Call to guard against govt control of media

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Oct 19 2009 16:48

The government's introduction of legislation that seeks to control the media is a threat to press freedom, Raymond Louw, publisher of the Southern Africa Report, said on Monday.

He was addressing a commemoration of "Black Wednesday" by South African media in Johannesburg on Monday.

Monday is the anniversary of Wednesday October 19 1977, the day that saw major newspapers the World, Weekend World and the Christian publication Po-Veritas banned by the then-apartheid government. On the same day scores of activists and journalists were detained.

It was unpleasant for publishers to work in fear of being jailed or incurring huge fines, said Louw.

He was referring to the Films and Publications Amendment Act 3 of 2009, which was recently signed into law.

"I don't think it is constitutional for publishers to have to get approval before their stories are published. In simple terms, it is called censorship," Louw said.

He said South Africa should guard against following in the footsteps of Zimbabwe and other African countries that sought to control their media.

"It is not a South African or ANC thing. In developed countries president after president has tried to introduce legislation attempting to control the media."

Media freedom had vastly improved since the advent of democracy, but a lot more still needed to be done, said Louw.

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Meanwhile, retired Constitutional Court judge Pius Langa commended the media for "talking" the country out of apartheid.

"The media, like other institutions, made a lot of noise against oppression. It talked us out of apartheid," said Langa.

He said he would mourn the day when the media was silent.

Without the media, equality and human dignity would diminish in this democratic state, he said.

"Independence of both the media and judiciary is very important for our democracy to flourish." -- Sapa

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