Council for a Community of Democracies

South African Government Proposes Restrictive Media Reforms
August 24, 2010
By: Randi Zung

Earlier this month AFP reported that South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party announced plans to enact new media reforms that would potentially alter the state of media freedom within the country. The ANC said that it seeks to establish a Media Appeals Tribunal (MAT), which was previously suggested in 2007, in order to help rule on media report complaints and journalist accountability. In addition, the ANC seeks to pass a piece of legislation that would be used to classify information as sensitive to national security. The punishment for publishing sensitive information could result in up to 25 years in jail. The legislation, dubbed the Protection of Information Bill, is currently in parliament.

Coming under scrutiny by South African lawyers and journalists, both groups say that the proposed reforms violate media freedoms that are guaranteed in the country’s constitution. Although the South African government has argued that the reforms will not violate media freedom, according to Alison Bethel-McKenzie, Interim Director of the International Press Institute (IPI), the new media laws “will endanger the South African media and thereby threaten the people of South Africa’s right to information and rigorous political debate.”

In an open letter to South African President Jacob Zuma, IPI also accuses the proposed MAT of being a puppet of the government – purporting that the body will rule in favor of the government as opposed to being impartial. IPI also asserted that media “plays a fundamental role in safeguarding democracy,” and that the establishment of a MAT and the enactment of the Protection of Information Bill would simultaneously be used to protect public officials and punish citizens who would want to expose government misconduct.

Sources:
AFP - S Africa planned media laws 'threaten independence'

Voice of America - South African Government and Ruling Party Seek to Curtail Media Freedom

International Press Institute – In Open Letter, IPI Urges South African President Jacob Zuma to Address Press Freedom Concerns