Zuma to receive Info Bill next week

JOHANNESBURG – The Protection of State Information Bill is expected to land on President Jacob Zuma’s desk next week, the Right2Know Campaign revealed on Wednesday.

The so-called Secrecy Bill recently got passed in Parliament and is one step closer from being signed into law.

The proposed law has been in the making for several years now.

Civil society groups and opposition parties have opposed the bill as the law could stifle media freedom by preventing the press form reporting on certain issues.

The Info Bill could also result in the prosecution of whistleblowers.

Right2Know’s Murray Hunter said, “The bill will be translated this week and passed to the president next.”

If Zuma signs the bill, then it will become law.

But critics have called on the president to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court.

If Zuma fails to hand the proposed law to the top court, groups have vowed to legally challenge the bill themselves.

This article was written by Alex Eliseev and appeared on Eyewitness News on 8 May 2013.