2. Subsequently, the Committee invited members of the public to make written and oral submissions on the Bill. On the 27 - 29 July 2012 the Portfolio Committee published a notice in the press inviting submissions by no later than 10 August 2012. On 21 and 22 August 2012, the Committee conducted public hearings in Parliament, where it heard oral presentations from 32 organizations that responded to the call for comments by members of the public. The submissions raised, amongst others, the constitutionality of the Bill in relation to the conceptual understanding of the national interest and provincial powers in relation to spatial planning and land use management.