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Interdict 'not to gag media'
30/05/2007 15:35 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The Department of Transport said on Wednesday it was not trying to gag the press by bringing an interdict against Beeld newspaper.
Rather, the department wanted to "seek adherence to legislative requirements on how audit findings are dealt with before the final report is tabled in Parliament", spokesperson Collen Msibi said.
The interdict application is scheduled to be heard in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday afternoon.
The department intends to stop a story about the controversial electronic National Transport Information System (eNatis) system in Beeld, a publication in the Media 24 stable, the newspaper said on Tuesday night.
Beeld investigative reporter Adriaan Basson said the newspaper had got hold of a section of one of the Auditor-General's reports on the eNatis system and on Tuesday morning asked the department to comment on it.
Beeld agreed to give the department until Wednesday to comment, but at about 19:00 on Tuesday Beeld was told that the department had brought the action to stop publication.
"The report is specifically about the security of eNatis," said Basson.
Beeld is part of Media24, News24's parent company.
- SAPA
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