THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL OF SOUTH AFRICA
JUDGMENT

Reportable

Case no: 425/2017

In the matter between:

HENRI CHRISTO VAN BREDA
APPELLANT

and

MEDIA 24 LIMITED
FIRST RESPONDENT

THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC
PROSECUTIONS
SECOND RESPONDENT

ADVOCATE LOUISE BUIKMAN SC
THIRD RESPONDENT

And in the matter between:
Case no: 426/2017

THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS
APPELLANT

and

MEDIA 24 LIMITED
FIRST RESPONDENT

HENRI CHRISTO VAN BREDA
SECOND RESPONDENT

ADVOCATE LOUISE BUIKMAN SC
THIRD RESPONDENT

Neutral citation:
The NDPP v Media 24 Limited & others and HC Van Breda v Media
24 Limited & others (425/2017) [2017] ZASCA 97 (21 June 2017)

Bench:
Ponnan, Leach, Mbha, Zondi and Van Der Merwe JJA

Heard:
18 May 2017

Delivered:
21 June 2017

Summary:
Constitutional law – application by media to broadcast criminal proceedings
– tension between the right to freedom of expression and the open justice principle, on
the one hand and the right to a fair trial, on the other – those rights should as far as
possible be harmonised with one another – court must exercise a proper discretion under
s 173 of the Constitution in each case by balancing the degree of risk involved in allowing
the cameras into the court room against the degree of risk that a fair trial might not ensue
– courts ought not to restrict the nature and scope of the broadcast unless prejudice is
demonstrable and there is a real risk that such prejudice will occur – mere conjecture or
speculation that prejudice might occur ought not to be enough.
_____________________________________________________________________

ORDER
______________________________________________________________________

On appeal from: Western Cape Division, Cape Town (Desai J sitting as court of first
instance):

(a)
The appeal succeeds to the extent that paragraph 1.3 of the order of the high
court is set aside.
(b)
The matter is remitted to the high court for reconsideration in accordance with the
principles set out in this judgment.
(c)
The costs of appeal of the appellant, Henri Christo Van Breda, shall be paid by the
first respondent, Media 24.

______________________________________________________________________

JUDGMENT
______________________________________________________________________

Ponnan JA (Leach, Mbha, Zondi and Van Der Merwe JJA concurring):

[1] „TV, or not TV, that is the question:‟1 According to the Chief Justice of Canada,
the Rt Hon Beverley McLachlin PC, „Justice Brennan was right: the media and the courts
are locked in a mutual, if sometimes uncomfortable embrace‟.2 McLachlin CJ was
referring to Justice Brennan‟s observation in 1980 that:
„. . . there exists a fundamental and necessary interdependence of the court and the
press. The press needs the court, if only for the simple reason that the court is the ultimate
guardian of the constitutional rights that support the press. And the court has a concomitant need
for the press, because through the press the court receives the tacit and accumulated experience
of the nation, and – because the judgments of the court ought also to instruct and to inspire – the
court needs the medium of the press to fulfil this task‟.3

[2] Undeniably communications technology has evolved – „from a reporter‟s prose
description, to an artist‟s sketch pad rendition, to the still and movie cameras with their
bright lights, and finally to the advanced portable video cameras – the media
progressively has given the public a more intimate view of criminal proceedings.‟4
However, attempts by the media to introduce modern technology into the criminal trial
court, have not been universally embraced. Consequently, this appeal, against a

1 I borrow from C Lassiter: „TV or Not TV? That is the Question‟ (1996) 928 Journal of Criminal Law and
Criminology 86 available at:
http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6882&context=jclc
2 Remarks of the Right Honourable B McLachlin PC the Chief Justice of Canada „The Relationship
between the Courts and the Media‟ Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario 31 January 2012 available at:
http://www.scc-csc.ca/court-cour/judges-juges/spe-dis/bm-2012-01-31-eng.aspx.
3 W.J. Brennan Jr. „Why Protect the Press?‟ (1980) 18 Columbia Journalism Review 59. Justice Brennan
added: „This partnership of the court and the press is not unique; it is merely exemplary of the function that
the press serves in our society. As money is to the economy, so the press is to our political culture: it is the
medium of circulation. It is the currency through which the knowledge of recent events is exchanged; the
coin by which public discussion may be purchased.‟
4 G K McCall, „Cameras in the Criminal Courtroom: A Sixth Amendment Analysis‟ (1985) 1546, Columbia
Law Review 85 at 1546–1547.

successful application to the high court to broadcast a criminal trial, requires us to
examine what McLachlin CJ described as that „mutual, if sometimes uncomfortable
embrace‟.

[3]   The issue arises for determination against the following factual backdrop: The first
appellant, Mr Henri Christo van Breda (the appellant), is charged with murdering three of
his family members with an axe. The only survivor of the attack, which occurred at the
family home in an exclusive security estate near Stellenbosch, is his younger sister, M.
The incident and appellant‟s trial, which is currently  under way, before Desai J in the
Western Cape Division, Cape Town on charges of murder, attempted murder and
defeating or obstructing the administration of justice – to which the appellant has pleaded
not guilty –  has attracted widespread media attention.

[4] Shortly before the trial was due to commence, the first respondent, Media24, a
publisher and purveyor of news to the general public both in South Africa and
internationally, brought an urgent application that it be allowed to install two video
cameras in the trial courtroom in order to record and broadcast the proceedings,
alternatively to be permitted to broadcast the proceedings by microphone and sound. It
also applied to be allowed to take still photographs and video footage in court for 30
minutes before the commencement of court and after the adjournment of proceedings
each day.

[5] Both parties to the criminal proceedings, the appellant and the second appellant,
the National Director of Public Prosecutions (the NDPP), opposed Media 24‟s
application.5 Desai J heard the application on Friday, 24 March 2017 and issued the
following order on Monday, 27 May 2017:
„1.
Subject to what is ordered in paragraph 5 below:-
1.2.
For 15 minutes before the commencement of court each day, and after the adjournment
of proceedings, the applicant may take still photographs in court, and video footage in court;

5 Advocate Louise Buikman SC, M‟s curator, was cited as the third respondent, but took no part in the
proceedings either before the court below or this Court on appeal.

1.3.
During the sitting of the court, the applicant is permitted to install two video cameras to
record and or broadcast the proceedings, with the following guidelines:
1.3.1. The cameras shall be set up by not later than 15 minutes before the commencement of
proceedings every day, and shall be removed by not later than half an hour after the adjournment
of proceedings at the end of the day;
1.3.2. The video cameras shall be stationary, erected on tripods, and shall not be attended by a
person;
1.3.3. The video cameras shall be left to record and broadcast the proceedings, and shall be
located in such positions as the court may direct from time to time;
1.3.4. The cameras shall be located discreetly to cause as little intrusion in the proceedings of
the court as possible.
2.
None of the arrangements above shall be extended to [M], in respect of whom no
photographs, audio recordings or video footage shall be taken before, during or after the
hearings, whether she is present as a witness, spectator or in any other capacity, save with the
prior written consent of the third respondent;
3.
There is an absolute bar on:
3.1.
audio recordings or close-up photography of bench discussions; and
3.2.
audio recordings or close-up photography of communications between legal
representatives or between clients and their legal representatives;
4.
No exhibits shall be photographed, videotaped or published by the media, unless
expressly permitted by the court.
5.
The parties are at liberty to approach the court for any variation or amendment of this
order as the occasion warrants.‟

[6]    The learned judge delivered reasons for the order on Tuesday, 4 April 2017. Both
the appellant and the NDPP filed applications for leave to appeal against the judgment
and order of the court below, which was dismissed on 6 April 2017. Applications by both
for leave to appeal directly to the Constitutional Court were refused on 13 April 2017 on
the basis that it was „not in the interests of justice to hear the matter at this stage‟. The
appellant thereafter applied to this Court for leave to appeal, as did the NDPP – the latter
by way of a separate application. On 26 April 2017 both the NDPP and the appellant
were granted leave by this Court to appeal against the whole of the judgment and order
of Desai J. The operation of the order was suspended pending the outcome of the

appeal. Practice directives were issued for the filing of the record, practice notes and
heads of argument, and the matter came to be heard by this Court on an expedited basis
on 18 May 2017. Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), a non-profit organisation, seeking to
advance quality media and the free flow of information to the public on matters of public
interest, was admitted as an amicus curiae.

[7]      The appellant‟s appeal is directed at the court‟s decision to allow Media 24 to
record and broadcast the criminal proceedings during sittings of the court as
contemplated by paragraph 1.3 of the order of the high court. The appellant appears to
have no difficulty with the recording and broadcast of counsel‟s argument and the rulings
and judgment of the court. In contrast, the NDPP‟s position was one of blanket opposition
to any part of the criminal proceedings being broadcast.

[8] The issue raised by this appeal is not altogether new. Whether the media should
be allowed to broadcast court proceedings, and if so, the extent thereof has been
debated for as long as audio-visual technology has existed.6 Nonetheless, what confronts
us is in some respects unchartered constitutional territory and thus calls all the more for a
most careful consideration. Section 16 of the Constitution headed „freedom of expression‟
is a useful starting point. It provides:
„(1)
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes –
(a)
freedom of the press and other media;
(b)
freedom to receive or impart information or ideas;
(c)
freedom of artistic creativity; and
(d)
academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.
(2)
The right in subsection (1) does not extend to –
(a)
propaganda for war;
(b)
incitement of imminent violence; or
(c)
advocacy of hatred that is based on race, ethnicity, gender or religion, and that constitutes
incitement to cause harm.‟

6 Lassiter fn 1 above, at 936.  See also McCall fn 4 above, at 1547.

[9] In R v Secretary of State for the Home Department Ex Parte Simms, Lord Steyn
stated:7
„Freedom of expression is, of course, intrinsically important: it is valued for its own sake.
But it is well recognised that it is also instrumentally important. It serves a number of broad
objectives. First, it promotes the self-fulfilment of individuals in society. Secondly, in the famous
words of Holmes J (echoing John Stuart Mill), “the best test of truth is the power of the thought to
get itself accepted in the competition of the market”: Abrams v United States (1919) 250 US 616
at 630 per Holmes J (dissent). Thirdly, freedom of speech is the lifeblood of democracy. The free
flow of information and ideas informs political debate. It is a safety valve: people are more ready
to accept decisions that go against them if they can in principle seek to influence them. It acts as
a brake on the abuse of power by public officials. It facilitates the exposure of errors in the
governance and administration of justice of the country.‟

