Madam Deputy Speaker, in last week's reply to the state of the nation debate, President Zuma said that most of the corruption you read about in the media is exposed as a result of the work of government and its agencies. These are the words of a President who is completely disconnected from reality. South Africa's major corruption scandals have not been broken by government, but by the media and the opposition. These include the arms deal, Travelgate, Oilgate, the SA Police Service lease debacle and the Chancellor House scandal.
Nowhere is the government's attitude towards exposing corruption more clear than in its determination to see the Protection of Information Bill, better known as "the Secrecy Bill", pushed through Parliament in its current form. Should this Bill be passed, journalists and whistleblowers who report on what government deems secret will face up to 25 years in prison.