The National Press Club is calling on all South Africans to don black on Tuesday, November 22, in protest against the Protection of Information Bill, also referred to as the Secrecy Bill.
Parliament is due to vote on the Bill on Tuesday, prompting those against the controversial piece of proposed legislation to assign the day a similar name historically attributed to October 19 1977. On this day, referred to as “Black Wednesday”, the apartheid government banned The World and Weekend World in an attempt to censor the press, and arrested a number of activists.
Should the Secrecy Bill be passed, state information could be classified “in the interest of national security”, and anyone publishing this information could then be sentenced to heavy fines and jail terms of up to 25 years.
The Bill has also been criticised for failing to include a public interest defence, which would allow a defence for publishing classified information if such information is in the public interest.
All of us at Flow are strongly opposed to the Secrecy Bill and the implications it carries for our constitutional rights. We will be wearing black this Tuesday in defiance and to show our support for the various movements against this Bill.
Under one of the most beautifully constructed constitutions in the world, we understand the importance of a transparent government, as well as our rights to information and to publish said information. The government needs to be held accountable for its actions, and as journalists and whistleblowers our ability to do this is endangered by the Secrecy Bill.
Join us in wearing black this Tuesday, and stand up for your rights and our Constitution.