[10] The right of the media to gather and broadcast information, footage and audio
recordings flows from s 16 of the Constitution. The right to freedom of expression is one
of a „web of mutually supporting rights‟ that holds up the fabric of the constitutional
order.8 The right is not limited to the right to speak, but also to receive information and
ideas. The media hold a key position in society. They are not only protected by the right
to freedom of expression, but are also the „key facilitator and guarantor‟ of the right.9 The
media‟s right to freedom of expression is thus not just (or even primarily) for the benefit of
the media: it is for the benefit of the public.10 In Khumalo v Holomisa11 the Constitutional
Court emphasised:
„In a democratic society, then, the mass media play a role of undeniable importance. They
bear an obligation to provide citizens both with information and with a platform for the exchange
of ideas which is crucial to the development of a democratic culture. As primary agents of the
dissemination of information and ideas, they are, inevitably, extremely powerful institutions in a

7 R v Secretary of State for the Home Department Ex Parte Simms [1999] 3 All ER 400 at 408.
8 Case & another v Minister of Safety and Security & others, Curtis v Minister of Safety and Security
others [1996] ZACC 7; 1996 (3) SA 617 (CC) para 27.
9 South African Broadcasting Corporation Limited v National Director of Public Prosecutions [2006] ZACC
15; 2007 (1) SA 523 (CC) para 24 (SABC CC). See also Brümmer v Minister for Social Development &
others [2009] ZACC 21; 2009 (6) SA 323 (CC) para 63.
10 Midi Television (Pty) Ltd t/a e-tv v Director of Public Prosecutions (Western Cape) [2007] ZASCA 56;
2007 (5) SA 540 (SCA) para 6.
11 Khumalo & others v Holomisa [2002] ZACC 12; 2002 (5) SA 401 (CC) at para 24. See also De Reuck v
Director of Public Prosecutions (Witwatersrand Local Division) & others [2003] ZACC 19; 2004 (1) SA 406
(CC) para 49.

democracy and they have a constitutional duty to act with vigour, courage, integrity and
responsibility.‟

[11] Free speech goes hand in hand with open justice. The latter is a fundamental
principle of the common law and has been described as „one of the oldest principles of
English law‟.12 It is often expressed by the maxim that „justice should not only be done,
but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done‟. The principle is
multifaceted.13 It insists that trial proceedings be conducted publicly in open court and
ordinarily, that is how trials in our criminal justice system are held. The principle of open
justice is one which strikes at the very heart of what South Africa has been, and is still,
trying to achieve in the post-apartheid era.14

[12]  The arguments in favour of open justice are perhaps best summarised thus:
„First, it assists in the search for truth and plays an important role in informing and
educating the public. Second, it enhances accountability and deters misconduct. Third, it has a
therapeutic function, offering an assurance that justice has been done [a sense of communal
catharsis]‟.15

12 Open justice has a very long history – so long, in fact, that its precise origin is unclear. In Terry
(previously ‘LNS’) v Persons Unknown [2010] EWHC 119 (QB), Tugendhat J described it as „one of the
oldest principles of English law, going back to before Magna Carta‟. In Raybos Australia Pty Ltd v Jones
(1985) 2 NSWLR 47, Kirby J declared that „[t]he courts of England were open from the earliest times‟, and
pointed to evidence of the existence of open justice in both the Saxon and Norman periods. In Richmond
Newspapers Inc v Virginia 448 US 555 (1980), Burger CJ traced it back „beyond reliable historical records‟.
See also S Rodrick „Achieving the Aims of Open Justice? The Relationship between the Courts, the Media
and the Public‟ (2014) 124 Deakin Law Review 19 at 130.
The idea that South African civil courts should be open to the public goes back to 1813. Marais J explained
in Financial Mail (Pty) Ltd v Registrar of Insurance & others 1966 (2) SA 219 (W) at 220F-G: „Until 1813, in
consonance with the then universal practice in Holland . . . whilst judgments and orders of the Cape courts
had to be pronounced in public, evidence and argument in trial cases were heard in camera, with only the
parties and their lawyers in attendance. The British Governor of the Cape, in 1813, issued a proclamation
requiring all judicial proceedings in future to be carried on with open doors as a matter of “essential utility,
as well as the dignity of the administration of justice”; it would imprint on the minds of the inhabitants of the
Colony the confidence that equal justice was administered to all in the most certain, most speedy and least
burdensome manner.‟
13 Kamasaee v Commonwealth of Australia & Ors [2017] VSC 171.
14 Deputy Chief Justice  Moseneke „The Media, Courts and Technology: Remarks on the Media Coverage
of the Oscar Pistorius Trial and Open Justice‟ 15 May 2015 available at:
http://www.constitutionalcourt.org.za/site/judges/justicedikgangmoseneke/The-Media-
CourtsandTechnology-Speech-by-DCJ%20Moseneke-on-15-May-2015.pdf.
15 City of Cape Town v South African National Roads Authority Limited & others [2015] ZASCA 58; 2015
(3) SA 386 (SCA) para 12. See also Moseneke fn 14 above, at 5.

In City of Cape Town v SANRAL, which concerned public access to records filed in court,
it was stated:16
„Not all information is readily revealed by the state and even powerful media organizations
sometimes face great difficulties in obtaining information in some areas. In an environment of
secrecy, journalists become vulnerable to off the record briefings and strategic leaks by
government. In this context, open justice is particularly important because through court cases
information can be exposed and tested in ways that may not otherwise be possible. The judicial
process generally shrinks from hearsay. Witnesses swear to the truth and if they lie make
themselves open to perjury.  The rules of evidence, which regulate what is revealed, are applied
by an independent judiciary. The whole process is thus designed to limit the extent to which
parties can craft and shape information for public consumption. In Scott, Lord Shaw of
Dunfermline famously warned „in the darkness of secrecy, sinister interest and evil in every shape
have full swing against the dangers of justice behind closed doors‟.

[13] In Independent Newspapers,17 where a newspaper sought access to portions of a
court record that had been kept confidential on the grounds of national security, the
Constitutional Court held that open justice had essentially become a right of its own,
stating:18
„There exists a cluster or, if you will, umbrella of related constitutional rights which include,
in particular, freedom of expression and the right to a public trial, and which may be termed the
right to open justice. The constitutional imperative of dispensing justice in the open is captured in
several provision of the Bill of Rights. First, section 16(1)(a) and (b) provides in relevant part that
everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which included freedom of the press and other
media as well as freedom to receive and impart information or ideas. Section 34 does not only
protect the right of access to courts but also commands that courts deliberate in a public hearing.
This guarantee of openness in judicial proceedings is again found in section 35(3)(c) which
entitles every accused person to a public trial before an ordinary court.
. . .
From the right to open justice flows the media‟s right to gain access to, observe and report on the
administration of justice . . .‟

16 City of Cape Town fn 15 above, para 21.
17 Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd v Minister for Intelligence Services (Freedom of Expression Institute
as Amicus Curiae) In re: Masetlha v President of the Republic of South Africa & another [2008] ZACC 6;
2008 (5) SA 31 (CC).
18 Ibid, paras 39–41.

[14] Recently, in SANRAL,19 this Court emphasised: „[I]t may be said that the right to
public courts, which is one of long standing, does not belong only to the litigants in any
given matter, but to the public at large. . . .‟ This vital rationale was recognised by the
Constitutional Court in Mamabolo:20
„Since time immemorial and in many divergent cultures it has been accepted that the
business of adjudication concerns not only the immediate litigants but is a matter of public
concern which, for its credibility, is done in the open where all can see. Of course this openness
seeks to ensure that the citizenry know what is happening, such knowledge in turn being a
means towards the next objective: so that the people can discuss, endorse, criticise, applaud or
castigate the conduct of their courts.‟

[15] The principle of open courtrooms is not new. According to Deputy Chief Justice
Moseneke:
„In traditional African culture, the shade of a tree was the place where disputes of society
were mediated and resolved. It was on this soil that the community would meet for a “lekgotla”.
There was room for all to have their say. Everybody was an active participant of the process. This
is how justice was done. It is the age-old concept of justice under a tree.‟21
This principle has indeed evolved and is now constitutionally entrenched.22 It provides to
all criminal accused the right to a fair and public trial.23 In that regard s 152 of the
Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 provides „[e]xcept where otherwise expressly provided
by this Act or any other law, criminal proceedings in any court shall take place in open
court, and may take place on any day.‟ That provision is echoed in s 5 of the Magistrates‟
Court Act 32 of 194424 and s 32 of the Superior Courts Act 10 of 2013.25 However, trials

19 City of Cape Town fn 15 above, para 18.
20 S v Mamabolo [2001] ZACC 17; 2001 (3) SA 409 (CC) para 29. See also S v Shinga (Society of
Advocates (Pietermaritzburg)) as Amicus Curiae); S v O'Connell & others [2007] ZACC 3; 2007 (5) BCLR
474 (CC) para 25: „Closed court proceedings carry within them the seeds for serious potential damage to
every pillar on which constitutional democracy is based.‟
21 Moseneke fn 14 above, at 4.
22 Independent Newspapers fn 17 above, para 39.
23 Moseneke fn 14 above, at 7.
24 Section 5(1) reads: „Except where otherwise provided by law, the proceedings in every court in all
criminal cases and the trial of all defended civil actions shall be carried on in open court, and recorded by
the presiding officer or other officer appointed to record such proceedings.‟

(or parts of trials) may be, and often are, held behind closed doors, amongst others, to
protect the privacy or security of witnesses.  Section 153 of the Criminal Procedure Act
sets out the circumstances in which proceedings shall not take place in open court.26

[16] Freedom of the press and the principle of open justice are closely interrelated. The
media, reporting accurately and fairly on legal proceedings and judgments, make an
invaluable contribution to public confidence in the judiciary and, thus, to the rule of law
itself. The Constitutional Court has made plain that in interpreting s 16 of the Constitution:

25 Section 32 reads: „Save as is otherwise provided for in this Act or any other law, all proceedings in any
Superior Court must, except in so far as any such court may in special cases otherwise direct, be carried
on in open court.‟
26„(1) In addition to the provisions of section 63 (5) of the Child Justice Act, 2008, if it appears to any court
that it would, in any criminal proceedings pending before that court, be in the interests of the security of the
State or of good order or of public morals or of the administration of justice that such proceedings be held
behind closed doors, it may direct that the public or any class thereof shall not be present at such
proceedings or any part thereof.
(2) If it appears to any court at criminal proceedings that there is a likelihood that harm might result to any
person, other than an accused, if he testifies at such proceedings, the court may direct-
(a) that such person shall testify behind closed doors and that no person shall be present when such
evidence is given unless his presence is necessary in connection with such proceedings or is authorized by
the court;
(b) that the identity of such person shall not be revealed or that it shall not be revealed for a period
specified by the court.
(3) In criminal proceedings relating to a charge that the accused committed or attempted to commit-
(a) any sexual offence as contemplated in section 1 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related
Matters) Amendment Act, 2007, towards or in connection with any other person;
(b) any act for the purpose of furthering the commission of a sexual offence as contemplated in section 1 of
the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007, towards or in connection
with any other person; or
(c) extortion or any statutory offence of demanding from any other person some advantage which was not
due and, by inspiring fear in the mind of such other person, compelling him to render such advantage, the
court before which such proceedings are pending may, at the request of such other person or, if he is a
minor, at the request of his parent or guardian, direct that any person whose presence is not necessary at
the proceedings or any person or class of persons mentioned in the request, shall not be present at the
proceedings: Provided that judgment shall be delivered and sentence shall be passed in open court if the
court is of the opinion that the identity of the other person concerned would not be revealed thereby.
(3A) Any person whose presence is not necessary at criminal proceedings referred to in paragraphs (a)
and (b) of subsection (3), shall not be admitted at such proceedings while the other person referred to in
those paragraphs is giving evidence, unless such other person or, if he is a minor, his parent or guardian or
a person in loco parentis, requests otherwise.
(4) . . .
(5) Where a witness at criminal proceedings before any court is under the age of eighteen years, the court
may direct that no person, other than such witness and his parent or guardian or a person in loco parentis,
shall be present at such proceedings, unless such person's presence is necessary in connection with such
proceedings or is authorized by the court.
(6) The court may direct that no person under the age of eighteen years shall be present at criminal
proceedings before the court, unless he is a witness referred to in subsection (5) and is actually giving
evidence at such proceedings or his presence is authorized by the court.‟

