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Trade union Solidarity welcomed the court’s ruling in the case of the Helen Suzman Foundation against the SABC and others.

“The fact that the SABC is prevented from applying further censorship by an order of the High Court until the legality of the controversial instruction is adjudicated in court at a later stage is clear proof that the SABC’s censorship is wrong,” said Solidarity Deputy Chief Executive Johan Kruger.

According to Kruger, the ruling strengthens Solidarity’s case to be heard by the Labour Court tomorrow. “The interdict means the court has already found that the instruction to exercise censorship is prima facie unlawful and should be stopped by means of a court order. This paves the way for the Labour Court to rule that the suspensions, disciplinary action and dismissal of the journalists arising from the unlawful instruction are also unfair and should be reversed,” Kruger said.

According to Kruger, it is important that another court would still have to adjudicate on the lawfulness of the instruction to exercise censorship, and that the issue is far from over.

Issued by Solidarity