Category : Jacob Zuma

Raymond Joseph: South Africa’s Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill is deeply flawed

alt informationWith the new year comes a new battle in South Africa as critics hit back at the proposed “draconian” Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity Bill they say doesn’t differentiate “between espionage and an act of journalism”.

Raymond Joseph: Activism reawakens in South Africa’s students

alt informationSouth Africa has been witnessing a reawakening of activism among students after a hiatus of almost two decades. For a week, campuses across the country embarked on the biggest nationwide student protests since the birth of the new democratic society in 1994.

South Africa’s “biggest protests since apartheid”

alt informationMany South African universities remain closed as thousands of students protest proposed fee hikes in what is believed to be some of the largest demonstrations to hit the country since apartheid. So far, 29 South Africans have been charged with violent offences as police continue to use heavy-handed tactics. High treason is among the alleged […]

South Africa: ANC ahead in media coverage as country votes

alt informationSouth Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has received an overwhelming majority of media coverage ahead of the country’s fifth democratic election which is it expected to win. Firdose Moonda reports

South Africa’s ruling ANC gunning for “censorship lite”

alt informationSouth Africa’s ANC has changed tack in its campaign to curtail the media. In a turn to what could be called “censorship lite”, the iron fist of state security intervention is being augmented by the velvet glove of calls for “patriotic” journalism. Christi van der Westhuizen reports

South Africa: Confronting choices about free expression

alt informationAs the G20 nations prepare to meet in St Petersburg, Russia in early September, Index on Censorship is exploring the nations’ records on free expression. Today: Christi van der Westhuizen reports on South Africa

South African parliament passes ‘secrecy bill’

South Africa’s parliament yesterday approved a controversial bill aimed at protecting state secrets. Dubbed the “secrecy bill” by its critics, the Protection of State Information bill was passed by 189 votes to 74. Campaigners against the bill warned of the “chilling effect” it could create for anyone fighting to bring government corruption to light. The Right2Know […]

South African parliament passes ‘secrecy bill’

South Africa’s parliament yesterday approved a controversial bill aimed at protecting state secrets. Dubbed the “secrecy bill” by its critics, the Protection of State Information bill was passed by 189 votes to 74. Campaigners against the bill warned of the “chilling effect” it could create for anyone fighting to bring government corruption to light. The Right2Know campaign has been working against the bill since its introduction in 2010, and has vowed to continue fighting against the bill, which now must be signed by Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s president, in order to go into effect. Although the bill was amended last year to include a clause on public interest, the campaign says that the modified bill still “only has narrow protection for whistleblowers [...]

After court appeal ANC decides to allow Zuma no confidence vote — but in February

South Africa’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, last week agreed to hear an application about a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma. A High Court judge’s findings suggested that “the public are entitled to hear the debate” as the Constitution enjoins South Africans to prevent the suppression of “the dignity of even a […]

Calls for insult laws to protect South African President Zuma from criticism

The South African Communist Party (SACP) this week made a public call for a law to be instituted to protect the country’s president against “insults”. The call, by one of its provincial branches, was in response to growing public outrage about R240 million (about £17m) worth of taxpayer’s money spent on upgrading the private homestead of […]

South Africa’s president Zuma drops libel case over “rape” cartoon

South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma dropped his defamation lawsuit against the country’s most prominent newspaper cartoonist, Zapiro.

South Africa: “The Spear” gets age restriction

Controversial painting of South African President Jacob Zuma has been given an age restriction. The piece entitled “The Spear” which displays the president with his genitals exposed, has been given a 16N rating by The Film and Publication Board, meaning children under the age of 16 cannot view the work because it contains nudity. Anyone who […]