„We are obliged to delineate the bounds of the constitutional guarantee of free expression
generously. . . [and] . . . [U]nless an expressive act is excluded by s 16(2) it is protected
expression.‟27 While the right of the media, under s 16 consists primarily of the right and
freedom to disseminate information, the public in turn, has the right to receive
information. And, in an open democracy based on the values of equality, freedom and
human dignity, the right of the public to be informed is one of the rights underpinned by
the value of human dignity.

[17] The broadcasting of court proceedings involves the use by the media of the video
camera and sound recordings to communicate public events directly to members of the
public. This is an activity that has expressive content28 and is therefore plainly an
expressive act. In the United States, there is „strong evidence that suggests that
television is a more pervasive medium than newsprint . . . reports show that television is
the number one source of news across the nation‟.29 The same would appear to hold true
for this country – given the high levels of illiteracy, the print media is the preserve of a
few. The majority of South Africans rely principally on radio and television for their news
and information. This was recognised by the full court in Dotcom Trading.30 In that case,
which was concerned with an application to broadcast the proceedings of a Commission
of Enquiry, Brand J noted:31
„It is almost self-evident in my view that the prohibition of the direct radio transmission of
proceedings by a radio broadcaster constitutes a limitation on what is essential to the activities of
that medium of communication. I have heard no argument and I can see no reason in logic why a
limitation on what constitutes the very essence and distinguishing feature of the radio
broadcaster‟s medium of communication does not constitute an infringement of the radio
broadcaster‟s freedom which is enshrined by s 16(1)(a). It is not without reason, so it appears to
me, that s 16(1)(a) of the Constitution does not limit its guarantee to the freedom of the press, but
specifically extends this freedom to other media of communication and expression as well. In

27 Laugh It Off Promotions CC v South African Breweries International (Finance) BV t/a Sabmark
International & another [2005] ZACC 7; 2006 (1) SA 144 (CC) para 47.
28 Canadian Broadcasting Corp v Canada (Attorney General) 2011 SCC 2.
29 Nancy T Gardner „Cameras in the Courtroom: Guidelines for State Criminal Trials‟ Michigan Law Review
Vol 84 No 3 (1985) 475 at 490 available at:
http://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1403&context=fac_schol
30 Dotcom Trading 121 (Pty) Ltd t/a Live Africa Network News v King NO 2000 (4) SA 973 (C).
31 Ibid, para 43.

modern times there are many forms of communication. Each of these media communication and
expression has its own distinguishing features and each of them can be limited in a different way.
The video camera most probably provides the ultimate means of communication. But radio also
has its advantages over the print media. Not only the words spoken, but the emphasis, the tone
of voice, the hesitations, etcetera can be recorded and communicated. To prevent the radio
broadcaster from recording the evidence is to deprive him of that advantage over the print media.‟

[18] The first instance of trial proceedings being broadcast by audio-visual technology
to a remote public, albeit against the instructions of the court, was the Bruno Hauptmann
case. The trial before the New Jersey court in 1935, which concerned the alleged
kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby by Hauptmann, attracted intense media
attention.32 In the aftermath of the overwhelming media coverage of the Hauptmann trial,
the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates adopted Judicial Canon 35,
which recommended a ban of all photographic and broadcast coverage of courtroom
proceedings. Notwithstanding Canon 35,33 in the years following Hauptmann, some
States began to embrace television. The State of Texas saw the first challenge to the
prejudicial impact of cameras in the courtroom. In 1965, the United States Supreme
Court considered the constitutionality of television coverage of trial proceedings. In
reversing the trial court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Supreme Court in
Estes v Texas34 found that televising and broadcasting portions of a trial in which there
was widespread interest, over the objection of the criminal defendant, infringed upon the
Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.35 However, the court left for another
day the question whether the Constitution absolutely prohibited the televising of State
criminal trials.36

32 Hauptmann appealed to the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, which affirmed his conviction
(State v Hauptmann 115 N J L 412 (N J 1935)). His petition to the United States Supreme Court for
certiorari was denied (Hauptmann v New Jersey 296 US 649 (1935)).
33ABA canons are advisory and do not bind the State or Federal Courts.
34 Estes v Texas 381 US 532 (1965)
35 The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1868. It, amongst other things, forbids
States from denying any person „life, liberty or property, without due process of law‟ or „the equal protection
of the laws.‟
36 Lassiter fn 1 above, at 940.

[19] In 1981, the US Supreme Court had occasion to revisit the issue in Chandler v
Florida.37 By then, television was very much a part of mainstream life and many State
courts had begun to experiment with cameras in the courtroom. Chandler involved the
constitutionality of the revised Canon 3A(7) of the Florida Code of Judicial Conduct,
which permitted electronic media and still photography coverage of judicial proceedings,
subject to the control of the presiding judge, and which implemented guidelines on trial
judges obligating the court to protect the fundamental right of the accused in a criminal
case to a fair trial.38 The question for the Chandler court was rather narrow:39 „May a
State allow broadcasting of a criminal trial without violating a defendant‟s constitutional
right in spite of the defendant‟s objection?‟ The court answered: „[T]he Constitution does
not prohibit a State from experimenting with [televising criminal trials]‟. It held that
televising a criminal trial does not automatically make the trial unfair to the defendant.40
Chief Justice Burger stated:41
„An absolute constitutional ban on broadcast coverage of trials cannot be justified simply
because there is a danger that, in some cases, prejudicial broadcast accounts of pre-trial and trial
events may impair the ability of jurors to decide the issue of guilt or innocence uninfluenced by
extraneous matter…The risk of juror prejudice in some cases does not justify an absolute ban on
news coverage of trials by the printed media; so also the risk of such prejudice does not warrant
an absolute constitutional ban on all broadcast coverage.‟
Calling the psychological impact of broadcasting coverage on trial participants „a subject
of sharp debate‟, the Chief Justice suggested making a distinction between „general
psychological prejudice‟ and „particularized‟ prejudicial impact.42 Again, he emphasized
the judicial authority to prohibit broadcast coverage if it were demonstrated that the „mere
presence‟ of visual and broadcasting equipment in the courtroom would „invariably and
uniformly‟ affect the judges, witnesses, and lawyers, and other trial participants. „[A]t
present,‟ he said, „no one has been able to present empirical data sufficient to establish

37 Chandler v Florida 449 US 560 (1981).
38 Lassiter fn 1 above, at 940.
39 K.H Youm „Cameras In The Courtroom In The Twenty-First Century: The US Supreme Court Learning
From Abroad?‟ (2012) Brigham Young University Law Review at 1999 available at:
http://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2699&context=lawreview.
40 Ibid.
41 Ibid, at 2000-2001.
42 Ibid, at 2001.

that the mere presence of the broadcast media inherently has an adverse effect on that
[judicial] process.‟43

[20] Thus, whilst the US Supreme Court refused to hold that television coverage is
constitutionally prohibited, it also refused to hold that television coverage is
constitutionally mandated.44 In the combination of Estes and Chandler, so it has been
observed, „the Supreme Court struck with Solomon-type wisdom, holding that the
Constitution neither prohibited nor mandated televised coverage of trial proceedings
where there were safeguards in place to ensure the court could honour the defendant's
right to a fair trial and there was no showing of specific prejudice.‟45 As a result of
Chandler, the States that had already permitted television coverage or still photography
in courtrooms were free to continue to do so, while a number of additional States opted
for electronic and photographic courtroom coverage.46 Further, some States that
permitted cameras in the courtroom subject to the consent of defendants stopped
requiring that consent.47 All 50 States now have some form of televised court
proceedings – 44 allow television coverage of both trials and appellate proceedings,
while the rest restrict courtroom coverage to appellate arguments.48 A number of State
courts allow the broadcast of both civil and criminal trials at first instance, subject to the
discretion of the judge.49 However, the Supreme Court of the United States has never
permitted cameras into its courtroom or live broadcast of its oral arguments.50 The case
against having television cameras recording hearings of the Supreme Court was
articulated by Justices Kennedy and Breyer at a congressional hearing.51 Recently,

43 Chandler fn 37 above. See also Youm fn 39 above, at 2001.
44 Gardner fn 29 above, at 475.
45 Lassiter fn 1 above, at 942.
46 Youm fn 39 above, at 2001.
47 Ibid, at 2001-2002.
48 Ibid.
49 For example, see: California: Rule 1.150. „Photographing, Recording, and Broadcasting in Court‟, 2014
California Rules of Court; Massachusetts: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:19 „Electronic
Access to the Courts‟; Missouri: Missouri Supreme Court Operating Rule 16.02; New Jersey: Code of
Judicial Conduct Canon 3A(9) and „Supreme Court Guidelines for Still and Television Camera and Audio
Coverage of Proceedings in the Courts of New Jersey‟; Tennessee: Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 30;
Utah: Judicial Council Rules of Judicial Administration, Rule 4-401.01; Virginia: Va. Code 19.2-266.
50 Youm fn 39 above, at 1989.
51 The judges were concerned about how televising proceedings might interfere with how they interact with
each other and counsel in testing arguments and the fact that questions and statements may be taken out

Justices Kagan and Sotomayor also expressed concerns that allowing cameras might
lead to grandstanding that could fundamentally change the nature of the court.52
Regardless of the complete prohibition on visual footage in its courtroom, the Supreme
Court does publish audio recordings of all oral argument on its website.53 These
recordings are generally released at the end of each sitting week.54

