Madam Speaker, in the Doctors for Life matter, the Constitutional Court stated that:
Public involvement provisions gave effect to an important feature of democracy, its participative nature. The participation of citizens in government formed the basis and support of democracy which could not exist without it.
The Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislatures are required in terms of this Constitutional Court order to take all the steps necessary and reasonable to facilitate public hearings in the affected areas.
Whilst the ACDP is fully aware that no fault was found in the process adopted by this National Assembly, it would in our view, at this stage, be premature to support this Bill until the public hearings have been held in the affected areas in terms of the Constitutional Court order. Only then would we be able to gauge whether there had been sufficient public involvement as required by the Constitutional Court.
Indeed, the KZN and Eastern Cape legislatures may, after hearing public input, decide to veto the Bill. The ACDP will accordingly, at this stage, not support the Constitution Thirteenth Amendment Bill. I thank you.