POIB: ANC seeing sense?
NEWSWATCH: You see? It does pay to make a noise... According to reports in Times Live and IOL, the governing party has bowed to pressure from a whole range of groups and individuals and proposed a raft of changes to the contentious bill. Meanwhile, the Sunday Independent has been ordered to print an apology to Julius Malema for some inaccurate reporting, and Times Live reports that, thanks to smartphones, our use of the internet has risen.
For more:
- Times Live: Info bill: ANC climbs down... This is good news, but the question remains: Why did it take so long for the ANC to realise that this bill in its current form was going nowhere? They have given way on a range of issues on a bill that is viewed by many as deeply flawed in its current form. Let us just hope there is no last-ditch effort to water down the amendments; critics of the bill will be watching closely.
- IOL: ANC mulls secrecy bill changes... Deon de Lange, writing in IOL, is taking a somewhat cautious stance regarding the government's latest moves, and says "the ANC on Thursday night appeared to open the door a fraction by proposing several significant changes to the current version of the bill". Here's hoping that the door is not only opened a fraction, but opened wide - and not slammed shut.
- Mail & Guardian: Newspaper ordered to apologise to Malema... Oops, the Sunday Independent published a couple of reports last year that, among other claims, variously had it that Malema was facing arrest and that one of his allies had been detained. Not quite true, apparently, so deputy press ombudsman Johan Retief ordered the newspaper to apologise and print a summary of the findings. All in all, a bit of a facts up.
- Times Live: Smartphones help grow SA internet use... Time for some more good news to start the weekend... A new study shows there has been a sharp increase in Internet usage in SA - a 25% increase, in fact. So next time you're sitting in a cinema and the person next to you is using their smartphone, don't get cross... They're playing their part in pushing the 25% even higher.