[21] In September 1990, the United States Federal Judicial Conference authorised the
running of a three-year pilot programme allowing electronic media coverage – filming,
recording and broadcasting – of civil proceedings in trial and appellate courts in six
federal districts. At the end of the pilot project, those carrying out this programme
recommended that it should continue and expand across all federal districts. This
recommendation, however, was not followed by the Judicial Conference, which asserted
that „the intimidating effect of cameras on some witnesses and jurors was cause for
concern‟.55 In 2011, a new three-year pilot programme was authorised to be carried out in
14 districts. In this programme, the cameras were to be operated by the courts, the
consent of all parties was required and no filming of jurors was allowed. The programme
was set to conclude in July 2015. However, it has been extended to continue under the
same „terms and conditions to provide longer term data and information to the Committee
on Court Administration and Case Management.‟56

[22] The general practice in Canada is precisely the opposite of that in the United
States. As a general rule, both at the federal and provincial levels, trial courts in Canada

of context for a „sound bite‟ on network television news.
52 Justice Kagan was wary that „it might upset the dynamic of the institution and was reported as saying:
„If you look at different experiences, when cameras come into a place, the nature of a conversation often
changes.‟ Associated Press, „Two Justices Once Open to Cameras in Court Now Reconsider‟ The New
York Times (2 February 2015, New York) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/02/us/politics/ap-us-
supreme-court-cameras.html? r=0.
53 See Electronic Publication of Court Proceedings. Issues Paper – June 2015 (2015) Supreme Court of
Queensland at 20 available at: http://www.jca.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/P71_02_01-SC-Qld-
Issues-Paper-June-2015.pdf.
54 See Supreme Court of the United States „Argument Audio‟ available at:
https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_audio.aspx
55 Electronic Publication of Court Proceedings fn 53 above, at 21.
56 See http://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/cameras-courts.

do not permit their hearings to be recorded or broadcast where witnesses are involved.57
Before appellate courts in Canada, the practice has been more liberal. The Supreme
Court of Canada has permitted television coverage of hearings since the mid-1990s and
most hearings are now webcast live or live-streamed on the court‟s website. The
Canadian Supreme Court first allowed the broadcasting of its decision in the Patriation
Reference case58 in 1981, but the court did not permit any further camera access for a
number of years.59 Between 1993 and 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada ran a trial
programme allowing the recording and broadcasting of certain court proceedings.60 Since
1995, the court has permitted television coverage of all its hearings. In the main, these
hearings are broadcast by the Canadian Parliamentary Affairs Channel and since 2009,
have been webcast live on the court‟s website.61

[23] England and Wales have a Statute, the Criminal Justice Act of 1925, which bans
certain coverage of court proceedings, except for proceedings in the relatively new
United Kingdom Supreme Court.  More recently, in terms of the Crime and Courts Act
2013, the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice can exempt specific instances of
coverage from the operation of the Criminal Justice Act.62 The Supreme Court has
adopted a more open approach to media coverage and has allowed its hearings to be
broadcast since its opening in October 2009, when it replaced the House of Lords. In a

57 In 2016, Justice Denny Thomas granted the media permission to have his verdict in the Travis Vader
double-murder trial to be broadcast via a live-streaming TV camera in the courtroom. As part of his order,
one camera was allowed in the courtroom but it was only permitted to show Justice Thomas reading his
judgment and it was not allowed to show the accused or any person in the public gallery. (See:
http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/judge-allows-camera-in-courtroom-for-accused-killer-travis-
vader-verdict-later-this-week).
58 T McFeat „Cameras in the Courts‟ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 12 March 2010 available at:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cameras-in-the-courts-1.869497; See also Youm fn 39 above, at 2012.
59 Youm fn 39 above, at 2006.
60 Those cases included, inter alia, the following: whether an individual has the right to assisted suicide
(See Rodriguez v British Columbia (Attorney General) [1993] 3 SCR 519); the tax deductibility of nanny
expenses (See Symes v Canada, [1993] 4 SCR 695) and spousal support payments for a homosexual
couple (See Egan v Canada [1995] 2 SCR 513).
61 N S Marder „The Conundrum of Cameras in the Courtroom‟ (2012) Chicago-Kent College of Law
Research Paper 44 at 63.
62 Section 32 of the Crime and Courts Act, as read with s 41 of the Criminal Justice Act of 1925 and s 9 of
the Contempt of Court Act of 1981. See further Court of New Zealand Media Review Panel, ‘Report to
Chief Justice on In-Court Media Coverage‟ (Report to Chief Justice) para 56 available at:
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/In-Court-Media-Review/In-Court-Media-
Review/ReporttoChiefJusticeonincourtmediacoverageF6_7_15_20150720.pdf.

history making moment for UK law, the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal allowed
television cameras to film the „Speechley Appeal‟ in November 2004.63 The UK Supreme
Court has entered into an arrangement with British television broadcasters to allow for
live, free streaming of proceedings on the internet. At present, the proceedings are
broadcast live by Sky News and all court hearings are accessible online through the live
stream.64 The operational rules that govern the filming and broadcasting of the Supreme
Court proceedings were formulated by national broadcasters in the UK such as the BBC,
ITN and Sky News.

[24] Northern Ireland also has a Statute that bans electronic media coverage of court
proceedings.65 Scotland, which does not have a statutory prohibition like England, Wales
and Northern Ireland, allowed a pilot programme with numerous restrictions, but the
media found it difficult to gain the consent of all of the participants and so it did not
provide a workable model.66  However, Scotland does allow filmed witness testimony to
be used for educational purposes, such as in documentaries.67 In October 2012, in
response to the „development of social media, the use of instant text-based
communication and the broadcasting of proceedings before the UK Supreme Court‟,68
the Lord President commissioned a review of the Scottish policy on recording and
broadcasting proceedings in court and the use of live text based communication from
court. A report on the findings of this review was published in January 2015. This report
recommended that:

63 S Bucks „Court on Camera: Appeals in Action‟ The Observer 5 March 2005 available at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/mar/06/business.broadcasting2. The „Speechley Appeal‟ involved
former Lincolnshire County Council Leader, Jim Speechley, who had been convicted of misconduct as a
public official and sentenced to eighteen months in jail. See also: „Cameras Record High Court Appeal‟
BBC News 16 November 2004 available at:
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lincolnshire/40159
77.stm.
64 Youm fn 39 above, at 2006.
65 Marder fn 61 above, at 1560.
66 Ibid, at 1560.
67 The conditions governing the broadcast of proceedings in Scottish courts are set out in Lord Hope‟s
Practice Direction (1992), which is quoted in X v British Broadcasting Corporation and Lion Television
Limited [2005] CSOH 80 para 4.
68 Report of the Review of Policy on Recording and Broadcasting of Proceedings in Court, and the Use of
Live Text-Based Communications from Court (Scottish Report) 15 January 2015 available at:
http://www.scotland-judiciary.org.uk/25/1369/Report-of-the-Review-of-Policy-on-Recording-and-
Broadcasting-of-Proceedings-in-Court--and-Use-of-Live-Text-Based-Communications.

„(a)
the filming of civil and criminal appeals and legal debates in civil first instance
proceedings should be allowed for live transmission and subsequent news broadcasting and
documentary film-making subject to clear and comprehensive guidelines;
(b)   criminal and civil trials could only be filmed for documentary purposes, subject to restrictions
where parties were particularly vulnerable; and
(c)
filming of the delivery of sentencing remarks of the judge should be allowed, however the
filming should focus on the judge.‟69

[25] In Australia, all jurisdictions have admitted television cameras into their
courtrooms on an ad hoc basis, but in many jurisdictions this has only been for
ceremonial proceedings. Specific guidelines dealing with electronic media coverage have
been developed and implemented in Western Australia. They allow for the recording and
broadcasting of court proceedings upon application to the presiding judge. Despite
making provision for this, its use has been, at best, sporadic.70 Since October 2013, the
High Court of Australia has published audio-visual recordings of full court hearings online
via an archive on the court‟s website. These recordings are generally published a few
business days after the hearing.71 In addition to these recordings and as part of its
commitment to open justice, the court also provides access, again via its website, to
detailed case-specific information, including the submissions of the parties and
transcripts of oral argument.72 Filming is permitted in special circumstances during
proceedings in the Supreme Courts of New South Wales, Northern Territory, Western
Australia and Tasmania, on application to either the judge or registrar.73 Recently, the
New South Wales Parliament enacted the Courts Legislation Amendment (Broadcasting
Judgments) Act 2014 No 44, which amended the Supreme Court Act 1970 No 52 (NSW),
to allow for the recording and broadcasting of court proceedings. This enactment creates
a presumption in favour of granting applications by the media to record and broadcast
„judgment remarks‟ delivered in open court.74 Despite this apparently liberal approach,
the substance of what can be recorded and broadcast is very limited. Judgment remarks

69 Scottish Report fn 68 above, at 29–30.
70 Electronic Publication of Court Proceedings fn 54 above, at 18.
71 Ibid.
72 Ibid.
73 Report to Chief Justice para 58.
74 Electronic Publication of Court Proceedings fn 53 above, at 18.

in relation to a criminal trial, are  defined as – „the delivery of the verdict, and any remarks
made by the court when sentencing the accused person, that are delivered or made in
open court, and … in relation to any other proceedings – any remarks made by the court
in open court when announcing the judgment determining the proceedings‟.75

[26] With New Zealand, until the 1990s, there were no guidelines that related to the
coverage of court proceedings by the media. There were no cameras allowed in court
and as a matter of general practice recording in court was not permitted (as distinct from
taking shorthand notes) even by reporters. New Zealand established a pilot programme
that ran from 1995 until 1998, which permitted the filming of high court cases. An
evaluation of the pilot project76 revealed that most judges were distracted by the cameras
though lawyers were not and that 58 per cent of the public thought that they would be
less willing to appear as a witness if there were cameras, but the evaluation did not find
any witnesses unwilling to appear. While public support for cameras rose from 25 per
cent in 1996 to 38 per cent in 1998, 67 per cent of those polled in 1998 did not think that
the experiment had educational value.77 In spite of the mixed results and findings that
arose from the evaluation, the programme has been extended. Following the pilot
programme, New Zealand has permitted the recording and broadcasting of court
proceedings since 1999. Under that system, should a media outlet wish to record
proceedings in court for broadcast either on radio or television, it must apply to the court.
The application is then forwarded to the parties involved and, following the receipt of
submissions, is determined by the trial judge. Any permission is regulated by extensive
guidelines, which outline both how the footage is to be recorded and how it is to be
distributed. Criminal trials at first instance may be filmed and broadcast provided that
certain conditions are met, including that any witness who objects must be made „not
recognisable‟ in the broadcast.78 New Zealand courts do not, however, publish or provide
this footage on their own website or via a public broadcaster. The Chief Justice of New

75 Section 127 of the Supreme Court Act 1970 No 52 (NSW).
76 Marder fn 61 above, at 1561.
77 Ibid.
78 New Zealand Ministry of Justice „In-Court Media Coverage Guidelines‟ (2016) available at:
https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/going-to-court/media/rules-and
resources/INCOURTMEDIACOVERAGEGUIDELINES2016T.pdf.

