We all remember the poignant TV coverage of many tanks facing one man in Tiananmen Square. Not shown on local Chinese TV. Soweto riots that we now see that was viewed internationally and not by ourselves at the time. The Second World War exploits of Hitler that Americans and other allies knew about but only whispered about amongst the local population as the Jews were fed lies about these wonderful environments they were supposed to be going to! Is that what it will be like here? Are we as locals going to be the last to know?
I don’t believe this was Mandela’s ANC. Mandela’s ANC wanted freedom
for all people Black and White and we know this because the 1994 ANC Manifesto states that the ANC wanted an open Society; The ANC will strive for an open society that encourages vigorous debate. People must be free to express their views without fear, including criticising the government of the day. Freedom of the media will be essential for a flourishing of democracy. The 2004 Manifesto states that; we must broaden access to the rights contained in our constitution, so that more and more South Africans - especially the poor, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities - can enjoy all the benefits of freedom.The corner stone of this democratic freedom is the freedom to write what you like!! (Yes I did have to change the word WOT to be different!!) Does JZ have such a short memory on media freedom!! He, JZ is saying that the ANC would never do anything that would undermine the spirit of the Constitution and which would erode the dignity and rights of other people, regardless of their standing in society and because of this he has asked that media to allow the ANC and the public the right to freedom of expression. Whose freedom of expression is this? If the ANC doesn’t say it then we can’t write it – OMG this sounds pretty draconian to me. In the old days anti-apartheid writers such as Nadine Gordimer, André Brink, Mary Benson and many others works were banned in South Africa for writing against the apartheid government. And now…Watch out folks because if you are anti ANC your works will also be banned! JZ would have you believe that all smear campaigns against the ANC are totally unfounded and only there to cause sensationalism therefore rendering the ANC squeaky clean at all times.
Even Malema has a say here. He was hauled out of the woodwork and said that they the ANCYL were assaulted and vandalised by the media and that they couldn’t do anything because the media could destroy a person's future without fact. Because of this editors and media owners should not try to get the government to discuss whether a media tribunal should be established, but how the tribunal should be set up to prevent future dictators from abusing it to kill media freedom!! Have you ever on that logic!! Methinks he should go back to his woodwork class!!
Anyway who said apartheid was a white on black issue. In the passed yes but now it’s an elite ANC against the rest of us and they are still blaming transformation even though many reporters are black! In fact wa Afrika who was detained recently is a fellow black South African but the ANC says ‘We are the people who fought for the freedom you enjoy today (...) some of us died for it and we have put our view before you, and that is our right,” And this is the freedom they talked about in 1994!! Of course this proposed media tribunal and media ownership is supposedly because in their view - Print media does not have, nor is in a process of developing a transformational charter, despite the regrettable degree of transformation.” Why is it that a problem is always blamed on transformation! There are many fellow black reporters but are they being overlooked because they do not come out and support the ANC at all times so does transformation only now apply to how many ANC members have a job? That’s for you to decide but I am off to build my cellar and buy myself a trench coat!! It could be needed in the not too distant future!!
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