New censorship bill in South Africa

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32554, 13 March 1971, Page 17

New censorship bill in South Africa

(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter— Copyright) CAPE TOWN, March 12. A modified bill tightening South Africa’s already-rigid censorship laws was introduced into Parliament today, its predecessor having been withdrawn after an outburst of public criticism.

Details of the revised Publications and Entertainments Amendment Bill were made known when it was given a second, reading during debate in the House of Assembly. It had had its first formal reading yesterday. The bill is aimed primarily at closing loopholes in die present law regarding films. The original version prohibited open discussion of decisions by the Publications Control Board—the over-all censorship watchdog on films that it has banned or on cuts it has made.

This has been altered to prohibiting all “polemics,” while a film is under consideration by the board for approval for public showing, that would “influence” the board in its judgment. The redesigned bill also allows board informers to enter and search places for objectionable material.

The bill was immediately attacked by the Opposition United Party as being worse than the original that had caused so much public comment.

Opposition speakers said that the rigid restrictions included in the bill on who could see a film before it was approved by the Publications Control Board showed that the Government was setting itself up as prosecutor and judge on matters of censorship. The bill would allow the board to operate under a cloak of secrecy with no way of finding out how its decisions were made or challenging them, they said. If the board were allowed to sit in camera without any measure of control, it would become a dictator over all thought in South Africa. Mrs Helen Suzman, the only member of Parliament for the Progressive Party opposed to apartheid, described the board as a laugh-ing-stock, and added: It « an insult to adult Soup l Africans to be subjected to such a narrow-minded board.” . „ A large number of films, books and magazines are banned in South Africa, and most films are cut before public screening.