Zealand recently commissioned and has received a draft report on „In-Court Media
Coverage‟. The report reviews the existing guidelines and practices relating to cameras
and recording in court. It concludes that the presence of film recording, cameras and
audio recording has „facilita[ted] a more open and accessible court system‟, but also has
given rise to some procedural challenges. Ultimately, it was considered that the present
level of coverage was to be preferred over none at all and no fundamental changes to the
1995 reforms or the guidelines were recommended.79

[27] In Germany, s 169 of the Court Constitution Act 1975 (Gerichtsverfassungsgesetz
(GVG)) provides:
„The hearing before the adjudicating court, including the pronouncement of judgments and
rulings, shall be public. Audio and television or radio recordings as well as audio and film
recordings intended for public presentation or for publication of their content shall be
inadmissible.‟
In 1995 and 1999 respectively, the news channel N-TV instituted action on constitutional
grounds for permission to broadcast the trials of former members of the East German
Politburo and to film a hearing concerning the legality of hanging a crucifix in a public
school classroom.80 Both cases reached the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) in 2001,
which ruled against the broadcaster. However, as these cases were making their way
through the justice system, the FCC decided to allow the filming of its reasons for
judgment, which began in 1998.81 In 2016, the Federal Ministry of Justice put forward a
proposal that would allow TV cameras into the highest courts of the five branches of the
judiciary in Germany. The TV cameras would be allowed to roll only when the presiding
judge delivers judgment, but not during the hearing.82

79 Electronic Publication of Court Proceedings fn 53 above, at 19.
80 Blueprints for Transparency „How High Courts Everywhere but the US Have Limited Judicial Tenure and
Allowed Broadcast Access‟ 22 September 2016 available at
http://fixthecourt.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Foreign-courts-on-broadcast-tenure-FTC-FINAL-1.pdf.
81 Ibid.
82 P Bert „TV Cameras to be allowed in German Courtrooms?‟ 8 April 2016 Dispute Resolution in Germany
available at:
http://www.disputeresolutiongermany.com/2016/04/tv-cameras-to-be-allowed-in-german-courtrooms/.

[28] There is a legal presumption against audio-visual coverage of courts in Israel.
Permits to record and broadcast hearings have been granted in only five cases over a
period of more than sixty years.83 One of the first televised courtroom trials was that of
Nazi SS Lieutenant Colonel, Adolf Eichmann, before a Jerusalem court in 1961. Israel‟s
Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, wanted the trial broadcast to educate a generation
that had come of age after World War II about the atrocities of the Holocaust. The event
was emotionally explosive and revealed for the first time to a shocked world audience the
Nazi campaign to exterminate European Jewry. It has been said that one of the
extraordinary aspects of the Eichmann trial was that no one knew very much about the
Holocaust when the trial began.84 To many, the Holocaust was an unspeakable
remembrance and survivors did not readily speak about their ordeal. But the trial was a
cathartic experience. Over 100 witnesses testified and after a trial lasting 16-weeks,
Eichmann was found guilty on all 15 counts of the criminal indictment against him.85 The
second instance was in the 1970s, when an Israeli district court allowed the recording
and broadcast of the decision in the Mizrachi case - a defamation lawsuit filed against
one of the leading Israeli newspapers, Ha’aretz.86 The next instance was at the end of
the 1980s, this time for the broadcasting live on TV and radio of another trial related to
the Holocaust – the trial of John Demjanjuk, who had been accused of having committed
war crimes while serving as a guard at the Nazi extermination camp in occupied Poland.
The fourth occasion was in 1996, when the verdict in relation to Yigal Amir, charged with
the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, was rendered. It was
discovered after the fact that permission had actually been granted only to film the judges
entering the courtroom, but due to a mistake the recording and broadcasting were
extended to the complete reading of the verdict.87 The fifth and final instance was in 1999
when the Jerusalem District Court allowed the decision given in the criminal case of Arye

83 I Ravid „Tweeting #Justice Audio-Visual of Court Proceedings in a World of Shifting Technology‟ (2017)
41 at 93 available at: http://www.cardozoaelj.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/35.1-Ravid.pdf.
84 „Introduction: The Trial of Adolf Eichmann‟ available at: http://remember.org/eichmann/intro.
85 Ibid.
86 Ravid fn 83 above, at 94.
87 Ibid.

Deri, a former Israeli Minister, who had recently returned to the public life, to be
broadcast.88

[29] Of the countries that permit cameras, one of the most unusual is Brazil, which
allows cameras not only within the Brazilian Supreme Court, but also, the chambers
where the Justices deliberate.89 There are thus no private deliberations by the Justices.
The court allows the filming of oral argument as well as the judicial deliberations, which
commence as soon as the hearing comes to an end. In 2012, the court established its
own broadcast networks, TV Justica and Radio Justica. The sessions are also accessible
on the internet and the court maintains its own Twitter Feed and YouTube channel.90

[30] As can be seen, none of the foreign jurisdictions examined above appear to have
recognized an explicit constitutional right to allow cameras in courtrooms. Moreover,
some jurisdictions, like the US, have refused to expressly acknowledge such a right. That
notwithstanding, „all of these jurisdictions experienced - and are still experiencing - a
massive growth in the presence of cameras within their courtrooms. The process by
which such expansion occurred in these jurisdictions also bears similarities - it is
characterized by patterns which allow courts to control the implementation of policies
pertaining to constitutional matters that directly affect them, thus preserving their
institutional strength‟.91

[31] The first reported instance of a South African court having to engage with the
issue arose in 2000 in the Dotcom Trading matter. On 7 April of that year, Indian police
revealed that they had a recording of a conversation between the then South African
cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, and a representative of an Indian betting syndicate that
implicated him in match-fixing allegations.92 Three other South African players were also
implicated. After initial denials, Cronje admitted that he took money from an international

88 Ibid.
89 Youm fn 39 above, at 1990.
90 Blueprints for Transparency fn 80 above, at 4.
91 Ravid fn 83 above, at 85.
92 ESPNcricinfo Staff „The Cronje chronicles‟ 22 July 2013 available at:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/654219.html.

bookmaker for supplying information regarding an international cricket match. The
President of the Republic, in consultation with the Minister of Justice then set up a
Commission of Enquiry into „Cricket Match-Fixing and Related Matters‟.93 When the
chairperson of the Commission, Justice Edwin King, ruled that he would not allow
television or radio broadcasts of the proceedings of the Commission, an application was
launched as a matter of urgency before the Cape Provincial Division, Cape Town on 14
June 2000. A full court was convened to hear the application. Brand J (with whom Hlophe
JP and Traverso J concurred) held that the „blanket exclusion of broadcasting and
recording equipment from the sittings of the Commission is inconsistent with the
Constitution and therefore invalid‟94 and to the extent that the Chairperson of the
Commission had excluded all electronic media and not considered a less restrictive
means (such as allowing radio broadcasting, which is what was sought) his decision was
flawed. The court considered that the matters being enquired into by the Commission
were matters of widespread national and international interest. The rulings by the
Chairperson, which were held to constitute an infringement of the broadcasters‟ rights
guaranteed by s 16 of the Constitution, were accordingly set aside. The Commission was
directed to allow the media to operate their radio broadcasting and recording equipment
during sittings of the Commission in such manner as to be determined by the
Chairperson.95

[32] Some four years later, in 2004, the high court had occasion to once again consider
the issue – this time in the context of a criminal trial. During October of that year, Midi TV
(Pty) Ltd, t/a e-TV (eTV), the holder of a private free-to-air television broadcast licence,
applied for permission to the KwaZulu-Natal Local Division, Durban (per Squires J) to
broadcast the criminal trial of Mr Schabir Shaik and 10 companies, which Mr Shaik
controlled or in which he had a major interest.96  Mr Shaik was indicted on several counts
relating to corruption, in relation to payments he had made to the then Deputy President

93 The Honourable Mr. TM Mbeki, President of the Republic of South Africa „Commission of Inquiry into
Cricket Match Fixing and Related Matters‟ (2000) available at:
http://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/kingfinal_0.pdf.
94 Dotcom Trading fn 30 above, para 63.
95 Ibid.
96 Midi Television (Pty) Ltd fn 10 above, at 2.

of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma. It was alleged that Mr Shaik had bribed
Mr Zuma to protect a French armaments company from exposure to official
investigation.97 The application was opposed by both the State and the accused. Squires
J approached the application thus:
„. . . weighing and balancing the competing claims against each other as best I can, I am
eventually of the view that the individual rights of the witnesses and the objections of the accused
should be accepted as prevailing and such right as the applicant may have . . . should yield‟.98

[33] Squires J took the view that the Dotcom Trading judgment was no „authority for
holding that criminal trial proceedings should also be televised in the public interest‟.99
The right to privacy of individual witnesses was, in his view, the overriding factor in
refusing the application. Infringement thereof by televised proceedings could lead to an
unfair trial and conflict with „the public interest in a democratic criminal justice system‟
which brings wrongdoers to book while ensuring that justice is done to them.  Although
he refused the application, Squires J did give the applicant leave to approach him „later if
a stage is reached in the trial where the instant objections are not present, to see if some
accommodation can be achieved‟.100

[34] Mr Shaik was convicted and sentenced to 15 years‟ imprisonment. The companies
were also convicted and required to pay fines.101 They sought and obtained leave to
appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).  Shortly before the appeal was due to be
heard by the SCA, the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation
(SABC) applied for permission „to be present at and record for the purposes of live
broadcast on television, with both visuals and sound . . .‟102 The SCA held that in
balancing the right of free expression and fair trial, the proper test was one that favoured
the right to a fair trial. It concluded that television and radio broadcasts would violate fair

97 S v Shaik & others 2007 (1) SACR 142 (D) at 143–144.
98 Midi Television (Pty) Ltd fn 10 above, at 9.
99 Ibid, at 13.
100 Ibid, at 14.
101 S v Shaik fn 97 above, at 147–148.
102 SABC CC fn 9 above, para 5.

trial rights and accordingly dismissed the application.103 In dismissing the further appeal
to it by the SABC, the majority of the Constitutional Court (CC) approached the matter
thus:
„The narrow issue, accordingly, is not whether cameras should be allowed into courts; it is
whether this court should interfere with the discretion of the Supreme Court of Appeal and order
that radio and television coverage be permitted in this particular appeal before that court, as this
particular time, in the particular circumstances of this case‟.104
On that issue, the CC was satisfied that the SCA had not committed a „demonstrable
blunder‟.105

[35] The issue arose once again before the Cape Provincial Division, Cape Town in
August 2005. Earlier that year, Mark Thatcher, the son of the former British Prime
Minister, was arrested and arraigned in South Africa on charges relating to funding a
coup in Equatorial Guinea.106 His plea of guilty to a lesser charge was accepted by the
South African prosecuting authorities and he was duly sentenced. Two days after his
arrest, the government of Equatorial Guinea requested the South African government in
writing to allow it to question Mr Thatcher on a number of matters relating to the alleged
coup. The South African Minister of Justice approved the request and thereupon a
subpoena was issued, which required Mr Thatcher to attend the Wynberg Magistrates‟
Court in Cape Town for the purposes of responding to certain questions contained in two
lists annexed to the subpoena. His failure to comply therewith would constitute a criminal
offence and, if convicted of such offence, he would be exposed to a penal sanction in the
form of a fine or imprisonment not exceeding three months. Mr Thatcher brought an
urgent application to review107 and set aside the various decisions taken by the South
African authorities that gave rise to him having to appear in court to answer the questions
and to declare their conduct, in coming to such decisions, unconstitutional.108

103 South African Broadcasting Corporation Ltd. v Downer NO and Shaik [2006] ZASCA 90; [2007] 1 All SA
384 (SCA) (SABC SCA) para 30.
104 Ibid, para 34.
105 Ibid, para 55.
106 Thatcher v Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development & others 2005 (4) SA 543 (C); 2005 (1)
SACR 238 paras 1 – 6.
107 Ibid.
108 Ibid.

