Thanks for the link Mefiante.
I heard about the petition on the radio and wanted to go and sign so I typed in www.right2know.co.za, which didn’t exist but, Google being the helpful tool it is asked if I meant www.right2know.net - so I clicked on that.
Guess where I ended up… AAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!
I finally got to sign the petition thanks to checking here.
mdg
De nada, mdg. I consider it a duty to my fellow rationalists. 
A “Black Wednesday” protest against the Protection of Information Bill and Media Appeals Tribunal is planned for October 19. André Brink called these proposed measures a ‘sickening’ throwback to the apartheid era. The SA Catholic Bishops Conference urged government to withdraw its proposals in their current form, and the SA Law Deans Association (SALDA) has raised concerns about the Bill’s potential limitations of academic freedom. The Association for Communication and Advertising (ACA) is also opposed to media restrictions. It seems then that the groundswell of rejection and condemnation of the ANC’s proposals is increasing rapidly. I think that the ANC is truly surprised by the staunch resistance it is encountering, which may yet see them engage in some earnest re-evaluations.
Along related lines, the US’s Bill of Rights seems to be under subtly menacing attack, so it’s not just here in SA where attempts at eroding rights are mounting. It will be interesting to see what the US Supreme Court will say on the matter when faced with the case, as it surely will in the not too distant future.
Fortunately, there’s still Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks to combat such subversive attempts up to a point.
'Luthon64
Yet another negative angle: Concern over the inhibiting effect the Protection of Information Bill will have on the willingness of whistleblowers to step forward.
'Luthon64
“ Next year … just wait for that media tribunal. You are looking for it,” Sharon Makhubele-Mashele (an ANC MP) said to a group of parliamentary journalists who refused to leave a sitting of the Health Committee after being told to do so by the Committee chairperson Bevan Goqwana of the ANC. In other words, the ANC’s members are already taking the Media Appeals Tribunal as a fait accompli and possibly the Protection of Information Bill too.
'Luthon64
i can see how the politici view this as a cure-all for the shit they come up with. and they will get away with it too. this is not going to end well.
If you have some time please write an email raising your concerns over the proposed bill (send emails to: [email protected]) or just simply copy the email below and send it to [email protected] (NOTE: add your name to the end of the email please):
Mr CV Burgess
P O Box 15 Cape Town 8000
12 August 2010
Subject: PROTECTION OF INFORMATION BILL
Dear Mr Burgess,
I am writing to you as a concerned South African; I view the proposed Protection of Information Bill as an assault on our constitution right to freedom of expression. The Bill of Rights, as I’m sure you know, makes the following provisions within article 16:
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes
freedom of the press and other media;
freedom to receive or impart information or ideas;
freedom of artistic creativity; and
academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.
Clearly the Protection of Information Bill contravenes my right to the freedom of expression, because it allows the state to censor certain information. This is a direct attack on our rights to receive or impart information or ideas, and it infringes on the rights of journalists to write articles which may threaten state security. I implore of you to support freedom of expression, not only because it is a human right, but also because the struggles of Mandela, Sisulu, Tambo, and Suzman are far too important for us to disregard — they lived in times when the South African government could censor their views, and if this bill passes we will be forced to live under similar oppression.
Yours sincerely,
I read Saturday in Die Burger that our Safety & Security minister thinks there are lots of foreign spies about who wants to spy on us and stuff.
That was a nice giggle over an early morning coffee. Before we went through to watch some whales in Hermanus, which was even better entertainment than our politicians making fools of themselves. Whales, after all, only visit once a year.
Some years ago when the whole arms deal started going sour, the Minister of Defence was asked
“Why does SA need 3 submarines?”
the answer?
“We’re concerned that SA will be invaded”
“By whom”
“By the USA”
Jisses pleez!
Staatsgeheime oor voedselsekuriteit, water en energie is ter sake.Food security, water and energy are state secrets? Is the state going to classify [i]Kook en Geniet[/i] and municipal bills? You know.... those recipes for bobotie and pampoenkoekies.“Voedselsekuriteit mag nie bedreig word nie. Enige land wat hierin misluk, sal deur konflik en oorloë geteister word.”
You have to marvel at the sheer inventiveness of the contrived BS marshalled in defence of these proposals. Its stench begins to rival that of religious apologetics, theology and theodicy.
'Luthon64
"The Protection of Corruption Bill"apt
With all the spies about, whats a guy gotta do to get a 00 license?
He depicted South Africa as a country riddled with spies and information peddlers that sought to destabilise democracy, undermine national food security and steal valuable commercial information... Baseless rumours of political plots have already done severe damage, the minister said, citing the Browse Mole report as an example. "Consequently these peddled claims have caused untold disruptions and divisions within the government system, (the) ruling party and its allies and have negatively affected the project of democratisation of the country."OK, first of all - is SA really important enough in the grander scheme of things for anybody to care enough about our 'national food security' to actually spy on us? I don't hink so - sound a bit Hollywood to me. And since when is "democratisation" a 'project'? Kinda thought it was a relatively simple system and that we [b]were[/b], in fact, living in a democracy?
You mean a Licence to Bill? 
'Luthon64
heh heh heh
i cannot imagine, what the fuck, any spy would want from south africa.
its not like we are harbouring nuculur weapons, assasins, KGB agents, Mafia bosses, … wait, akshully, with our lax borders… never mind.
ok, so their argument, is that it protects the govament against spies. so what are they hiding?
why are our tax rands being spent on kak that is so covert that nobody can know about it?
are former soviet scientists building atomic bombs in vryheid?
are we planning to send lazer cannons into space?
or are they busy enriching themselves hideously, at the tax payers expense?
why yes!!! that’s the one!!
spies my ass.
This is why I want a free press. When our politicians say such hilarious things I want to read about it. ;D
Well, in SA the essential requirement is simple but strict, as judged by indications from several recent examples: You need to be a self-important, puffed-up cretin with little regard for well-established and elementary democratic principles. A robust ego and a selective hearing ability, though not required, significantly enhance one’s chances, and delusions of adequacy virtually guarantee a successful application.
'Luthon64
of course, should you appear inadequate on your application, and later prove that you are in fact capable of the simplest logical reasoning and fairness, the powers that be reserve the right to get rid of you in a mysterious way of their choice (they have spies too, I presume)
And, of course, you must be well versed in the correct protocol for how you, as a dignitary, should be treated by the riffraff. You must also know how to demand “respect” from your inferiors and act like a VIP on every occasion because becoming a politician is, after all, all about You.