ANC STATEMENT ON 38TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLACK WEDNESDAY
19 October 2015
The African National Congress joins the media fraternity and South Africans in general in the commemoration of the 38th anniversary of Black Wednesday, a day on which newspapers, various organisations and anti-apartheid critics were detained by the apartheid regime.
Such an action was consistent with the then repressive laws of the country which sought to curtail freedom of speech and movement and silence the legitimate voices of South Africans against an exclusionary, racist and discredited governance system at odds with the universal values of justice and equality.
38 years on, we celebrate the strides that have been made in entrenching democracy through, amongst others, a vibrant and free press. We equally laud the repeal of laws curtailing media freedoms and the establishment of robust mechanisms to safeguard freedom of expression as as a fundamental human right codified in the Bill of Rights of our progressive Constitution. As we mark this day, we do so confident that indeed we have come a long way and South Africa is a much better place today than it was on the 19th October 1977.
The recently concluded 4th National General Council of the ANC reaffirmed the Battle of Ideas, with media at the centre, as a critical component of our revolution to create a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society. The tests of accountability and responsibility apply as much to the media as they do to the rest of society. It is in this context that NGC has directed Parliament to enquire into the feasibility and desirability of a Media Appeals Tribunal within the framework of the Constitution.
We have no doubt that this resolution will, as it has, generate debate in society - a necessary precondition to create harmonious platforms of co-existence in our democracy. The ANC welcomes the engagement, in the spirit of freedom of thought and expression, as building on the hard won struggles of the media and society in general for a free, transparent and accountable South Africa.
Statement issued by Zizi Kodwa, ANC national spokesperson, 19 October 2015