[36] The SABC applied to televise the review proceedings.109 Van Zyl J (with whom
Moosa J and Dlodlo J concurred) granted permission to the SABC to record the
proceedings.110 The court, however,  directed that „the recording may be used only in the
form of an edited daily highlights package for the purposes of delayed broadcasting in
television news bulletin and in programmes relating to current affairs or matters of public
interest‟.111 After a consideration of the position in comparable foreign jurisdictions, Van
Zyl J presciently observed „in considering the development of electronic media coverage
of court proceedings in South Africa, as compared with the similar developments, or lack
thereof, in a number of other countries, it seems clear that the electronic media, and their
associated issues, are here to stay‟.112

[37] In June of that same year, four men gained access to the home of Ms Norton in
Cape Town, snatched her six month old baby from the arms of her housekeeper and
stabbed the baby to death. eTV decided to make a television programme about the
murder which had attracted a great deal of public attention.113 It recorded interviews with
various people. A decision was taken not to broadcast the documentary until arrests were
made by the police. By 9 July 2005 four men and a woman had been arrested and
charged and eTV proceeded to schedule the broadcast. Representatives of the Director
of Public Prosecutions (DPP) asked to see the television programme so as to satisfy
themselves that it would not prejudice the pending murder trial, but eTV refused. The
DPP then successfully applied to the Cape Provincial Division, Cape Town for an
interdict to prohibit the broadcast, until he had been furnished with a copy and had been
afforded 24 hours to consider whether further proceedings should be instituted. In
upholding eTV‟s appeal, the SCA laid down the test to be applied when a court is asked

109 South African Broadcasting Corporation Limited v Thatcher & others [2005] ZAWCHC 63; [2005] 4 All
SA 353 (C).
110 Ibid, para 1.
111 Ibid.
112 Ibid, para 119.
113 Midi Television (Pty) Ltd fn 10 above, paras 1–2.

to restrict freedom of expression in order to protect the administration of justice or to
protect some other right. Nugent JA held:114
„In summary, a publication will be unlawful, and thus susceptible to being prohibited, only
if the prejudice that the publication might cause to the administration of justice is demonstrable
and substantial and there is a real risk that the prejudice will occur if publication takes place.
Mere conjecture or speculation that prejudice might occur will not be enough. Even then
publication will not be unlawful unless a court is satisfied that the disadvantage of curtailing the
free flow of information outweighs its advantage.‟
He observed that it is „not merely the interests of those associated with the publication
that need to be brought to account but, more important, the interests of every person in
having access to information.‟115  The learned judge further emphasised the broad reach
of these principles thus:
„Those principles would seem to me to be applicable whenever a court is asked to restrict
the exercise of press freedom for the protection of the administration of justice, whether by a ban
on publication or otherwise. They would also seem to me to apply, with appropriate adaptation,
whenever the exercise of press freedom is sought to be restricted in protection of another
right.‟116

[38] Our courts next had occasion to consider the issue in 2010. On diverse occasions
during March of that year Mr Julius Malema, the then President of the African National
Congress Youth League (ANCYL), had reportedly sung „Kill the Boer‟. Kill the Farmer‟.
Those utterances, which were understood by many to have been an attack on the
Afrikaans speaking sector of the community, attracted much negative media attention.
And, in consequence, a complaint that those remarks constituted hate speech came to
be lodged with the Equality Court.117 In response to an application to broadcast the
proceedings, the Equality Court held:118
„On the day of the hearing I granted leave to eTV (Pty) Ltd and eSAT (Pty) Ltd to record
and broadcast the proceedings.  The ruling followed the principles and procedures set out in the
Practice Direction in the Supreme Court of Appeal concerning cameras. Live transmission was

114 Ibid, para 19.
115 Ibid.
116 Midi Television (Pty) Ltd fn 10 above, para 20.
117 Afri-Forum & another v Malema & others [2011] ZAEQC 2; 2011 (6) SA 240 (EqC).
118 Ibid, para 47.

permitted.  The witnesses who would testify were, in the main, accustomed to speaking in public
and to the presence of the Press.  The public was entitled to see the events transpiring in court
so as not only be able to form its own judgment but also to re-live events as part of a process of
healing. I directed that any party including a witness could at any time request the process to be
stopped; that it was then to stop immediately pending further orders. This never happened during
the trial. In addition a big screen was attached to the railings at the outside entrance to court. This
enabled the public, the supporters of parties and passersby access to the proceedings without
the need for them to physically be in my court.‟

[39] Undoubtedly, the most significant case of the use of cameras in the South African
courtroom was the Pistorius matter. Approximately one decade after Squires J had ruled
against the media in Shaik, the high court was required once again to confront squarely
whether the media should be allowed to broadcast criminal proceedings.119 On
Valentine‟s Day 2013, model Reeva Steenkamp was killed by her Paralympian boyfriend,
Oscar Pistorius, who claimed that he believed that she was an intruder hiding in his
bathroom.120 Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide at his trial the following year
and sentenced to a term of five years imprisonment.121 On 3 December 2015, the SCA
substituted his conviction for one of murder.122 From the time that reports of the incident
first began to filter through, it captured the public attention. The killing of Ms Steenkamp
and Mr Pistorius‟ subsequent trial inspired articles, informed television programming and
clogged social media for months on end. The Pistorius trial was of great interest, both at
home and abroad (international journalists flocked to the country to cover the trial). In
response to an application brought by several major South African media outlets,
Mlambo JP allowed the media to broadcast audio recordings of the full trial, and to
televise parts of it.123

[40] The learned Judge President reasoned:

119 Multichoice (Proprietary) Limited & others v National Prosecuting Authority & another, In Re; S v
Pistorius, In Re; Media 24 Limited & others v Director of Public Prosecutions North Gauteng & others
[2014] ZAGPPHC 37; 2014 (1) SACR 589.
120 S v Pistorius [2014] ZAGPPHC 793 at 2-3
121 Ibid.
122 Director of Public Prosecutions, Gauteng v Pistorius [2015] ZASCA 204; 2016 (2) SA 317 (SCA)
para 55.
123 Multichoice fn 119 above, para 30.

„I have found merit in the argument on behalf of the applicants [broadcasters], that
acceding to an objection by Pistorius [to the extent of the broadcast] fully will perpetuate the
situation that only a small segment of the community is able to be kept informed about what
happens in courtrooms, because of this minority‟s access to tools such as Twitter. Acceding to
that argument will also perpetuate the reality that the community at large remains dependent, for
news on what happens in the courtroom, on the summarised versions of the journalists and
reporters who follow these proceedings. These summarised versions or accounts have, in my
view, been correctly categorised as second-hand, liable to be inaccurate, as they also depend on
the understanding and views of the reporter or journalist covering the proceedings.‟124
He issued a detailed order, the relevant part of which reads:125
„3. MultiChoice and Primedia are permitted to broadcast the audio recording of the entire
trial in live transmissions, delayed broadcasts and/or extracts of the proceedings.
4. MultiChoice and Primedia are permitted to broadcast the audio-visual recording of the following
portions of the trial only, in live transmissions, delayed broadcasts and/or extracts from the
proceedings:
4.1 Opening argument of the state and accused;
4.2 Any interlocutory applications during the trial;
4.3 The evidence of all experts called to give evidence for the state, excluding evidence of the
accused and his witnesses;
4.4 The evidence of any police officer or former police officer in relation to the crime scene;
4.5 The evidence of all other witnesses for the state unless such a witness does not consent to
such recording and broadcasting and the presiding judge rules that no such recording and
broadcasting can take place;
4.6 Closing argument of the state and the accused;
4.7 Delivery of the judgment on the merits; and
4.8 Delivery of the judgment on sentence, if applicable.‟

[41]   The coverage of the trial was extensive. Following the judgment, an entire 24-hour
television channel was created for the sole purpose of televising and then analysing the
proceedings. That was made possible because Mlambo JP did „what no South African
court had before dared to do: media organisations were given permission to broadcast,

124 Ibid, para 21.
125 Ibid, 30.

live and in full Technicolor, a criminal trial‟.126 Thus with Pistorius, the Rubicon had been
crossed. The Pistorius trial, or more accurately the outcome of the pre-trial application to
broadcast the proceedings, changed irreversibly the manner in which the media and the
justice system of our country converge.127

[42] The question whether, and under what circumstances, cameras should be
permitted in South African courtrooms provokes tension between the rights of the press,
on the one hand and the fair trial rights of an accused person, on the other. The right to a
fair trial has been interpreted as including the foundational values of dignity, freedom and
equality which lie „at the heart of a fair trial in the field of criminal justice‟.128 When two
constitutional rights (such as the right to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial)
butt heads it is not a matter of determining which right is more deserving so that courts
may declare a victor and jettison the loser.129 Instead, as Midi Television (Pty) Ltd v
Director of Public Prosecutions (Western Cape) made plain „where constitutional rights
themselves have the potential to be mutually limiting – in that the full enjoyment of one
necessarily curtails the full enjoyment of another and vice versa – a court must
necessarily reconcile them‟.130 Accordingly, freedom of expression and the fair
administration of justice, which are both essential to the proper functioning of any true
democracy, should as far as possible be harmonised with one another.

