Rights group to fight Info Bill in ConCourt

Cape Town 131113-Khaya Xintolo wearing a mask of Minister Siabonga Cwele during a protest Right2KNOW holds protest against secrecy bill outside parliament. Picture Cindy waxa.Reporter Neo/Argus

Cape Town 131113-Khaya Xintolo wearing a mask of Minister Siabonga Cwele during a protest Right2KNOW holds protest against secrecy bill outside parliament. Picture Cindy waxa.Reporter Neo/Argus

Published Nov 14, 2013

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Cape Town - Civic rights group Right2Know says the fight against the Protection of State Information Bill, which was pushed through the National Assembly on Tuesday, is not over and they are briefing their legal team to challenge it in the Constitutional Court.

Mark Weinberg, Right2Know national co-ordinator, was speaking outside Parliament on Wednesday where he and a group of about 20 activists held a picket at the visitors’ entrance.

“The Secrecy Bill is not the problem, but it is a symptom of a bigger problem around secrecy in the government. It looks like we are heading to the Constitutional Court, assuming he (President Jacob Zuma) won’t send it back to Parliament. In the meantime, we have been briefing our legal team.”

Weinberg said the bill remained unconstitutional because it does not offer a full public interest defence or protect whistle-blowers.

During their picket, Right2Know activists wore socks on their hands which they said symbolised the sheepish way that ANC parliamentarians had voted for the bill without considering its implications for the public.

The bill received 225 votes in favour, 88 against and there were no abstentions in the National Assembly on Tuesday.

In a statement that was read out at the picket, Right2Know said: “With few exceptions, MPs of the ruling party have shown themselves to be uncritical voting fodder for party caucus bosses under the sway of the securocrats. Rather than representing the aspirations of the majority of South Africans who remain trapped in poverty after 20 years of formal democracy, members of Parliament have put their narrow career interests above their personal consciences and the needs of our democracy.”

One activist, Khaya Xintolo, wore a mask depicting the face of State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, and asked the other activists to bleat like sheep whenever he asked them questions.

They also chanted songs until police officers asked them to move as they did not have permission to hold their gathering.

Weinberg said although they had spent the past three years focusing primarily on the bill, Right2Know would also be focusing on other issues like the National Key Point Act and the cost of telecommunications.

The South African National Editors’ Forum has also appealed to Zuma not to sign the bill into law in its current form.

 

Sanef has consistently argued for the inclusion of a public interest defence clause to protect journalists and whistleblowers, it said.

“MPs tasked with reviewing the unconstitutional clauses failed to reconsider all problematic provisions, opting instead to correct punctuation errors. We believe Parliament missed an opportunity to introduce a public interest defence clause and to amend some of the provisions that will effectively criminalise transparency in governance affairs,” Sanef said in a statement on Thursday.

 

Sanef said the forum was concerned about the provisions that allow for broad classification of information, including that which has nothing to do with security of the state, and the delegated authority to undefined state officials the power to classify information.

“These provisions should be amended so that they are in line with the transparent governance system envisaged in the Constitution.

“We will consult with our lawyers about the way forward,” the forum said.

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Cape Argus and IOL

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