The DA does not believe that the rights of the State should supersede individual rights to privacy and security.

Regards

Samantha Graham-Maré MP
Member of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee