Mr Chairman, I move without notice:
That the House -
1) notes that on 19 October 2011, South Africa celebrated National Media Freedom Day;
2) further notes that the day is commonly known as Black Wednesday after the apartheid government and its security forces detained scores of Black Consciousness activists and journalists in the early hours of the morning on 19 October 1977 under the draconian section 10 of the Internal Security Act;
3) recalls that the apartheid regime banned 18 organisations committed to freedom and further banned three publications, The World, Weekend World and Pro Veritate;
4) acknowledges the contribution of the media during the struggle for press freedom in exposing the atrocities committed by the apartheid regime;
5) further acknowledges the positive contribution that the free media plays in an open and transparent democracy;
6) recognises the role of the media in holding all spheres of government to account in today's South Africa; and
7) commends the media for their contribution to the advancement of free speech and the values of a free and open democracy.
Agreed to.