Sabinet Online Limited has acquired Cape Town-based LEGI-LINK, a specialist monitoring and alerting service of accurate parliamentary information to the public and private sectors.
LEGI-LINK offers an inclusive service to track the legislative process from green and white papers, to policy documents, speeches, and bills through committees and debates, to the end product of the published act in the Government Gazette.
Gerhard Kemp, managing director of Sabinet Online, comments: "As SA's premier gateway facilitator of electronic access to value-added, local and international information, Sabinet Online enjoyed a high degree of synergy with LEGI-LINK."
One of Sabinet Online's products, the highly popular electronic SA Gazettes, publishes all acts as they are promulgated by Parliament. The LEGI-LINK products fill the gaps in the legislative process. "It therefore provides an excellent fit and adds considerable value to our existing product portfolio," he notes.
The deal cements a relationship that began in January 2001, when Sabinet Online obtained the right to market Bill Tracker, LEGI-LINK'S online tracking facility for providing information on every bill before Parliament.
Kemp adds: "We feel very positive about the development, which is in line with Sabinet Online's objective to extend our services, while still remaining focused on our core business."
Chris Newton, founder of LEGI-LINK, says: "This is an exciting development for us, in terms of what it can offer civil society as far as obtaining access to the whole process of law-making."
He adds: "One of LEGI-LINK's key strengths is our information consulting service, whereby we e-mail, on a daily basis, information geared to the individual needs of our clients. This maximises the time available to them to analyse and respond to evolving policy and other developments surrounding bills."
Newton believes that the service provides an essential window to legislation in the making, thereby playing an important role in the democratic process.
According to Newton, the operation will in turn benefit from Sabinet Online's well-established technical infrastructure and specialist IT skills, as well as its market penetration. The LEGI-LINK operation has been merged with Sabinet Online's Cape Town office.
Share
Chris Newton, industrialist, and his wife Jill, established LEGI-LINK, SA's first parliamentary information service, in 1993. His experience and involvement in the parliamentary committee of the then Federated Chamber of Industries since 1975, equipped him well for the task. The business has grown to become a leader in its field.
Sabinet Online
Sabinet Online Limited, based in Centurion, has been SA's premier gateway facilitator of electronic access to value-added information for more than 19 years. Access is offered to acclaimed local and international information databases on a vast range of subjects. In addition, information is provided through an alerting service to clients' desktops according to their specific needs. Sabinet Online's services are widely used within companies in all business sectors, as well as on academic campuses and within government structures. www.sabinet.co.za
Editorial contacts