When the Zimbabwean parliament voted overwhelming in August 2005 to endorse constitutional amendments that would further restrict private property rights and allow the government to deny passports to its critics, exultant Zanu-PF MPs danced and cheered in the aisles. Several apparently even did cartwheels. Similar displays of vindictive glee had reportedly taken place previous, such […]
Secrecy Bill
Posted inNews/Politics
Arch Makgoba: Secrecy bill evokes memories of apartheid, fear
By Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Dear Mr President, I write to you as one who grew up under a system that oppressed and censored the media — a system that invoked fear in anyone who dared to read, or embrace, different views to those of the government of the day. The passage of the Protection of […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Secrecy Bill: As Africa opens up, SA shuts down
By Tammy O’Connor The passing of the Protection of State Information Bill by the National Assembly on November 22 marks a significant erosion of the right to know in the country. The passage of the Bill comes just as Africa is celebrating a surge in the acknowledgement of the right of access to information on […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Why Black Tuesday was more important than world peace
On Tuesday November 22 people all over South Africa wore black clothes to mark their displeasure at the Protection of Information Bill that was due to be voted on in the National Assembly. The so-called Black Tuesday initiative seems to have been the brainchild of Yusuf Abramjee and Primedia. It was supported by a large […]
Posted inNews/Politics
What a day in court might look like if secrecy bill becomes law
While academics and theorists debate potential scenarios which may arise out of the Protection of Information Bill let’s take a trip in a time machine to a bail application that we can look forward to at the end of next year. Hopefully this will finally bring home the reality as opposed to the theory. BAIL […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The utter stupidity of ANC lawmakers
It is almost unbelievable that the political party which, 20 years ago, was still an organisation engaged in a “liberation struggle”, could suffer from amnesia to the extent that it has voted for the passing of the Protection of Information BIll (better known as the “secrecy bill”) in Parliament. Unbelievable, because during the struggle against […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Waiting for 2pm on Gothic Tuesday
By Suntosh Pillay My one concern about Black Tuesday was that if the 400 MPs deciding our future decided not to pass the secrecy bill, then a celebratory White Wednesday might follow and, quite frankly, dressing up in white is never as flattering as black. In faded black jeans, looking like a trainee Gothic, I […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Blue Tuesday
By Zuki Mqolomba I woke up to a wardrobe dilemma this morning. Given the choice of a litany of unattractive black attire I’d long abandoned given the season, I was rattled by the political choice imposed on me on this ordinary Tuesday-turned-extraordinary. By accident, omission or actual deliberation, my choice of “shirt, skirt, shoes and […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The secrecy Bill: Why wearing black matters
Sanef, the National Press Club and the Right2Know campaign have issued a call to wear black on what has been dubbed Black Tuesday: when Parliament votes on the Protection of Information Bill. It’s a cause that has resonated with many, and there’s been plenty of discussion on social media platforms; #POIB and #SecrecyBill are top […]
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‘Black Tuesday’ protest the least we can do
In light of the current legal action being taken by presidential spokesperson Mac Maharaj against the Mail & Guardian for what he claims are breaches of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Act, coupled to the decision to proceed with all haste, and very little consultation, on the Protection of Information Bill, the very least South […]
Posted inGeneral
Secrecy Bill good in theory, police state in practice
The Protection of State Information Bill will be tabled in the National Assembly on Wednesday where it may be referred to a parliamentary ad hoc committee or passed and sent to the National Council of Provinces for deliberations. This does not mean that it cannot be amended or modified before being sent to President Jacob […]
Posted inNews/Politics
What the secrecy Bill should look like
The Protection of Information Bill is an aberration that threatens to eliminate government transparency, cut off the free flow of information and cripple the media’s effectiveness in exposing corruption at the highest levels. Accordingly we need to ask ourselves what can be done to achieve the goals that the legislators purportedly had in proposing the […]