[43] It is difficult to accept that a total bar on the broadcasting of judicial proceedings
does not at least limit the s 16 right. As the Constitutional Court has explained, even
where expression is regulated this limits the right concerned: „Because freedom of
expression, unlike some other rights, does not require regulation to give it effect,
regulating the right amounts to limiting it. The upper limit of regulation may be set at an
absolute ban, which extinguishes the right totally. Regulation to a lesser degree
constitutes infringement to a smaller extent, but infringement nonetheless. . . .‟131

126 Moseneke fn 14 above, at 9.
127 Ibid, at 2.
128 S v Dzukuda & others; S v Tshilo 2000 (4) SA 1078 (CC); 2000 (11) BCLR 1252 (CC) para 11.
129 Moseneke fn 14 above, at 9.
130 Midi Television (Pty) Ltd fn 10 above, para 9.
131 Print Media South Africa & another v Minister of Home Affairs & another 2012 (6) SA 443 (CC) para 51.

[44]   Conventional media reporting will inevitably be limited and incomplete. And, despite
their importance, newspapers (and even television) are yesterday‟s technology.132
Pencils and sketch pads are now considered anachronistic. There is no restriction
regarding filming outside the court. Nor is there any restriction regarding attending in
court and taking notes, drawing pictures or upon accessing exhibits. The restriction
relates to the means of gathering the information and the place where it may be
gathered. There simply can be no logic in a court permitting journalists to utilise the
reporting techniques of the print media but not permitting a television journalist to utilise
his or her technology and method of communication, being the broadcasting and
recording of proceedings, despite the fact that „live camera footage will be more accurate
than a reporter‟s after-the-fact summary‟.133

[45] The right to freedom of expression confers on the media the discretion to
determine what means of communication would be most effective in relation to engaging
the public and communicating and relaying information and events to it. As the European
Court of Human Rights explains, albeit in a different context:
„The court recalls that it is not for the court, or for the national courts for that matter, to
substitute their own views for those of the press as to what technique of reporting should be
adopted by journalists. Article 10 protects not only the substance of ideas and information but
also the form in which they are conveyed.‟134
This is especially so when the restriction on the means of communication would
undermine the quality or timeliness of the communication, because „delayed information
is as good as denied information‟.135

132 Live streaming is increasingly becoming commonplace. „Streaming media is a method by which data is
delivered by an internet provider in a continuous stream to an end-user‟s device, such as a computer, iPad
or web-enabled television‟. (See Carol Ann Matthews v SPI Electricity (Pty) Ltd (CAN) 064 651 118 & Ors
[2013] VCS 37 para 15.)
133 Moseneke fn 14 above, at 12.
134 News Verlags GmbH & CoKG v Austria [2000] ECHR 5, 31457/96, (2001) 31 EHRR 8 para 39
(emphasis added).
135 Moseneke fn 14 above, at 12.

[46] It is thus important to emphasise that giving effect to the principle of open justice
and its underlying aims now means more than merely keeping the courtroom doors open.
It means that court proceedings must where possible be meaningfully accessible to any
member of the public who wishes to be timeously and accurately apprised of such
proceedings. Broadcasting of court proceedings enables this to occur. Television
presents the complete picture instantaneously. Television cameras do so by creating a
comprehensive and instantaneous feedback loop between the trial participants and the
television audience.136 In contrast, the print media simply does not operate with the same
kind of interactive speed or attract so wide and responsive an audience.

[47]   The media plays a vital watchdog role in respect of the court process. One of the
aspirational goals of the media is to make governmental conduct in all of its many facets
(including courts) transparent. Cameras in the courtroom aid that process, so too
microphones. Televised proceedings thus aid in the public oversight of the judiciary.
According to Justice Potter Stewart „the primary purpose of the constitutional guarantee
of a free press was  . . .  to create a fourth institution outside Government as an
additional check on the three official branches‟137 This oversight role was recognised in
Sheppard v Maxwell,138 where the court observed that: „the press does not simply publish
information about trials but guards against the miscarriage of justice by subjecting the
police, prosecutors, and the judicial process to extensive public scrutiny and criticism.‟139
At its core therefore, a bar on cameras and microphones means that one sector of the
media is precluded from taking their particular tools of trade into the courtroom. And, it
has been pointed out that there has been a failure to articulate reasons for treating
electronic media differently to print media in the courtroom context.140 In the light of the
fact that members of the public acquire most of their news through the electronic media,
it has to be somewhat counter-intuitive that they are not able to „utilize the principle of

136 Lassiter fn 1 above, at 935.
137 Address by Justice Stewart, Yale Law School (Nov 2, 1974) c/f Gardner fn 29 above, at 492-493.
138 Sheppard v Maxwell 384 US 333 (1966).
139 Ibid, at 350. See also Gardner fn 29 above, at 493.
140 Ibid, at 479.

open justice to their advantage to the same extent as the print media.‟141  In that, the
section 16(1) rights of both the media and the public are self-evidently limited.

[48] As this Court explained in Primedia regarding the right to an open Parliament:
„The Constitution thus affords all South Africans the right to see and hear what happens in
Parliament. . . . Of course not all members of the public are able to attend sittings of Parliament.
But the media is able to bring to their attention what happens in sittings by virtue of radio and
television broadcasts, through newspapers and now also through social media such as Twitter.
. . .‟142
Lewis JA there pointed out:
„The public has a right to witness [incidents in Parliament]. And the public has a right to
know not only what the Speaker or the Chairperson says during moments of disorderly
behaviour, but also to see how MPs are treated by security staff who forcibly evicts them from the
Chamber. The public has a right to know how the legislative arm of government operates.‟143
That accords with the Constitution‟s general endorsement of openness and transparency
in all public affairs. While Primedia concerned the right to an open Parliament, rather than
the right to open justice, the same logic must apply in both contexts. After all, the
judiciary as a branch of government should be accountable in the same way as the
executive and legislative branches. Moreover, courts can hardly prescribe to other arms
of government that they should be open, whilst endorsing a judicial system that is
„shrouded in mystique and protected at all times from the prying eye of the camera or the
invasive ear of the microphone‟.144

[49] Television allows viewers to feel that they are present in the courtroom. And, there
are many articulate arguments put forward to support cameras in the courtroom based on
almost two decades of experience with cameras in some US States. Advocates in favour
of coverage argue that it provides education about the workings of the court to those who
themselves cannot be present in the courtroom. Proponents urge that cameras make

141 Rodrick fn 12 above, at 156.
142 Primedia Broadcasting (a division of Primedia (Pty) Ltd) & others v Speaker of the National Assembly &
others [2016] ZASCA 142; [2016] 4 All SA 793 (SCA); 2017 (1) SA 572 (SCA) para 1.
143 Ibid, para 38.
144 Moseneke fn 14 above, at 8.

lawyers and judges more accountable for their behaviour. Five decades ago, one of the
principle reasons against unrestricted media coverage was that flashbulbs and
microphones were inconsistent with the dignity and decorum of the courtroom.145 Today,
the decorum argument has largely dissipated as modern technology has advanced
significantly, with the result that cameras are now neither obtrusive, nor disruptive.

[50] A court is a place where citizens can take their disputes in the knowledge that the
rule of law will be applied. It is governed by rules of evidence and procedures designed to
seek out the truth, not in a general way, but in the context of specific dispute resolution
and administration of justice. These rules also endeavour to ensure the fairness of the
trial process.146 Moreover, a criminal trial follows a well-established order, with the
prosecutor in a criminal case trying to establish, through the presentation of evidence, the
guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt.147 With each witness, there is the
opportunity for direct examination followed by cross-examination and re-examination.
Objections are ruled on by the judge. The formality of the setting and the proceedings
contributes to the dignity and decorum of the courtroom and serves as a constraint. A
discreetly placed camera would capture the formality of the proceedings and enable
people to observe from afar the dignity of the proceedings and imbibe the same lessons
of respect for the judicial process as those who are physically present.

[51] Arguably, complete broadcast coverage of the trial is important to achieve the
valuable ends served by increasing public access to judicial proceedings. In that regard,
„gavel to gavel‟ coverage, as it has sometimes been described, may be preferable to no
(or limited) coverage. The way in which stories that have been told in court and re-told by
the media, may make a difference as to how the law is appreciated and the functioning of
the court understood. With gavel to gavel coverage the role of the media more closely
approximates that of a conduit rather than a processor and interpreter of court
proceedings.148 By keeping cameras out of the courtroom, court reporters continue to be

145 McCall fn 4 above, at 1546.
146 R v Pilarinos and Clark 2001 BCSC 1332 para 156.
147 Marder fn 61 above, at 1519.
148 Rodrick fn 12 above, at 155.

relegated to conveying information about judicial proceedings from the steps of the
courtroom (as has traditionally been the case), despite the fact that the „aural and visual
nature of broadcasting would give the public a more direct sense of what has transpired
than a verbal report in a highly summarised form.‟149

[52] One of the most persuasive remaining objections is the possible effect that
cameras, and the larger audience they represent, may have on the testimony of
witnesses in criminal trials.150 In considering this objection, it must be accepted that the
courtroom is already a public place with a physical public presence – proceedings are
transcribed and members of the press and public are free to be present. Television
broadcasts provide members of the public with a virtual presence in the courtroom. If the
physical presence of members of the public cannot be said to inhibit or distract counsel,
the judges and witnesses, it has to be open to debate that a virtual presence will have
that effect.  „Moreover, the public interest may be as much involved in the circumstances
of a remarkable acquittal as in a surprising conviction. Informed public debate is
necessary about all such matters. Full contemporaneous reporting of criminal trials in
progress promotes public confidence in the administration of justice.‟151

[53] Those in favour of cameras, point to the 50 US states that have allowed cameras
in some courtrooms and report no discernible effect on participants.152 In fact, most
studies conducted on the effect of cameras on witnesses have found that allowing
cameras into courtrooms had no effect, positive or negative, on the legal proceedings.153
It is worth noting however, that these studies have been criticised for their methodological
limitations.154 However, the results from the US State studies were unanimous: the
impact of electronic media coverage of courtroom proceedings, whether civil or criminal,

149 Rodrick fn 12 above, at 156.
150 McCall fn 4 above, at 1546.
151 In Re S (a child) (Identification: Restriction on Publication): HL 28 Oct 2004, [2004] UKHL 47, 17 BHRC
646, 4 All ER 683, [2005] Crim LR 310, [2004] 3 WLR 1129.
152 Marder fn 61 above, at 1509-1510.
153 This is, for example, the conclusion of the first Federal Judicial Centre FJC report, which evaluated a
pilot program between 1991 and 1993, in which cameras in six district courts and two courts of appeal
were allowed.
154 Marder fn 61 above, at 1546–1547.

show minimal side effects on witnesses and the few studies that did lacked rigorous
design.155 Most importantly, all jurisdictions agreed that those effects could be addressed
through appropriate policy design.156

[54] There is as well the argument that notwithstanding a witness taking the oath or
affirmation, he or she may be affected either consciously or subconsciously by the
evidence of the other witnesses given during the course of the trial. By viewing other
evidence during the televised proceedings, so the argument goes, the memory and
recollection of a prospective witness would be impermissibly refreshed, which might
serve to enhance the credibility of that witness‟ testimony and corrupt the truth-seeking
function of a trial. In Shabalala v Attorney-General of the Transvaal,157 the Constitutional
Court dealt with a similar contention in the context of docket privilege as follows:
„A recurrent theme which asserts itself in some of the cases is that the disclosure of
witnesses‟ statements might enable an accused person to “tailor” evidence and to give perjured
testimony because he or she becomes alive to the fact that the falseness of such evidence may
not be detected by the prosecution on the information available to. This objection is conjectural
and it must be balanced against other factors which have to be weighed in dealing with an
accused‟s insistence that he or she has a right to a fair trial. An alert prosecutor and a competent
court would be able to make adequate allowance for the fact . . .‟158
To be sure, the risk of witness exposure does present a problem that cannot lightly be
wished away. One way to address this concern would be for the judge to direct witnesses
to base their answers solely on their personal knowledge. This can be achieved for
example by precisely and cautiously instructing trial witnesses to testify based solely on
their personal knowledge.159 It goes without saying that the essential character of a court
is that it is invested with the power to maintain its authority and to prevent its process
being obstructed and abused.

