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Black Tuesday protest declared against "Secrecy Bill"

21 Nov 2011

The latest news in the ongoing controversy surrounding the Protection of Information Bill is that MPs will vote on the matter on Tuesday, 22 November 2011. The National Press Club has dubbed the day "Black Tuesday" and called on South Africans to don black as a form of protest; the Right2Know Campaign is organising multiple simultaneous pickets and public prosecutor Thuli Madonsela has set up a team to investigate concerns around the bill.

Black Tuesday protest declared against "Secrecy Bill"

Whatever happens on Tuesday, South Africans fighting for access to information will not be silenced.

On Sunday 21 November, Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee, chairman of the National Press Club (@npclub), issued a statement declaring "Wednesday 23 November 'Black Wednesday', in protest at the Protection of (State) Information Bill". "Parliament is to vote on the controversial bill on Wednesday. The press club has called on all South Africans to wear black on the day," read the statement.

Later on Sunday, however, Abramjee was informed by parliamentary reporter Chantal Presence that she had confirmed with the programme director at Parliament that the bill will be voted on at 2pm on Tuesday 22 November in the National Assembly.

Abramjee suggested that the voting may have been moved forward because of the connotations of the phrase "Black Wednesday". As the press statement explained: "'Black Wednesday' is synonymous with the apartheid government which banned two newspapers and 19 black consciousness movements on 19 October 1977."

The office of ANC chief whip, Mathole Motshekga, issued its own press statement on Sunday evening, showing distaste for the comparison between events in 1977 and South Africa today.

Continue reading the full story on www.dailymaverick.co.za.

For more:

Bizcommunity Events: Right2Know POIB protest pickets tomorrow

Source: Daily Maverick

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Theresa Mallinson

About Theresa Mallinson

Theresa Mallinson has lived and worked as an itinerant writer, subeditor and sometimes teacher, plying her trade in such exotic destinations as Vaduz, Dubai, and Cape Town. But that's all changed since she became a journalist at the Daily Maverick (www.thedailymaverick.co.za) and managing editor at Free African Media. For now, she's very happy to be living in Jozi. Follow her on Twitter at @tcmallinson and contact her on moc.liamg@nosnillam.asereht.