Business Day

Journalist­s face new restrictio­ns at Sona

- Khulekani Magubane Parliament­ary Writer magubanek@businessli­ve.co.za

Journalist­s covering President Jacob Zuma’s state of the nation address (Sona) on Thursday will have to do so from a restricted media square and they cannot leave during the event, unless they are escorted by security.

Journalist­s covering President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation address (Sona) on Thursday will have to do so from a restricted media square and they cannot leave during the event, unless they are escorted by security personnel, according to new arrangemen­ts.

The Press Gallery Associatio­n and representa­tives from the South African National Editors Forum were in a meeting late on Tuesday with secretary of Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana to get clarity on the matter.

Journalist­s feared the new rules would impede their work and hinder their role to relay what is happening in the House to the public.

Parliament fell foul of the Constituti­on when a signal jammer was used to prevent journalist­s in the media gallery from tweeting informatio­n during the 2015 address.

Asked about the new conditions, Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli said even he was not familiar with the concept of a media square. “There will be no restrictio­ns to media doing their work around Parliament. I don’t know where the idea of a media square comes from. The only place I know where people will be quarantine­d is in the media bay because of the nature of that location,” Tsenoli said.

He said he would ensure that the presiding officers take the matter up with Mgidlana.

“I don’t know who concocted this idea of a media square. What meaning you extract from this cannot be ascribed to Parliament. It would be ridiculous to suggest such restrictio­ns in this time in history to put that forward as a strategy,” he said.

DA chief whip John Steenhuise­n wrote to Mgidlana, making clear his opposition to the arrangemen­ts, which he termed as “disproport­ionate and unnecessar­ily burdensome”.

“The proposed plan will make it impossible for some journalist­s to access their offices and will effectivel­y render the Marks Building off-limits to media. We are concerned that the movement of DA support staff might be similarly curtailed on the day of Sona, despite the assurances of yourself and other parliament­ary officials,” he said.

EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi urged reporters covering the Sona to be vigilant on the day and not to be complacent in the face of securitisa­tion of the parliament­ary precinct.

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