Date :

21 September 2010

Time :

10:15 – 11:30

Programme: 

• Three Key Points with the Protection of Information Bill, presented by Dr Alison Tilley, Open Democracy Advice Centre.
• What the Protection of Information Bill is Not About, presented by Mr Dennis Dlomo, Advisory Services section of the Ministry of State Security, and he is a former Executive Secretary of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA). He is the former Deputy Coordinator for Intelligence.

Chair:  Dr Preggs Govender, Deputy Chair of the South African Human Rights Commission

Download and read the Protection of Information Bill (As introduced in the National Assembly, explanatory summary of Bill published in Government Gazette No. 32999 of 5 March 2010, Minister of State Security)

The HSRC is a statutory science council mandated to conduct public purpose research that generates critical and independent knowledge relative to all aspects of human and social development. The HSRC serves as a knowledge hub to bridge the gap between research, policy and action. Part of our brief is to critically engage, discuss and debate important and topical policy issues of the day in order to foreground our research carefully and rigorously. South Africa’s public discourse seems to be presently coalescing around two separate, yet inter-linked, initiatives: a Media Appeals Tribunal and Protection of Information Bill. The proposed pieces of legislation have elicited a vigorous public debate, with the potential to reconfigure the character of South Africa’s constitutional democracy. Proponents have argued that a regulatory framework is required to make the media more accountable; opponents have argued that freedom of expression and information is a key ingredient in any constitutional democracy. Whichever side of the fence one sits on, debate has been robust and lively, which is the focus of this seminar.

Download presentation from the seminar

Download the audio presentation from the seminar (part 1)

Kindly RSVP by 15 September 2010

Venues

Cape Town: HSRC, 12th Floor, Plein Park Building (Opposite Revenue Office), Plein Street, Cape Town. Contact Vuyokazi Ngxubaza, Tel +27 (0) 21 466 8004, Fax (021) 461 0299, or VNgxubaza@hsrc.ac.za Cell: +27 (0) 82 050 8453

Durban: First floor HSRC board room, 750 Francois Road, Ntuthuko Junction, Pods 5 and 6, Cato Manor, Contact Thandiwe Zungu, Tel +27 (0) 31 242 5400, Cell: +27 (0) 83 359 3946 or thandiwezungu@hsrc.ac.za

Pretoria: HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za