Sanef Statement 15 February 2015

Sanef held a council meeting in Cape Town this weekend at which it resolved the following: 

Media Freedom

Sanef strongly condemned the use of jamming devices in Parliament during President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address and issued a statement yesterday to this effect.

Sanef is now seeking legal recourse and will approach the courts in a bid to get a commitment from the Speaker that such jamming devices will never be used again as this unlawful action is in contravention of the Electronic Communications Act. Sanef believes that Parliament has an obligation to make it possible for all journalists to report freely and fairly.  

Sanef also reiterated its position on intimidation and threats to journalists, saying journalists have a right to work without being threatened. Several journalists have come under fire in recent days and weeks and Sanef calls on community leaders and all those in authority to help South Africans understand the role of the media. 

Media Freedom Legal Defence Fund 

Sanef is in the process of setting up a legal defence fund that will allow it to fund any current and future court cases which affect the right of journalists to work freely in our democracy. 

Sanef calls on all like-minded individuals and organizations to consider making a financial contribution to Sanef's media freedom legal defence fund.

Party political affiliation 

Sanef is currently working on a draft document with regards to journalists and whether or not they should affiliate themselves to any political parties. The document will be circulated to all newsrooms and will be finalised at the Sanef AGM in June 2015.

SAPA 

Sanef extends its solidarity and support to the 48 staff , including 35 journalists, at the SA Press Association who are about to lose their jobs in an industry that has already shed far too many posts under tough economic conditions.

We are concerned about the demise of the 76-year-old independent national news agency and how it will affect the media landscape in the country and the continent, given its important role in the daily fabric of newsrooms -- big and small.

Sapa was a public resource, that helped to maintain and encourage diversity in the media landscape. Its demise is a result of the major newspaper groups having decided to pull out of the not-for-profit agency, coupled with a failure to invest in the training of staff & modernising equipment, when this was most needed. 

We hope that the interests of staff will be paramount when the issue of retrenchment packages are finalised and that the surplus in its pension fund will be used to benefit workers.

 We trust too that steps will be taken to ensure that the crucial archive of this news agency continues to be freely available to South African media.

Cross Platform

A draft code on cross platform is currently in circulation and will be finalised at a conference in April 2015.

Statement issued by Mpumelelo Mkhabela, Sanef Chairperson, and Katy Katopodis Sanef Secretary General, February 16 2015

Note earlier related statement:

MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE VIOLATION OF MEDIA FREEDOM IN PARLIAMENT

14 February 2015

The South African National Editors' Forum is outraged by the shocking, illegal clampdown on freedom of expression in Parliament during the State of the Nation address on Thursday night. We believe these unconstitutional actions were an attempt by both the legislature and the executive to prevent journalists from telling the nation the full version of Thursday nights' events.

1) In an unprecedented move, cellphone scrambling devices were installed in Parliament to block any communication from inside Parliament. We have reason to believe that the executive, particularly the security agencies of the country, took the unlawful decisions to block the signal in contravention of the Electronic Communications Act.

2) Parliament refused to show the eviction of members of parliament by security officials who were called in by Speaker Baleka Mbete. Sanef previously wrote to the office of the Speaker and met with officials from her office to request that the coverage of proceedings should not be limited to what parliament regards as the "business of parliament", but broadened to show the South African public everything that happens in the house, in accordance with the constitutional principle of openness, transparency, accountability and the right to know.

3) Sanef is further outraged by the intimidation of journalists and attempts by security officials to prevent reporters from conducting interviews with MPs who had just been ejected from Parliament. Journalists were threatened with arrest and withdrawal of their accreditation.

Sanef has decided at its council meeting today to initiate the following actions in response to this despicable, shocking and unprecedented assault on our freedoms and rights.

We will approach the courts to prevent any future attempts by state security agencies from unlawfully blocking communications signals aimed at interfering with journalist's constitutionally protected rights and freedoms

We also want the courts to compel Parliament to allow broadcasters to install their own TV cameras in Parliament to cover the proceedings fairly and openly. This after parliament refused our request to do so.

We will challenge the refusal by the office of the speaker to provide unedited footage of the proceedings of Parliament.

We demand a meeting with the speaker and President Jacob Zuma, as head of the executive, for a full explanation, an investigation and an assurance that the rights and freedoms of the media and the public shall not be violated again.

Statement issued by Mpumelelo Mkhabela Sanef Chairperson, Adriaan Basson Sanef Media Freedom Chair, and Moshoeshoe Monare Sanef Council Member, February 14 2015

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