Taking to the streets to demand the right to know
- By Deborah Minors
The Wits Journalism Department in association with the Right2Know initiative hosted a colloquium of eminent panellists in the Great Hall on 13 August to protest against the Promotion of Access to Information Bill – the “secrecy bill” – proposed by the ruling African National Congress.
Panellists opposing the bill included the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Mail & Guardian Editor Nick Dawes, Mail & Guardian Ombud and head of Wits Radio Journalism Franz Krüger, Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer and former Intelligence Services Minister Ronnie Kasrils.
After the colloquium a diverse mix of young and old, black and white took to the streets in a protest march from the Great Hall to the Constitutional Court where policy-makers were debating the bill.
The hundred-strong crowd of protesters carried placards saying “No information means no accountability – we demand the right to know” and “What are you trying to hide?”.
The bill in its current form gives various state organs the power to classify information. The bill has no public interest defence and proposes imprisoning journalists and whistleblowers who expose government corruption.
At the time of publishing, the bill was due to come before the ANC-dominated National Assembly. Despite several concessions by the ruling party related to reducing the number of organs of state empowered to classify information, a public interest defence had still not been included, and the time allowed for government to mull declassification requests – 90 days versus 30 days – remained under dispute.