President Thabo Mbeki has been drawn into the row over the threatened eviction of parliamentary journalists from the central precincts of the South African Parliament, after the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) appealed to him to intervene.
The IPI sees the plan to evict parliamentary correspondents from ”essential facilities” as creating obstacles that ”seriously impede their ability to carry out their professional duties”.
Opposition political parties have reacted angrily to the news that the Speaker, Frene Ginwala, and National Council of Provinces chairperson Naledi Pandor have unilaterally decided to oust the correspondents without consulting parliamentary committees.
The United Democratic Movement wants the issue placed at the top of the agenda of the quarterly meeting between the leader of government business Deputy President Jacob Zuma and party leaders.
The issue blew up last Friday when the parliamentary press gallery, led by Sapa’s Angela Quintal, received a letter saying the journalists should move to a building across the road from Parliament between January 27 and February 7.
Parliament opens on February 14 and the key media event for finance correspondents, the Budget, is presented on February 26.
Ginwala and Pandor argue that the space is needed to move parliamentary staff — including Hansard — closer to the chambers of Parliament.
Ginwala has avoided meeting a Press Gallery Association (PGA) delegation to negotiate a compromise deal, understood to include the possibility of the gallery losing 10 of its 26 offices.
Rival media organisations are united in opposing the move, saying it will affect their ability to report quickly and efficiently.
The South African National Editors’ Forum, which backs the PGA, met Ginwala and Pandor on Thursday.
The British House of Commons provides 29 offices, a library, a restaurant and bar for correspondents. In Washington all major newspapers have offices in the Capitol building.