Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on Tuesday (1 September) received briefings on three pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening the country’s new laws against gender-based violence (GBV).<\/p>\n
The new legislation forms part of a push by president Cyril Ramaphosa to tackle GBV and femicide in the country which has reached ‘endemic proportions in South Africa’.<\/p>\n
The proposed laws are outlined in more detail below.<\/p>\n
The Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Bill<\/strong><\/p>\n The bill introduces, among other things, a new offence of sexual intimidation<\/strong> to protect persons from threats of imminent sexual harm.<\/p>\n It further aims to extend the ambit of the offence of incest, so as to provide additional protection to children as well as extending the reporting duty of persons who suspect that sexual offences have been or are being committed against children.<\/p>\n The National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO)<\/strong><\/p>\n The proposed amendments in the bill expand the scope of the NRSO to include the particulars of all sex offenders and not only sex offenders against children<\/strong> and persons who are mentally disabled.<\/p>\n It also aims to expand the ambit to include other vulnerable persons, namely women between the ages of 18 and 25; all persons with physical, intellectual or mental disabilities; and persons aged 60 or older who, for example, receive community-based care and support services.<\/p>\n It also increases the periods for which a sex offenders\u2019 personal details must remain on the NRSO before they can be removed.<\/p>\n The Domestic Violence Amendment Bill <\/strong><\/p>\n The bill aims to optimise collaboration between departments like the Department of Health, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Social Development to streamline the provision of domestic violence services.<\/p>\n It further aims to simplify and clarify the roles of all relevant stakeholders by expressly including the services to be rendered and to address identified gaps or shortcomings impacting on the optimal implementation of the Act. It makes provision for secure online application for a protection order.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Cybercrimes Bill\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Parliament is also set to discuss the Cybercrimes Bill<\/strong> in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Originally introduced in 2017, the Cybercrimes Bill focuses on criminalising the theft and interference of data and bringing South Africa\u2019s cybersecurity laws in line with the rest of the world.<\/p>\n The objectives of the bill are, among others, to:<\/p>\n \u201cThe bill further aims to regulate the powers to investigate cybercrimes, to further regulate aspects relating to mutual assistance in respect of the investigation of cybercrimes and to provide for the establishment of a 24\/7 point of contact,\u201d the NCOP said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bill also impose obligations on electronic communications service providers and financial institutions to assist in the investigation of cybercrimes. It also provides that the executive may enter into agreements with foreign states to promote cybersecurity.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of the online\u00a0messages<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>which are covered under the bill include:<\/p>\n Last week, Ramaphosa\u2019s Cabinet also approved several pieces of legislation for submission to parliament.<\/p>\n Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu said that the bills will address a number of issues \u2013 including national elections and sectional title properties.<\/p>\n Electoral Law Amendment Bill<\/strong><\/p>\n Mthembu said that the Electoral Law Amendment Bill<\/strong> will make a number of changes to existing electoral legislation in South Africa.<\/p>\n The amendments will among other things introduce innovations in electoral practices in keeping with best practices to improve the IEC\u2019s efficiency in managing elections, he said.<\/p>\n\n
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