Truth or Censorship
FREEDOM of expression, of which media freedom is an important dimension, is one of the fundamental rights South Africans secured through the democratic political revolution of 1994.
After more than 150 years of hard-fought struggles, entailing the loss of thousands of lives, imprisonment, torture and assassination, these rights should be cherished and defended by us all, citizens and government alike.
Historically, the struggle for media freedom and against colonialism and racial oppression in South Africa have been integrally connected. That link is encapsulated in the person and the struggles of Thomas Pringle, who arrived in South Africa as an immigrant from Britain in 1820.
Though among the 1820 settlers Pringle did not live in the eastern Cape, but settled in Cape Town where, together with John Fairbairn, he established the South African Journal and the South African Commercial Advertiser.
Like many editors who followed him, Pringle soon discovered the limits to freedom of expression in the colonies.
A staunch abolitionist, Pringle opposed slavery at the Cape and agitated against the colonial government's excesses against the indigenous people.
His newspapers were suppressed in 1827. Pringle returned to Britain where he continued his abolitionist activities, becoming secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society that year.
Given this pedigree, it was an unavoidable consequence that the struggle for freedom of expression would invariably be refracted through the struggle for racial equality and justice and vice versa.
King Williams Town, the site of the first newspaper in an indigenous language, is located among the hills and valleys where one hundred years of wars, - euphemistically called called Frontier Wars, but actually Wars of Dispossession, were waged.
John Tengo Jabavu, the father of African journalism in South Africa, established Imvo Zabantsundu in 1884. Through Imvo he became one of the leading spokesmen for African aspirations during the late 19th century.
The printing press produced an information revolution in every part of the world where it was introduced and the newspaper was the most effective means of mass communication before the advent of radio. Beyond being couriers of information, newspapers were conceived as instruments for sharing political opinion.
Imvo and the newspapers and journals that followed it, were the well-springs of what grew into an African nationalist intellectual political tradition.
The relationship between media freedom and the struggle for national liberation thus became more firmly entrenched, emphasised by the repressive attempts of both colonial and post-Union governments.
This national intellectual tradition was the brainchild of a growing body of Christian converts living and working among their traditionalist brethren in the eastern Cape during the second half of the 19th century.
The newspapers and journals they pioneered, usually published in an African language and English, established a tradition of black journalism that remains firmly committed to the democratic ideals they had embraced.
The literary tradition among the Africans began with the translation and publication of what many consider the pre-eminent Christian religious allegory in the English language: John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, translated into Xhosa by the Reverend Tiyo Soga in 1866.
John Bunyan participated in the English Revolution of 1640 as a fighter in Cromwell's army. That revolution ended the "divine right of kings" in Britain and established the supremacy of parliament.
After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Bunyan was repeatedly arrested and imprisoned at the behest of the High Church of England for publishing his Puritan views.
Bunyan's own battles against all manner of censorship was thus integrated into the literary tradition that emerged among African writers at its birth.
It was to become a recurring theme in their own lived experience, especially for those engaged in journalism.
The influence of the media in societies is best illustrated by negative examples.
Faced with the international scandal that the murder of Steve Biko became, the apartheid regime's first recourse was to try and conceal the truth.
The shameless lies told during the inquest were crowned with the brazen verdict that no one was responsible for his death.
The media, and especially its oldest component, the press, played a role in bringing about a democratic order in this country.
A number of outstanding South African journalists, including the late Percy Gqoboza, Donald Woods and Anthony Heard, received laurels from the international community.
Brian Bunting, Govan Mbeki and Joe Gqabi, all of whom were associated with the serially banned Guardian, each used their pens in the struggle against apartheid.
But the role of the South African media has not been consistently honourable.
While Pringle earned the wrath of the colonial government during the 19th century, there were other journalists and editors who served as the cheerleaders of aggression against independent African kingdoms.
During the 20th century, the democratic voices of those who opposed racism were often drowned out by the proto-fascist propaganda that flowed from the pens of the likes of Hendrik Verwoerd.
Before the mid-1950s the South African commercial papers rarely referred to an African as "Mr" or "Miss".
As recently as the 1980s, wellknown South African editors felt no compunction about virtually congratulating the hired assassins who blinded Judge Albie Sachs in one eye and blew off his right arm.
