Press freedom: DA welcomes Sexwale's stand

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale's statements about the importance of the freedom of the press. At a time when most senior ANC figures are falling over themselves to criticise the press and support measures to create a culture of censorship, Mr. Sexwale appears to have taken a brave stand. We applaud this.

Although there is, no doubt, intense pressure on members of the current cabinet to back the ANC's Media Tribunal and Protection of Information Bill, Mr. Sexwale's statement, together with former Cabinet Minister Ronnie Kasrils' outright disavowal of these proposals, demonstrates just how uneasily these measures sit with many senior members of the ANC.

Mr. Sexwale reportedly described attempts to fight and destroy the media as "unconstitutional" and "running against any value that Mandela stands for; that I stand for." This is exactly the case, and we urge Mr. Sexwale to present his concerns directly to the rest of the ANC's senior leadership.

Statement issued by Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, Democratic Alliance National Spokesperson, August 11 2010

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