Screen Africa readers might be comforted to know that at least one high profile member of the ANC is supporting media freedom. At the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit on 11 August, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale spoke in strong support of Nelson Mandela’s style of leadership, which endorsed freedom of expression and freedom of the media.
This comes in light of the alarming moves made by government to curb media freedom, including the push to establish a Media Appeals Tribunal to make the media more “accountable’ and the Protection of Information Bill which seeks to silence any information which is deemed by government to be contentious.
Last week Sunday Times reporter Mzilikazi wa Afrika was arrested at Avusa headquarters in Johannesburg for being in possession of what the police claimed was a fraudulent letter of resignation from Mpumalanga premier David Dabede Mabuza to President Jacob Zuma.
At the leadership summit Sexwale spoke about the perception that the press was at war with the ANC and said that such a fight should not have a basis.
(Source: www.iafrica.com)
