POPI approved by NCOP's Select Committee

The National Council of Provinces' (NCOP) Select  Committee  on  Security  and  Constitutional Development has approved POPI today (12 June 2013) after having reviewed an opinion from its law advisors on certain amendments.

The Committee must now report back to the NCOP.

The Council must then, probably after the Q2 recess, during Q3, either:

- Pass the Bill;
- Pass the Bill subject to amendments proposed by the Council; or
- Reject the Bill.

If the Council passes POPI without proposed amendments, the Bill must be submitted to the  President for assent. We doubt whether this will happen.

If the NCOP passes POPI subject to proposed  amendments (as we anticipate is what will happen) or if the NCOP rejects POPI (which we sincerely doubt will happen), it goes back  to the National Assembly.

The National Assembly must then reconsider POPI by taking any amendments proposed by the NCOP into account and may pass POPI again (with or without the NCOP proposed amendments) or may decide not to proceed with the Bill.

A Bill that has been passed by  the National Assembly must then be submitted to the President for assent.

We therefore believe that assent or enactment is still on track for 2013.