Secrecy bill's review vital to (re)public

Walking the talk: Various organisations and members of the public marched to Parliament in September in opposition to the Protection of State Information Bill.

Yet another organisation has cautioned government that the Protection of State Information Bill threatens various fundamental principles enshrined in the Constitution.

The UCT Students Against Secrecy movement recently made a written submission to the National Council of Provinces' (NCOP) Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of State Information Bill. The group also hopes to have a member of its steering committee present an oral submission to the NCOP.

In its submission, the student group takes objection to key parts of the Bill, including the powers to classify information, appeals to the classification review panel, and the [lack of a] public interest defence. "The bill has the potential to prove particularly problematic at UCT as a space for debate and discussion due to its lack of a public domain defence," said the group's co-founder, Geoffrey Kilpen.