CHURCHES CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY IN PRIVATE SECTOR

The General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) has called on Parliament to adopt an Open Democracy Bill that gives full effect to the constitutional right of access to information required to exercise or protect a right--even if that data is held by a private body.

In a letter to the newly-appointed members of the Portfolio Committee on Justice on behalf of SACC member churches, the General Secretary, the Rev. Charity N. Majiza, said that the Open Democracy Bill "must provide a firm foundation for transparency and accountability--not just in government but also in the private sector."

"We believe that it is imperative that citizens must be able to gain access to privately-held information if the concealment of that information is likely to contribute to the violation of their rights, " the leaders wrote. "We fear that if the Open Democracy Bill does not establish a procedure to regulate access to such information, the right itself will be imperiled."

The letter also drew attention to the bill's significance as an aid to the exposure and eradication of corruption.

Section 32(1) of the Constitution guarantees the right of access to state information and "any information that is held by another person and that is required for the exercise or protection of any rights". The Constitution requires that legislation be adopted by 3 February 2000 to give effect to this right.

The Open Democracy Bill [B67-98] was tabled last year to satisfy this requirement. In hearings before the Portfolio Committee on Justice in March, the South African Council of Churches and other groups criticised the bill for its failure to ensure access to certain privately-held information. (See SACC submission.)

The SACC letter calls on the Portfolio Committee to incorporate into the bill new provisions that would address this deficiency.