Civil Society Remain Opposed to Secrecy Bill

South African civil society organisations (CSOs) continue to take part in the public hearings on the controversial Protection of State Information Bill (Secrecy Bill), which are currently taking place in all nine South African provinces. Recently, Right2Know Campaign, one of the organisations actively involved in the campaign against the Bill, criticised the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP) ad hoc committee overseeing the hearings, for what it termed ‘deeply flawed’ and ‘highly partisan’ hearings.

Despite the assurance by the chairperson of the ad hoc committee, Raseriti Tau, that the Bill is not intended to hide corruption, CSOs and activists remain adamant that the exclusion of public defence clause will not only pose a serious threat to our hard won democracy, but will also take our country many steps backwards in terms of media freedom.

Below are some of civil society’s views on the Bill:

• CIVICUS Urges South Africa's Parliament to Reject 'Secrecy Bill';
• Diakonia Council of Churches Submission to the National Council of Provinces on the Protection of State Information Bill;
• Helen Suzman Foundation Written Submissions on the Protection of State Information Bill;
• Alternative Information Development Centre Written Submissions on the Protection of State Information Bill;
• Highway Africa Written Submissions on the Protection of State Information Bill;
• Media Monitoring Africa Written Submissions on the Protection of State Information Bill;
• University of Cape Town, Students Against Secrecy, Submission to the National Council of Provinces' Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of State Information Bill.

We invite NGO Pulse readers to share their views about the Protection of State Information Bill and its implications for our democracy. Comments and articles should be e-mailed to editor@sangonet.org.za.