The fatally flawed Copyright Amendment Bill continues to face late changes in the National Council of Provinces, dragging the linked Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill with it. This comes three years after the President referred the Bill back to the National Assembly for concerns about its constitutionality. Latest indications are that changes will be made to the Copyright Amendment Bill because of legislators’ discomfort with the “fair use” clause and some of the broad copyright exceptions, and because the National Assembly had introduced new erroneous provisions and had not waited for the outcome of a Constitutional Court case. Instead, it pushed the Bill through for a second time in September 2022 over numerous objections.
In 2003, the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003 (BEE) was introduced to address the inequalities suffered by black South Africans as a result of apartheid. It was initially created to ensure an inclusive economy – but corruption is forfeiting the purpose. Sakeliga has won a series of court cases against unfair BEE practices in the past. The firm’s CEO, Piet Le Roux, joined the BizNews Power Hour to discuss Sakeliga’s most recent case against unfair BEE practices, saying, “We must judge tenders by whether they serve the end-user and not by how much profit can be made”.
Sakeliga CEO Piet le Roux on BEE procurement and the progress Sakeliga has made: