NELSON MANDELA ON THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS

(NELSON MANDELA IN ONE OF HIS COUNTLESS INTERACTIONS WITH THE MEDIA) BY SUBRY GOVENDER Only a decade after the attainment of our freedom in April 1994, some members of the ruling ANC were intent on curbing the Freedom of Press through what was termed, Protection of Information Bill. The new move, if enacted, would have prevented the unauthorised publication of sensitive intelligence information. That move by the ANC came in the wake of repeated attacks on the media by some members of the ruling ANC. In a radio documentary compiled in August 2008, Subry Govender looked back at the high regard in which Nelson Mandela held the media in direct contrast to some new leaders. This radio documentary is being published as a tribute to Nelson Mandela at a time when South Africans are commemorating Mandela’s 100th birth anniversary.