NEIL OVERY: Foreign Agents Bill imperils democracy by stifling NGOs
Those striving to maintain and deepen SA’s constitutional order should be chilled to the bone by the draft law
Vuyo Zungula, leader of the African Transformation Movement (ATM), indicated in March that a Foreign Agents Bill would be placed before parliament in July. Following up on a promise made last year, this private member’s bill will, in Zungula’s words, “remove all the players that are not operating in the country in the best interests of SA citizens”.
According to Zungula, the bill will target foreign-funded nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs) that routinely act as “agents of foreign interests” and are “hell-bent on keeping SA undeveloped”. Drawing attention to oil and gas in a series of statements and interviews, he has claimed that foreign-funded NGOs are subverting the will of South Africans by using the courts to stop exploration and drilling. It is, he says, time for South Africans to reclaim their sovereignty because “the people must govern, not foreign- funded NGOs”...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.