The US media, which some consider the freest in the world, enthusiastically incited the American public to a criminal war based on a tissue of lies in 2003.
An awesome responsibility devolves on the media because its influence can be benevolent or malevolent.
While we should all pride ourselves in our collective achievement of media freedom, we cannot shut our eyes to its uses and abuses in the past.
Yes, the truth is very powerful, yet it is also extremely elusive. No single person, no body of opinion, no political doctrine, no religious doctrine can claim a monopoly on truth.
Centuries of human experience demonstrate that the truth can be arrived at only through the untrammelled contest among differing opinions, in which as many points of view as possible are given a fair and equal hearing.
Laws and practices that repress freedom of expression have done society a disservice.
Censorship, the suppression of information and the repression of those who bring us information, have invariably been the devices employed by falsehood.
Securing the right of the citizen to express whatever opinion he/she subscribes to, as long as the exercise of that right does not harm others, remains among the objectives all South African democrats should pursue.
The removal from our statute books of the laws, ordinances, regulations and administrative measures that abridged the rights of South African citizens to receive and to transmit information, which repress the freedom of the media to publish, are among the finest fruits of the democratic transformation that the ANC led and initiated.
These critical ingredients of our democratic culture still need nurturing. It is the responsibility of the ANC, in the first instance, to continue striving for, nurturing and defending these rights.
Freedom of the press is among the oldest and most valued of the freedoms for which many South Africans have given their lives.
The pioneers of the African language press were among the founders of the ANC. They include our first president, Dr John Langalibalele Dube, the distinguished educator who founded Ohlange Institute and the newspaper, Ilanga lase Natal; that giant among African men of letters, Solomon Plaatje, founder/editor of Koeranta eaBatswana and our first secretary-general.
We can also proudly recall the names of two courageous ANC militants, Joe Gqabi and Ruth First, whose murders by agents of the apartheid regime is still shrouded in mystery and clouded by half-truths despite the TRC.
These were journalists in the tradition of the founders of the ANC.
It would be a slight to their memory and their work if our actions today proved us unworthy of their sacrifice.
The ANC has a long track record of commitment to media freedom. In defending a free media, we are defending the ANC's own rich heritage, the heritage bequeathed to us by those 19th century pioneers.
The value we place on a free, independent and outspoken press in democratic South Africa cannot be overstated.
A free press can temper the appetite of any government to amass power at the expense of the citizen. A free press can be the vigilant watchdog of the public interest against the temptations to abuse power.
This underscores the need for the South African media to become more representative of the diversity and variety of viewpoints among our people.
In a democratic dispensation in a pluralist society like ours there will be ongoing contestation among its various components.
Tension between those tasked with governing and the media, as purveyors of information and opinion, is one of the inevitable features of a democracy.
It is pointless to deny the existence of this tension and it is short-sighted to suggest that it is indicative of a temptation to censor.
I cannot imagine an ANC government that is fearful of criticism.
The ANC has not and shall not wilt under criticism or close scrutiny. Robust debate can only help us to deepen our democracy. But, debate is a two-way street, which contributes to the health of a democracy by calling attention to those of our actions and omissions which do not measure up to our people's expectations.
Former president Nelson Mandela, addressing the International Press Union in March 1994, said: "If the people of South Africa elect us to office, we firmly undertake that an ANC government will strive for an open society in which vigorous debate is encouraged through a free press and other media ..."
The challenge today is for the ANC to live up to that undertaking.
- The original, unedited version will appear in ANC Today. The writer is the former arts and culture minister.
ZEM
I am glad that some sensible ANC heavy weights are coming out and voicing their oinions against this tribunal. It goes to show that we have elected a bunch of illiterates who are just power hungry and claim to know what freedom means whereas their actions and proposals proves otherwise. How can they open their loud stinking mouths at every chance they get and claim to honour Madiba and everything he firmly stood and fought for whereas they are trying to stab him right where it hurts the most? yes, they are stabing him right at the heart by introducing this tribunal of theirs that seeks to silence the only voice that seeks to keep our democracy open and transparent. Openness and transparency are the corner stone of of democracy.Freedom will no longer be free in SA. How can we then say Zimbabwe does not have democracy when we are planning to introduce their laws here at home? I am angry about the state of affairs here in SA as things are getting worse by the day. We have institutions that are suppose to be watchdogs but are simply there to decorate the government, i.e. Public protector, SIU, the list is quite long. I am not angry at aanyone but myself, i voted for for these morons. it will be a cold day in hell if i vote for them again.
