DA SLAMS PORN BAN BILL

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has slammed Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba’s support of a bill to ban internet porn in South Africa.

Gigaba recently announced that he was working with the Justice Alliance of South Africa, a conservative group, on a bill which would ban all adult material on the internet and cell-phones in South Africa.

In a letter to SA GLAAD’s Christina Engela, Dian Cronje – the Public Liaison Officer for the DA National Leaders’ Office – said that Gigaba’s statement is inconsistent with the fundamental rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights.

He specifically cited the right to privacy (Section 13) and the right to freedom of expression (Section 16).

“In a constitutional democracy, it is not appropriate for the government to tell private citizens what they may or may not watch, listen to, or read in their own private space,” said Cronje.

“Mr. Gigaba’s statement amounts to a crude form of moral policing that seeks to censor material on the internet and cell phones deemed ‘inappropriate’ by the government. It is not the role of the government to decide what is right or wrong on behalf of private citizens,” he added.

Cronje said that the DA condemns the Deputy Minister’s proposal and called on him to formally withdraw it.