SONA: Parly denies media crackdown
PARLIAMENT has backed down on plans to restrict journalists when President Jacob Zuma delivers his State of the Nation address (Sona) tomorrow .
Senior officials from Parliament had sent out instructions to staff and security on a crackdown against the media tomorrow.
The letter from Parliament had indicated that journalists would be corralled in a media square, and if they wanted to move they would be escorted by security.
Yesterday Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli denied this was an instruction from them, and said they would inform those responsible to drop the plans.
He said they were not aware of this restriction of the media during the Sona, the first in 23 years of the democratic order in the national legislature.
He said they would not allow the clampdown on journalists.
“I want to assure members that there will be no restriction for the media to do their work. I don’t know where the idea of (a) media square comes from,” he said.
Tsenoli said nothing in their plans involved curbing media freedom and movement.
This will be Zuma’s last State of the Nation address as the leader of the ANC.
In the past 23 years, journalists have been allowed to cover the Sona without restrictions in the parliamentary precinct, doing whatever they wanted before and during Zuma’s address.
Two years ago, there was an outcry when there was signal jamming in the chamber, and it emerged the State Security Agency was involved.
Tsenoli said there was no basis for media restriction and promised to make the necessary arrangements with the security establishment in Parliament to ensure that this instruction was not implemented tomorrow.
He said senior officials and security in Parliament could not operate on their own.
“I don’t know who concocted this idea of (a) media square. It will be ridiculous to plan this thing today with the technology.”
Tsenoli said a message would be sent out to all those involved in the plan to stop it.
This has to be effected when the Sona and related activities started tomorrow.
He said he had not seen the document giving instructions