regulations in line with the legislation are likely to have significant impact on the financial health of the public broadcaster. Public disclosure of the minutes of the negotiations between SABC and Multichoice, and revelations about Multichoice’s contract with ANN7, put severe pressure on Multichoice to change its corporate behaviour. The key institution this brought into focus was ICASA. It is ICASA which should enforce rules of editorial professionalism on ANN7 and it appeared not to have done so. The SOS Coalition complained that the Communications Minister continued to delay in making a decision about set top box (STB) encryption and inter-operability, thereby stalling digital migration to the point that South Africa may be facing the collapse of digital terrestrial television (DTT) as envisaged, and where it may have to consider alternatives such as migrating directly to broadband and/ or satellite. The SOS Coalition has misgivings about the future. It says that as much as there are encouraging signs, the battle for the heart and soul of the public broadcaster, with its key information provision and education mandates, is expected to heat up as the country heads towards its 2019 national and provincial government elections. ACCESS TO INFORMATION The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) protested angrily at the security measures implemented by Parliamentary officials and security personnel during President Jacob Zuma’s State of The Nation address in February 2017. Journalists were impeded in doing their work, especially when some parliamentarians were dramatically ejected for 92 So This is Democracy? 2017 having disrupted proceedings. A heavy security presence set up by members of the police, Defence Force and State Security Agency - which included heavily armed military police - was intimidating. Journalists were prevented from doing their jobs despite assurances given to the media that they would not be obstructed, and civilian clothed police officers prevented photographers and journalists from freely moving through parliamentary corridors. Journalists based in Parliament’s media offices were obstructed from leaving and returning to their offices as a line of riot police blocked off the access road. Police also attempted to prevent photographers from capturing scenes in the precinct. Sanef noted that security measures, including the greater role played by the State Security Agency, appear to have increased year-on-year since 2015. Cybercrimes and Cyber Security Bill Raising concern on the WAN-IFRA board at its June 2017 conference in Durban as likely to lead to a further deterioration in media freedom, were legal issues in the Cybercrimes and Cyber Security Bill before the South African Parliament. The draft includes vague language that affords an opportunity for repressive implementation, as well as enhanced investigative and surveillance powers for security agents. The Bill also establishes “reasonable suspicion” for use of encryption, and empowers officials to obtain decryption keys to “search for, access or seize” articles pursuant to a search warrant. The board also denounced other features of the Bill, including “an assault on digital privacy”, which remains central to