In a last minute rush to finish its business before closing down for the elections, the National Council of Provinces adopted 12 bills Thursday, including some highly controversial ones.
The bills were processed in record time with only one speaker set down for the debate on each bill, though political parties were allowed to make declarations on them. Among the bills adopted were the Division of Revenue Bill, the Carbon Tax Bill, the Public Investment Corporation Amendment Bill, the Financial Matters Amendment Bill, the Copyright Amendment Bill, the Performers Protection Amendment Bill, and the Property Practitioners Bill.
The Financial Matters Amendment Bill will allow for the establishment of banks by state-owned enterprises , while the Copyright Amendment Bill fundamentally changes the copyright regime in the country by introducing the fair-use principle into the legislation.Copyright Amendment Bill, the Coalition for Effective Copyright in SA said it is “currently considering every available legal avenue to stop the bill being signed into law”.