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The Press Freedom Commission's idea of independent co-regulation of the press
Big Brother is Watching
18 May 2012
by Carolyn Raphaely
To view the article as it appeared in The Star, click here.
Rustenburg hairdresser and convicted murderer Simone Roets is the first woman in Africa to be electronically tagged and the only female participant in an innovative electronic monitoring project launched by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) at the beginning of March.
Involving 150 parolees, the pilot aims to tackle chronic prison overcrowding – a problem President Jacob Zuma also attempted to address with his Freedom Day announcement of special remission of sentence for 35 000 offenders, parolees and probationers starting this week.
UPDATE: Clayson Monyela’s statement
The Wits Justice Project’s View on President Zuma’s Freedom Day remissions
The Wits Justice Project welcomes President Zuma’s announcement of presidential remissions on Freedom Day. It has brought about a much needed focus on overcrowding in South African prisons.
However, the proposed measure applies to sentenced inmates and has no impact on the severe and unacceptable situation faced by a third of inmates: those awaiting trial. Remand detainees, some behind bars for years, are those waiting for their trials to begin or reach conclusion. Yet many of these inmates will eventually be acquitted. This means that a staggering number of innocent people are being deprived of their freedom.
Press release:Clayson Monyela statement
JOINT PRESS STATEMENT
Civil society organisations call for Head of Public Diplomacy, Clayson Monyela, to retract his statement made on 18 April, 2012 regarding the Braamfischerville rape case.
25 April, 2012
On the 18thApril, South Africa’s Head of Public Diplomacy, Clayson Monyela “prayed” for the rape in prison of a group of boys and men charged with gang-raping a 17-year-old girl. Using Twitter on 18 April, Mr. Monyela said he would be “praying for the 7 rapists to find like-minded monsters in jail to give them a taste of their own medicine”. Mr. Monyela’s statement is dangerous, misguided, and inconsistent with South Africa’s Constitution and laws.
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