Internal Security Act

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The Internal Security Act ( Act No. 74 of 1982 ), German for example: "Law for internal security", also Act to provide for the security of the state and the maintenance of law and order; and to provide for matters connected therewith was an essential element of South African law during the apartheid era .

history

The law was passed by the South African National Assembly on June 1, 1982 and came into force on July 2, 1982.

It replaced several previous homeland security laws , including the Suppression of Communism Act of 1950, portions of the Riotous Assemblies Act (17/1956) of 1956, the Unlawful Organizations Act (34/1960) of 1960, the Terrorism Act of 1967, and the Internal Security Amendment Act ( Act No. 79 of 1976 ). It gave the apartheid government extensive opportunities to ban or restrict organizations, publications, people and assemblies and to detain people without trial. The law was enacted as a result of the final report of the Rabie Commission , whose task it was to investigate the existing security laws.

content

Section 5 concerned the ban on publications. Sections 16 and 17 envisaged the listing of people who, accordingly, did not hold parliamentary offices, were not active in the judiciary and were not allowed to be quoted. Sections 18 to 27 concerned ban orders against people. Section 28 of the Act dealt with indefinite "preventive" detention. Section 29 of the provided for the possibility of indefinite detention for the purpose of interrogation - also in solitary confinement - section 31 the detention of possible witnesses. Sections 46 through 53 dealt with ban orders for gatherings.

Section 54 referred to “terrorism,” Section 73 allowed the bans of organizations. In 1986 the law was supplemented by the Internal Security Amendment Act ( Act No. 66 of 1986 ), which allowed detention for up to 180 days even without ministerial approval.

In the event of a state of emergency , there was separate legislation that gave the government authorities additional powers.

The four formally independent homelands Transkei , Bophuthatswana , Venda and Ciskei had their own security laws that largely corresponded to South African regulations.

abolition

Most of the provisions of the Internal Security Act were replaced by other statutes between 1991 and 1993, such as the Internal Security and Intimidation Amendment Act of 1991, the Abolition of Restrictions on Free Political Activity Act, and the Regulation of Gatherings Act, both of 1993, and the Security Matters Rationalization Act of 1996. Most recently, the Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act was passed in 2004 , which came into force on May 20, 2005.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Max Coleman: The Legal Veneer (Analysis of the Internal Security Act of 1990). at sahistory.org.za, accessed September 20, 2013
  2. ↑ Text at Wikisource (English), accessed on September 20, 2013
  3. ^ South African History Online : Internal Security Amendment Act . at sahistory.org.za, accessed September 19, 2013