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Botsotso
Sekumele kubekhona okufihlwayo ngoba sebedlile futhi basadla. Nxa! angeke ngiphinde ngi vote.Report Abuse
Tormy
I am very angry, I mean I am very angry of what is happening here in MZANSI, I ma asking my self why did I vote for ANC. Today there are strikes everywhere arround the country insted of them focusing on what their workers are demanding they want to control our media freedom, they first oust our best ever president MR T Mbheki only because he was no-nonses, they they disrupted the SCORPIONS so that they can do what ever they like free now they want to control our MEDIA, so that they can do all the dirty stuff, I promise next election there will be no ANC. ANC is diging it's grave while it is still alive!!Report Abuse
Mbh
You can be heavy ANC member but representing the opposite of our freedom charter, constitution just to mentioned few. If we want government to be responsibility why not media, let them also beaccountable top what they right.ANC will continue protect the rights of media, as long as is not harming our nations comdrade minister of Arts. how many stories did media right about DA, ID that was negative, none and how many stories that media right abt ANC that is negative, evreyday paper. today's media ar more bias n liars, dt is why dey must accoun to wt dey put on de papers. ANC is here to protect african dignity, we cannot allowed our freedom to be soldpout by media.....start writting something hv sense and true sense not fabric stories editor by apartheid agentReport Abuse
Mbh
MEDIA had destoyed our wealth, all good about african, is media who had published the jewelery n secrety that our ancestors had said we will never share with foreigners, u had published the pictures of inside mountain school n no one question abt our culture n belief. u had alwaYS CONTINUE CRITISE OUR CULTURE, n belies as african, n no one question abt u, u simple bcs we african we cannot stand to wt we blv, wt we r? but truth is , media had harm everything abt african, media r continuing gvn damage tpo african, why u hate ur self? one of famous policians as de same question, why u hate ur beliefs, culture, leaders..everything bat urself.........n u simple claim that is old fashion or it dose hv value, while u always appreceite the foreigner cultures.......................media u had done enough harm to african, now is time....build it............VERY CONCERN WITH THE WAY OUR AFRCAN CULTURE HAD BEING DESTROYED BY U MEDIA PPL, I THINK MR MINISTER OF ARTS IS AWARE ABT WT I'M TALKING ABT....................
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Mosito
Its laughable to have people like Mbh here who are so blinded by the loud mouths that they cannot see where this is leading to...First they will muzzle the Press and then they will move to the internet to make sure that no one has the freedom to write about them like we are doing now....Secondly they will establish their own newspapers to feed us propaganda like in Zimbabwe, we will never know about all the unfinished projects and the millions that disappear in the Education departments, however we will know about the proposed 2million RDP houses that we keep hearing about every year when the so-called president needs to be voted for...Mbh must also be aware that ID nor DA are in government... the ANC is the ruling party in South Africa, so therefore it only makes sense to keep taps on the party that is governing. Now it looks like the truth in the sense of the honorable Mbh and his fellow agitators, should only be when the ANC is deemed to be doing right, when its not deemed to be doing right then the truth becomes lies, or its not accurate...this is what they have been making noises for all along....damn this people they really messed up a good thing.Report Abuse
Lelolacius
kubi madoda kumoshakele empi icalile dubuladubula grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr hahahaha go jewa dimilion ka madi a batho ba bangwe gvt 4 the the foet lets talk while there window is open soon it will be closed and retlo swanela ke shwela ka gare dubuladubula grrrrrrReport Abuse
Khumalo
Pple who think like Mbh never cease to amaze me, how can the banning and controlling of freedom of speech and media be a good thing for a democracy , infact those are the very things that keep and maintain a transparent democratic system.Report Abuse
JohnPaulG
Those concern about this mass censorship on the horison should first ask the question of: why censor the media in the first place? That is the question - what is the REAL motive? Politics will always be politics - politicians lie, we all know that. Daily I am forced to admit that the ANC of 1994 in not the ANC of 2010 - things have changed to much.Report Abuse