MOKOPANE – Journalists and communication and community liaison officers from Limpopo and Mpumalanga converged at the Oasis Lodge, Mokopane, to attend a three-day Access To Information Workshop last week.

The workshop was aimed at equipping the participants with the relevant knowledge on how they can assist the community to access information from different sources. The workshop was sponsored by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), a regional member-driven non-government organization working for a free, independent, pluralistic, sustainable media environment and the right to information in Southern Africa.

Amongst the topics covered were: The role of the media in facilitating the free flow of information, Access to information in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, Access to information as a human right, Promotion of Access to Information Act, Law of Defamation, Press Ombudsman, Access to information and anti-corruption, Socio-economic rights in South Africa, Access to information and privatisation of basic needs and Implementation and challenges of the Promotion of Access to information Act.

Distinguished guests who addressed the participants include Lucas Nemutanzhela, a well-known Limpopo political analyst, Jeffrey Nkuna from the Human Rights Commission and Tony Thobane from the Ukuthula Advise Office.

It was also established at the workshop that the majority of the community members are not aware of their right to access information. Some community members, especially those marginalized ones in rural areas, lack information on basic government policies. The media, in the form of newspapers and radio, can act as a vehicle to promote access to information in the community. Language, literacy, gender, religion, culture, low human rights awareness, age and geographical location were some of the barriers that were identified to have a negative impact in the freedom of expression in the communities.

Participants were also given the opportunities to make presentations on how they can use their institutions to promote access to information in their communities.

Wilson Dzebu, a Mirror correspondent who attended the workshop, said the topics covered were dynamic and very relevant to the day-to-day responsibilities of journalists, of disseminating truthful, fair and balanced information to the communities.