South African Parliament Approves Press Law

[alp227]

Source: NYT

Using its substantial parliamentary majority, the governing African National Congress secured the vote by 229-107, news reports said. Opponents of the legislation — the Protection of Information Bill — have said they will challenge it at the Constitutional Court once President Jacob Zuma signs it into law, as he is widely expected to.

Opponents of the legislation had declared the day of the parliamentary ballot “Black Tuesday,” evoking memories of a similarly titled press crackdown in the 1970s under white rule.

Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, a Nobel peace laureate and leading figure in the fight to end minority domination, said it was “insulting to all South Africans to be asked to stomach legislation that could be used to outlaw whistle-blowing and investigative journalism.”

(...)

The A.N.C. says a new law is needed to replace apartheid-era secrecy legislation. The new legislation also makes it an offense for officials to withhold information to cloak misbehavior or avoid embarrassment.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/africa/south-african-parliament-to-vote-on-press-law.html