At the very start of South Africa's constitutional democracy,
openness and transparency had a special place. Reacting against the
secrecy of apartheid, the veils would be lifted in a newly open
society. And indeed South Africa's access to information law - the
Promotion of Access to Information Act, a direct result of the
constitutional negotiations - is without parallel in the world. But
bureaucracies and their cultures don't change easily. Habits of
secrecy die hard and perhaps hardest where institutional capacity
is low and organisational resources are scarce. Working against
such obstacles, a few valiant organisations including the South
African History Archive (SAHA) have been working to push back the
entrenched modes of secrecy and instantiate the realm of open
democracy. Drawing on the experience of SAHA, the chapters of Paper
Wars will be the place to start for any serious scholar or
dedicated activist seeking to understand the experience and place
of South Africa in the global diffusion of freedom of information
regimes. Despite having the law on their side, this book details
the difficulties the information activists and requesters have
encountered as they have attempted to put South Africa's
constitutional right of access to information into practice.
Containing essays and case studies, the volume will stand as the
record of the initial implementation (or lack thereof) of South
Africa's right to know law.
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