The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference has serious concerns about the wisdom and the constitutionality of the Protection of Information Bill currently before Parliament, as well as about the need for the establishment of a Media Appeals Tribunal.
The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC) shares the views of numerous civil society groups and reputable constitutional experts, that the Bill threatens some of our most fundamental rights:
a) The right to receive and impart information;
b) The right to a free press and media;
c) The right of access to information held by the state, and
d) The right to administrative justice.
Furthermore, we believe that the Bill violates the spirit of openness and accountability that is so necessary to underpin the Constitution's provisions on good governance, essential for a healthy democracy.
Our concerns include:
i) that virtually any information is liable to be classified as secret by officials who are themselves not accountable to the public;
ii) that the definition of national interest and national security are so broad that they could be used to keep secret matters that ought by right to be accessible to the public;
iii) that there is practically no right of appeal, as any appeal would be processed by the very people who made the original ruling.