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:
Daily Maverick is a unique blend of news, information, analysis and opinion delivered from our newsrooms in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa. There are many ways to describe exactly what we do (and for the price of a cup of coffee we’re capable of talking your ears off about it), but the best way to understand the end result is to experience it. Every part of Daily Maverick is free-to-air and no payment is required, although free registration is required for a small subset of functions and pages.
Daily Maverick is run by an independently owned, private company with no affiliation to any other media group (or political party or religious organisation.) Follow Daily Maverick on Twitter at @dailymaverick.
Go to: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/
