JUDGE Edwin King has denied an application by TV station e.tv and radio news service Live Africa Network News to screen the Hansie Cronje cricket inquiry live. Delivering his decision on Thursday morning, he said it was more important that the witnesses could testify freely than the public’s right to know. “Having regard to the possible adverse effects on witnesses, the presence of these media is not desirable,” King said. There would be more than adequate coverage in print media, he added. Test cricketers Herscehelle Gibbs and Henry Williams, two of the players implicated with Cronje by Indian police for match-fixing, are at the hearings on Thursday morning to give evidence.
Meanwhile, the Freedom of the Expression of Institute has expressed its disappointment with Justice King’s decision, saying that although it sympathises with the Judge’s concerns, it questions his decision. It said in a statement: “At a time when our courts are looking at the possibility of electronic coverage of their proceedings, King’s decision is inappropriate.
“The commission is addressing matters which are of crucial importance to the South African public and therefore every effort should be made to ensure a free flow of information.”