| Our rights and freedoms must be protected, not threatened

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Restrictive laws such as the General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill would impede the freedoms of a vibrant civil society that has worked tirelessly to hold the government accountable, write Gabriel Klaasen and Busisiwe Zasekhaya.

While these two activists are named here, they are by no means the only ones - in their countries or around the world. In fact we may even see it here in South Africa with the emergence of The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill . According to , this is a new Bill"amending the powers and mandate of South Africa’s state intelligence services."

report, among others. While on first appearance, it aims to address the urgent need to reform the laws governing South Africa's intelligence services, what it actually does is open the door for civil society in South Africa to be monitored and struck down should the need arise without actually addressing broader concerns in the reports it draws from.

All these would threaten civil societies' critical role in ensuring we have the transparency and accountability we need and demand from our government. It is because of this that we, as civil society, need to call for meaningful reforms that safeguard our democratic rights. Opinions editor Vanessa Banton curates the best opinions and analysis of the week to give you a broader view on daily news happenings.

So, in the build-up to our 30-year commemoration of 'freedom’, let us not only ask the question, Who do we vote for? But who is building on that hope we were conceptualised on, and how can we as civil society, as communities, as a people continue and build on the acts of courage those before us actioned to ensure we do not perish and do not lose hope.

 

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