SAFREA WC adds voice to protest against the proposed Information Protection Bill
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The Southern African Freelancers' Association (Safrea) is looking forward to improving service, both to members and to potential clients, with its new website that launches today.
The new site brings many new features that are intended to help members sell their services and to make it easier for potential clients to find the freelancers who suit their needs. The new, more flexible search feature, for example, enables clients to shortlist freelancers by entering key words such as "aerial photographer" or "academic translator afrikaans english".
Read details about Yonhap International Press Photo Awards
The 2011 Press Freedom Day offers little to celebrate while SA freelance photographer, Anton Hammerl, remains in Libyan military detention since 5 April, without direct government intervention.
Representatives of the Southern African Freelancers’ Association (SAFREA) and various individual members belonging to this organisation have added their signatures to a new letter that appeals for information on the whereabouts and safety - and the release - of South African photojournalist Anton Hammerl.
The Southern African Freelancers Association (Safrea) is shocked and deeply saddened by the senseless killing of South African freelance photographer Anton Hammerl and requests a formal investigation into the matter.
Freelancers belonging to the Eastern Cape and Free State branch of the Southern African Freelancers' Association (SAFREA) have expressed deep concern over and condemned the attack on the media and to burn down The Herald's offices by Nelson Mandela Bay ANC regional chairperson Nceba Faku.
Social marketing is fast becoming the easiest way to promote your business online, and for freelancers who run micro businesses from home it is an affordable way to market themselves and create brand awareness, says Georgina Guedes, chairperson of the Southern African Freelancers Association (Safrea).
The Southern African Freelancers’ Association (Safrea) applauds President Jacob Zuma’s undertaking to do “whatever is possible” to assist in getting information on the whereabouts of slain freelance journalist Anton Hammerl’s remains.
The Southern African Freelancers’ Association (Safrea) is extremely concerned about the possibility of the passing of the Protection of Information Bill, which will threaten mdia freedom and jeopardize freelance jobs.
The worldwide recession has forced more people to start a freelance career. Safreans Georgi Guedes, Jonno Cohen and Helen Ueckermann commented on freelancing and social media in Sake24. http://www.sake24.com/Maatskap?pye/Reklame/Facebook-kan-vrysk?utters-vlerke-gee-20110808
Government’s actions re Info Bill a continued threat to a healthy media industry
The Southern African Freelancers Association (Safrea) finds it incomprehensible that the National Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Protection of State Information Bill today despite an uproar in opposition of the act in the past week.
Safrea applauds revisions to the POIB; warns that government has yet missed another opportunity to protect truth seekers
The Southern African Freelancers’Association (SAFREA) in the Western Cape has been watching with great concernrecent reports about renewed intentions of government to forge ahead with its proposed Information Protection Bill despite widespread opposition by various professional and civil society groupings in South Africa and abroad.
Following a further public discussion of the possible ramifications of the Bill by members and supporters of the Right 2 Know Campaign - all of them concerned South Africans - in Cape Town on Tuesday, 7th June 2011, there is no doubt at all that this proposed Bill is a threat to our entire democracy, and not only to individual interest groups.
“The concerns of our members are shared by many right thinking South Africans who can see through government’s intentions to prevent the media, whistleblowers and ordinary members of society from gaining access to information of public interest; information that might be in danger of being classified by unscrupulous officials in order to shield possible abuse of resources and positions from public scrutiny. Ours can only remain a relatively healthy democracy if the electorate is well informed of things that are of interest to them,” says regional spokesman, Solly Moeng, on behalf of SAFREA Western Cape.
“Furthermore, as workers in the media industry, we believe that our industry and jobs are threatened by this Bill. We therefore wish to hold hands with other freedom loving South Africans and friends of this country in opposing these proposed measures with the contempt that they deserve”, Moeng continued.
SAFREA is fully behind the positions taken by organisations such as the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF), the Right 2 Know Campaignand others in regard to this proposed Bill. Should the Bill be forced through parliament, as indications suggest, the functioning of our democracy would be severely put in jeopardy and harmed. Media professionals, whose job it is to ensure that windows of secrecy are opened and information of public interest is transparently communicated to the general public, would be prevented from exercising this crucial role.
“While we have noted that more time has been allowed for the critical clauses of the Bill to be put through more scrutiny, we nevertheless remain steadfast in our belief that the passing of the Bill in its current form – should it go ahead – would impact negatively on the ability of media professionals to do their work of informing the public," Moeng added.
"South Africa could end up no different from states like Zimbabwe, China, Myanmar, Russia, Saudi Arabia and others, where journalists are systematically prevented from doing their work without fear and where citizens are kept in the dark on many issues of importance. South Africa must not be allowed to go that way”, he concluded.
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