This was in response to the criticism surrounding the draft legislation on the Protection of State Information Bill, which is being put to the vote today, 22 November 2011 in Parliament.
"The National Press Council's likening of the scheduled democratic and constitutional process in Parliament this week, to the infamous 1977 Black Wednesday, is nothing short of a reckless hyperbole aimed at peddling misinformation and distorting history," the ruling party said in a statement.
Comparing "a purely democratic and open parliamentary process" to one of the darkest days of apartheid rule pointed to an unfortunate failure to contribute constructively and offer valid arguments to the public discourse on the Bill, the ANC added.
"Those who are familiar with the historical facts of Black Wednesday will find such comparison not only an irresponsible act of protest, but also gravely senseless.
"The reality of SA's vicious history should teach all of us never to campaign in a manner that trivialises the deep pain and suffering experienced by the majority of our people."
The ANC insisted that the Constitution protected and provided for the freedom of the media, freedom of expression and access to information.
"The draft Bill in its current form has been through 123 amendments and encompasses views from a wide range of stakeholders in our society ensuring that it encourages free flow of information in line with the Constitution."
The ANC emphasised that the Bill was "firmly in line with the international best practice in established democracies" such as the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom.
"These countries have all rejected the public interest defence in their legislations due to the serious threat to security of their states. Any serious country will not compromise the security of its citizens for the sake of a scoop for the media.
"It is inevitable therefore that we would question the motives of those who are calling for SA to become the only country in the world to have this clause in its legislation, and place the safety of its people in jeopardy."
The ANC stressed that the Bill would never be used "to conceal corruption, malfeasance and related criminal acts".
If anything, the Bill protected those who blew the whistle on corruption as it was aligned to the Protected Disclosures Act, the ANC argued.
"It also encourages access to information as it provides for even faster turnaround times for applications related to information that exposes imminent and serious public safety risk or substantial contravention of, or failure to comply with the law."
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