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The government, in the person of Jimmy Manyi as government spokesperson, is abusing its position of power when they threaten newspapers with a government newspaper in competition with existing media. It infringes on the essence of media freedom in a democracy.

There is a huge difference between ANC propaganda and state information. A modern government should communicate with its citizens in a responsible manner. In all modern democracies there is however clear guidelines to define this state information. These guidelines prohibit taxpayer’s money from being used to advantage the governing party at the expense of opposition parties.

Mr. Manyi is unhappy because newspapers do not immediately publish everything which he regards to be newsworthy with regards to the government. It attests of ignorance about the functioning of the media in a free democracy. To threaten the media with a competing state newspaper will not solve his problems.

It is not acceptable in any modern democracy for government to use taxpayer’s money to convey party political propaganda to voters. This principle is such a serious founding principle of democracy that the issue could end in the Constitutional Court.