S.A. panel recommends more open government

Press, 16 April 1980, Page 8

S.A. panel recommends more open government

NZPA-Reuter Pretoria A South African Government Commission has recommended a softening of South Africa’s tough Official Secrets Act, and that the press should keep its watchdog role in dealing with rion-operational defence matters. But the report, presented to Parliament yesterday, also urged tighter control of. information on the fight against black-nationalist movements opposed to white rule. The Prime Minister (Mr. Pieter Botha), as Defence Minister, announced the in-' quiry last December, with the declared aim of reconcil-| ing national security needs, with the freedom of the news media. I The report of the commission, headed by Mr Justice) Warthinus Steyn, a former! Administrator-General ■ of ' South West Africa (Na-J

iimibia), reflected Mr Botha's ■|view that South Africa faced ;' a new phase of what he ! called, the total onslaught on its survival. : This, he said, was being waged on military, economic, political, and psychological fronts. The report accused the United States of using al variety of political and economic methods, including I seeking to discourage trade,' sport, cultural, and military | links with South Africa, in a! bid to press the South African Government 1 into implementing reforms; that would result in a black- li majority Government. The report said press ex- . (Posure of administrative 1 malpractices, neglect, and i dishonesty, when that ex- ; posure did not reveal oper- ; ational or equipment secrets, ; had to be permitted to allow < what Justice Steyn called' l i the golden thread of good <

i relations between ■ the authorities, the media, and i the peoples of the Republic. But, the report said, claims to - press freedom were ofen exaggerated and used for self-interest; The State, it said, had the right! to protect itself, and press freedom was not an unassailable holy cow. Among the commission’s I main recommendations wets the introduction of a registration system for foreign (journalists working in South Africa, and legislation aimed 'at monitoring propaganda land information activities on ■behalf of foreign interest A clear information policy and improved communications between the security forces and the media were also recommended, and the amendment of police laws so as to ban unlawful disclosure of information about what the report called the combating of terrorism.