THE producers of M-Net magazine programme Carte Blanche have been granted permission by the Pretoria high court to sit in on the liquidation application of embattled Aurora
The programme can now film testimony by the directors of and consultants to Aurora Empowerment Systems - which has been accused of mismanaging Pamodzi Gold's mines in Springs and Orkney - but they are permitted to broadcast the footage only after everybody involved has testified.
The case is a liquidation application by members of trade union Solidarity who work for Aurora.
Carte Blanche's lawyer, Dario Milo, pictured, said the successful application was a victory for the broadcast media: "The court's judgment is a significant precedent for media freedom and the right of the public to know allegations of public interest.
"The judgment also preserves the integrity of the inquiry by ensuring that the broadcast of the Aurora witnesses will take place only once they have all given evidence."
The inquiry has to remain confidential pending the outcome of the case, which Milo's colleague, lawyer Duncan Wild, said was prescribed in Section 417 (7) of the Companies Act.
"The rationale behind the confidentiality clause is that this is an inquiry to get to understand what went wrong in the company, therefore publishing testimonies may jeopardise the inquiry," Wild said.
Nobody from Aurora showed up at court.
Aurora inquiry to be recorded by Carte Blanche
THE producers of M-Net magazine programme Carte Blanche have been granted permission by the Pretoria high court to sit in on the liquidation application of embattled Aurora
The programme can now film testimony by the directors of and consultants to Aurora Empowerment Systems - which has been accused of mismanaging Pamodzi Gold's mines in Springs and Orkney - but they are permitted to broadcast the footage only after everybody involved has testified.
The case is a liquidation application by members of trade union Solidarity who work for Aurora.
Carte Blanche's lawyer, Dario Milo, pictured, said the successful application was a victory for the broadcast media: "The court's judgment is a significant precedent for media freedom and the right of the public to know allegations of public interest.
"The judgment also preserves the integrity of the inquiry by ensuring that the broadcast of the Aurora witnesses will take place only once they have all given evidence."
The inquiry has to remain confidential pending the outcome of the case, which Milo's colleague, lawyer Duncan Wild, said was prescribed in Section 417 (7) of the Companies Act.
"The rationale behind the confidentiality clause is that this is an inquiry to get to understand what went wrong in the company, therefore publishing testimonies may jeopardise the inquiry," Wild said.
Nobody from Aurora showed up at court.
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