The so-called “Secrecy Bill” has come under scrutiny once again. The Durban University of Technology (DUT) along with the Democratic Development Programme (DDP) hosted a debate on The Secrecy Bill vs the Constitution at DUT’s Ritson Campus yesterday.
Chaired by DUT Journalism Advisory Board Chairperson, Mary Papayya, the debate was aimed at encouraging a robust discussion on the Protection of Information Bill which is currently with the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for ratification.
Those opposed to the bill say it contravenes fundamental constitutional rights such as the right to freedom of expression and the right to access to information.
Speaker for the bill, MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Mike Mabuyakhulu, assured the audience that the bill was promulgated to repeal the 1982 bill of the same name, “It is to address the threat of espionage and the selling of information, without impeding on the constitutional rights of citizens,” he said.
He said the bill will not be used to hide corruption or to “muzzle journalists”. However those opposed argued that its broad definition for classification, and the power of the Minister to confer the authority to classify to any head of an organ of state, widens the scope to beyond national security.
The right to know, “is fundamental to the architecture of accountability that the constitution builds,” said Mail & Guardian Editor and SANEF board member Nic Dawes.
He did, however, acknowledge that there have been considerable changes made to the bill as a direct result of public outcry. One of the demands of the Right 2 Know Campaign as well as other parties opposed to the bill, which is still excluded from the bill, is a public interest clause. Dawes said its absence would hinder journalists from executing their duty to reveal evidence of wrongdoing. “Our system needs checks and balances outside of government, whether it be media or other forms,” he said.
Diakonia Council of Church Chairman, Rev Ian Booth, echoed previous speakers, voicing his fear that the bill would “gag the truth… and frighten citizens into silence even if they have info which has no bearing on national security”.
The NCOP is expected to set out the outcome of the hearings in April before it goes for a vote. – By: Nosipho S Mngoma
