DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko has asked President Jacob Zuma for clarity on the extent to which MPs can make amendments to the Protection of State Information Bill, notes a report on the News24 site.
In a letter sent to Zuma this week, she wrote: 'It is unclear whether you have referred only sections 42 and 45 of the Bill back to Parliament or whether there are other sections of the Bill, which you have constitutional reservations about.' Mazibuko added: 'We request that you provide clarity on this matter, so that we may begin the processing of the Bill accordingly.' Zuma's letter to National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu, referring the Bill back to the legislature, said he was doing so 'insofar as sections of the Bill, in particular sections 42 and 45, lack meaning and coherence, consequently are irrational and accordingly unconstitutional'. DA MP Dene Smuts, who was involved in the drafting process and will serve on the ad hoc committee reviewing the Bill, said the President's intentions were not clear from the letter, which posed a constitutional problem. 'There is a constitutional problem because the President cannot send something back in vague terms,' Smuts said. 'We can only look at what he referred back. It is not clear what he meant and he must say what he means.' Mazibuko's office said she was still waiting for a response from the Presidency. Full report on the News24 site