Public opposition to Secrecy Bill increases
ALMOST 14 years ago to the day, former president Nelson Mandela told journalists that press freedom would never be under threat in South Africa for as "long as the ANC is the majority party".
That was on November 19 1997, but now all that looks set to change, with political parties, media organisations, civil society groups and trade unions saying the ANC's feared Protection of State Information Bill will stifle the right of the media and whistleblowers to expose corruption.
The ANC is expected to use its majority in the National Assembly today to pass the bill, which makes provision for the classification of state information and imposes stiff penalties of up to 25 years' imprisonment of people in possession of classified information.
Ahead of the vote this afternoon, opposition to the bill has reached fever pitch.
Editors from around the country are in Cape Town to join a picket by the Right2Know campaign - a nationwide coalition of individuals and organisations - outside Parliament.
The National Press Club's campaign calling on South Africans to wear black in protest at the bill had gone viral on social networks by last night.
The SA National Editors' Forum wrote to all members of Parliament yesterday, urging them to vote against the legislation.
It said despite important work on the bill in the past 18 months, there were still "serious remaining flaws" . Chief was the lack of a public interest defence.
"In its current form, the bill represents an attack on principles of open democracy that are deeply embedded in our Constitution and our national life."
Prominent human rights activist Rhoda Kadalie lashed out at the ANC yesterday, saying it had confused what was in the best interests of the public with what was in the best interests of the party. "When liberation democratic parties feel threatened, they go for the judiciary, they go for the media and they go for freedom of speech."
The SA Municipal Workers' Union said the bill would "disadvantage whistleblowers and workers who are fighting corruption ". It called on all unions "to ensure that the secrecy bill does not become law".
Protests are planned in Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town.
A joint statement by activist groups Equal Education, the Treatment Action Campaign, Section27, the Social Justice Campaign and Ndifuna Ukwazi, said if it became law "members of parliament will be saying to South Africans that it is okay to punish the people who disclose and write about corruption and mismanagement in government.".
The ANC has defended the bill, with chief whip Mathole Motshekga's office saying that the lack of a public interest defence was in line with "international best practice" and a "serious country" would not "compromise the security of its citizens for the sake of a scoop for the media".
lMeanwhile, it has been reliably learnt that an SMS message to ANC MPs started circulating last night, urging them to attend Parliament wearing any colour other than black.
It reads: "Dear Members, all ANC MPs are encouraged to avoid wearing black tomorrow as planned by opposition. Any brighter colour is encouraged." - Sowetan reporter
TheNewFreedomFighter
If the bill is passsed today the ANC will lose what ever moral high-ground it still has after defeating apartheid and will lose its political legitimacy. The ANC regime will be rendered as offensive as the apartheid regime was. This law will allow the ANC to cover its vile and evil tracks as it rapes our land ever day. My only prayer is that after this people will start to see that to cling to their emotional hopes that ANC, by virtue of its historical "freedom fighter status", is still the vehicle to carry them forward, is a dream turned into a nightmare. Wake up all you people, wake up!Where is Mandela today? Why doesn't Mandela speak out? Why has Mandela allowed his vision to be subverted by Zuma and his gang of thieves? Is it because Mandela was also a party to the "original theft" - the Arms Deal? Is it because Mandela, that world icon, is also being held hostage by the Zuma and Malema bandits? What is it that can cause a man to fight for practically his whole life for freedom and then, in the eleventh hour, when all he has fought for is about to be thrown out, he is silent? Mandela, your silence is deafening.
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RobinH
THE ENTIRE NATION SHOULD BE IN MOURNING BLACK. This is the first concrete manifestation of Nazi style jackboot legislation and is a contradiction of everything the ANC stood for during the struggle. The bill can ONLY benefit THOSE who are implicated in underhand activity in government and as such is abhorrent to those who fought for liberation. ANC, SHAME ON YOU!!!Report Abuse
sechaba30
Mandela did not know that one day an uneducated Zulu man will control the country and ANC.Report Abuse
TheNewFreedomFighter
@ sechaba30Mandela has known about Zuma's immorality ever since he (Zuma) was Deputy President. Mandela has chosen for all these years to remain silent and yet watch his vision get undermined. Through his silence Mandela has condoned Zuma.
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LAWAAI
-------------------RIP FREEDOM----------27 April 1994-22 November 2011--------------------
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sechaba30
Anyone watching news? Tahir Square in Egypt is on fire. People are very angry that side. We are too honest to this ANC, thats these people think we all love them.Report Abuse
Ndele01
Today, Black Tuesday, is a sad day in the history of our country.The ANC will today alienate it's people and gradually move us forward into a dictatorial process where the people may not know what the elite are doing. This is how most dictatorships in Africa started off. Today we move a step back in history.
Instead of taking on the challenge to fix what the media reveal (ie service delivery, corruption, etc), they choose to "hide" it from the people - yet our people are so ignorant that they still vote for the ANC - they make the same mistake like the rest of Africans do - vote with their hearts and not their brains - are we too uneducated to be a democracy ? Do people really understand how to use their vote to better their lives ? Will South Africa fail in the end ?
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Dinamanama
So ANC want us to read about soapies and horoscopes in the papers,are we going to be denied real news?What are they hiding?
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TheNewFreedomFighter
@Ndele01"Will South Africa fail in the end?" Sadly, yes. Contrast the scale of the corruption on the one hand with the scale of social and infrastructural degradation on the other. As corruption increases so the level of social delivery decreases. The really sad thing is that the ANC has no faction within it that can stand opposed to the two factions that are equally corrupt and on the ascendency - the Zuma faction and the Malema faction. The ANC has been effectively hijacked by thugs and the people have no alternative in the ANC, even if they wanted one. The only alternative lies outside the ANC.
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DjEp
What is there to hide, if we are the stakeholders who fund their lifestyles through our taxes. As shareholders we are entiltled to everything happening in our country. Unless of course the ANC is managed by brainless people. personaly i dont think they will continue with their stupid actions..Report Abuse