ATC181107: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill [B 6-2017] (National Assembly – section 75), dated 7 November 2018

Justice and Correctional Services

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services on the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill [B 6-2017] (National Assembly – section 75), dated 7 November 2018
 

The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services (the Committee), having considered the Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill [B 6-2017], (the Bill) referred to it and classified by the Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM) as a section 75 Bill, presents the Cybercrimes Bill [B 6B-2017]. The Committee reports further as follows:

 

1. The Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill was referred to the Committee on 21 February 2017. The Bill was advertised for public comment in various newspapers and in all official languages. Public hearings on the Bill took place in Parliament on 13 and 14 September 2017.

 

1. The surge of cybercrime, security breaches and cyber-attacks in South Africa is of enormous concern and although South Africa has various laws that are used to deal with cybercrime offences, these do not comprehensively and uniformly criminalise conduct that is regarded internationally as cybercrime.

 

1. However, many of the submissions that the Committee received raised concerns about those aspects of the Bill that address cybersecurity, as, among others, the Bill’s approach did not strike the right balance between the interest of the State in securing cyberspace and individual freedoms and rights. Given the urgent need for legislation that comprehensively criminalises cybercrime, the Committee decided to remove all clauses in the Bill that address cybersecurity and to proceed only with the Bill as it relates to cybercrime. Those aspects of the introduced Bill that address cybersecurity will be dealt with at another stage.

 

 

Report to be considered.