155 Lassiter fn 1 above, at 964-965.
156 Ravid fn 83 above, at 50.
157 Shabalala & others v Attorney-General of the Transvaal & another [1995] ZACC 12; 1996 (1) SA 725.
158 Ibid, para 46.
159 A judicial admonition can be delivered individually to each witness, along the following lines: „You are
not to testify to any matter, except for matters you know of your own personal knowledge.  You are not to
testify to anything that you learned because you heard, read or listened to any portion of the proceedings
thus far. See United States v Oliver L North 920 F 2d 940 (D C Cir 1990).

[55]   Following on Shabalala, witness statements are now generally made available to
the defence in advance of the commencement of the trial. The defence, equipped with
such evidence, should be able to point to specific instances of tainted testimony. The
adversarial nature of criminal proceedings and the pivotal role that cross-examination
plays in it should enable the judge to safely make findings as to whether or not a witness'
testimony has been tainted by the exposure. In any event, the reality of court reporting
today is that even without any form of audio or audio-visual reportage, the media provide
live text-based communications through various social media platforms such as Twitter
and Facebook from inside the courtroom. In truth therefore the risk of „tailoring‟ already
exists. Thus, whether that risk will be materially exacerbated by audio-visual coverage
remains moot.

[56] It has also been contended that commercial imperatives will likely impel the media
to focus on the high-profile or cases concerning the unusual or gruesome. By focussing
on the sensational, particularly in a country like ours with deep patterns of racial and
economic inequality, so the contention goes, public confidence in the judicial system may
actually suffer, because citizens are likely to feel that only cases involving the privileged
receive due and proper consideration. As long ago as 1921, CP Scott, the editor of the
Manchester Guardian, wrote:
„A newspaper has two sides to it. It is a business, like any other, and has to pay in the
material sense in order to live. But it is much more than a business; it is an institution; it reflects
and it influences the life of the community . . . it has, therefore, a moral as well as a material
existence, and its character and influence are in the main determined by the balance of these two
forces.‟160
It needs to be underscored, however, that it cannot be for us to prescribe to the media
which trials they should cover – that remains their call.  Moreover, it may well be that in
high profile cases, it is even more critical that the public receive the maximum amount of
information about the process by which a particular result has been achieved. As it was
put in Richmond Newspapers:161

160 Rodrick fn 12 above, at 150.
161 Richmond Newspapers Inc v Virginia 448 US 555 (1980) at 571-572.

„When a shocking crime occurs, a community reaction of outrage and public protest often
follows .... Thereafter the open processes of justice serve an important prophylactic purpose,
providing an outlet for community concern, hostility and emotion. Without an awareness that
society's responses to criminal conduct are underway, natural human reactions of outrage and
protest are frustrated and may manifest themselves in some form of vengeful "self-help," as
indeed they did regularly in the activities of vigilante "committees" on our frontiers.... It is not
enough to say that results alone will satiate the natural community desire for "satisfaction." A
result considered untoward may undermine public confidence, and where the trial has been
concealed from public view an unexpected outcome can cause a reaction that the system at best
has failed and at worst has been corrupted. To work effectively, it is important that society's
criminal process "satisfy the appearance of justice" ... and the appearance of justice can best be
provided by allowing people to observe it.‟(Italics for emphasis)

[57] Concerns of privacy and security may also justify limits on how the media go about
gathering and transmitting information about judicial proceedings. However, in
accordance with the public-centred perspective, when individuals appear in a courtroom,
their privacy interests might have to give way because their disputes are being resolved
in a public forum that must be open to public scrutiny. As held in Cox Broadcasting Corp
v Cohn,162 a judicial proceeding is a public event and information on the public record
may be broadcast despite its highly sensitive nature. However, the court did
acknowledge that there may be interests in need of protection.163 Thus judges who have
to balance the presence of cameras with privacy interests can do so by imposing
appropriate restrictions. Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke pointed out that there are a
myriad of measures available to protect witnesses:164
„These range from: anonymity orders to protect vulnerable witnesses identities and
allowing witnesses to testify through intermediaries or with the help of a support person, to
closing the courtroom so that only certain people are present, or even allowing witnesses to
testify from a remote location via closed-circuit television. Other measures might include
suppression orders such as that ordered in Multichoice when judge Mlambo prohibited the media

162 Cox Broadcasting Corp v Cohn 420 US 469 (1975).
163 Gardner fn 29 above, at 489.
164 Moseneke fn 14 above, at 14.

from photographing or broadcasting the testimony of Mr Pistorius or his witnesses, or even, as
the United States has started experimenting with, allowing witnesses to wear disguises in court.‟

[58] It is important to emphasise that whilst greater access by the public to the court
system by means of televised proceedings would result in: (i)  demystification
of
the
judicial process; (ii) greater informed deliberation and critical assessment of the judiciary
based on the public‟s ability to readily observe judicial proceedings; (iii) increased
understanding of and respect for the judiciary based on the public‟s increased ability to
observe the daily working of the courts; (iv) improved journalistic standards relative to
court reporting resulting from greater coverage of court proceedings and the
development of court reporters specialising in judicial matters; and (v) heightened public
awareness of deep seated societal problems,165 the right to a public hearing does not
automatically mean that trials must necessarily be broadcast live in all circumstances.

[59] Where there is a debate about whether given court proceedings should be
broadcast, a court is vested with the power to limit the nature and scope of the broadcast
where necessary to ensure the fairness of the proceedings before it. The power of the
court to do so is an inherent one flowing from s 173 of the Constitution166 and must be
exercised in the interests of justice. As it was put by the Constitutional Court in SABC Ltd
v National Director of Public Prosecutions and others:167
„This is an important provision which recognises both the power of courts to protect and
regulate their own process as well as their power to develop the common law. . . .  The power
recognised in s 173 is a key tool for courts to ensure their own independence and impartiality. It
recognises that courts have the inherent power to regulate and protect their own process. A
primary purpose for the exercise of that power must be to ensure that proceedings before courts
are fair. It is therefore fitting that the only qualification on the exercise of that power contained in s
173 is that courts in exercising this power must take into account the interests of justice.‟

165 R v Pilarinos and Clark fn 146 above, para 159.
166 Section 173 of the Constitution provides:
„The Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Appeal and High Courts each has the inherent power to
protect and regulate their own process, and to develop the common law, taking into account the interests of
justice.‟
167 SABC CC fn 9 above, paras 35-36.

Accordingly, a court has the inherent power to make any order in relation to the publicity
of the proceedings. However, such order must be consistent with constitutional
requirements.

[60] The NDPP impermissibly adopts a blanket one-size-fits-all approach. Not just for
this matter, but, as I understood the argument, for all criminal proceedings. The NDPP
claims that there should be no broadcast whatsoever – whether, visual or audio. Such an
approach cannot amount to the proper exercise of the s 173 power to limit the   nature
and extent of the broadcast. This is made clear by the decision of this Court in Primedia.
There, in the context of restrictions on the right to broadcast Parliamentary proceedings,
this Court held:168
„The right to see and hear what happens in Parliament is not unlimited. . . . Any measure
adopted by Parliament must be objectively reasonable. The test to be applied is not only whether
the limitation is proportionate to the end sought to be achieved, but also whether other measures
would better achieve the end, or would do so without limiting others‟ rights. This is the test in the
limitations provision in the Constitution (less restrictive means to achieve the purpose – s
36(1)(e)). In S v Manamela & another (Director-General of Justice Intervening . . . O‟Regan J and
Cameron J said (para 66) in a dissenting judgment, but the particular passage was approved by
the majority of the court):
“The approach to limitation is, therefore to determine the proportionality between the limitation of
the right considering the nature and importance of the infringed right, on the one hand, and the
purpose, importance and effect of the infringing provision, taking into account the availability of
less restrictive means available to achieve that purpose.”

[61] Manamela,169 I daresay, precludes a rigid one-size-fits-all approach. There will be
cases, one imagines, that rest exclusively on circumstantial evidence. It may well be
difficult in such a situation to justify excluding cameras from the courtroom. There may
also be cases that rest on the evidence of a single eyewitness. In those cases the risk of
witness exposure or tailoring of evidence would not arise. There too, it may well be
difficult to justify excluding cameras.  Moreover, the fact that witness X might be severely

168 Primedia Broadcasting fn 142 above, paras 30-31.
169 S v Manamela & another (Director-General of Justice Intervening) [2000] ZACC 5; 2000 (3) SA 1; 2000
(5) BCLR 491.

intimidated by having to testify on camera, does not justify prohibiting the broadcast of
witness Y‟s testimony, who has not raised the same concern. Nor would it, without more,
justify prohibiting the audio broadcasts of witness X‟s testimony. Such an approach, does
afford appropriate appreciation for the different types of witnesses, who would testify in
the course of criminal proceedings. What warrant, can there be, it must be asked, for
treating expert witnesses, lay witnesses and professional witnesses (such as police
officers) on the same footing?  I venture that it may be fanciful to suggest that an audio
broadcast can have the same distressing or embarrassing effects as an audio-visual
broadcast.

[62] MultiChoice170 endorsed a regime whereby:
(a) the evidence of all expert witnesses was to be broadcast using visual and sound
broadcasts; (b) any lay witness who objected to having their evidence televised would
have these wishes respected and no video coverage of that witness would be allowed;
(c) however, a full audio of the evidence would be broadcast, as well as audio-visuals of
the legal practitioners and the judge and assessors, even where objecting witnesses give
evidence; and (d) even then, the presiding judge would from time to time have the power
to make rulings in respect of a specific witness as and when required. Such an approach
adequately balances the rights of open justice and free speech, with legitimate objections
from lay witnesses and the need for a fair trial. A blanket ban on all broadcasting or
adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, does not.

[63] The NDPP seeks to make much of the decisions of this Court and the
Constitutional Court in the SABC matter. But it is necessary to view that case in its proper
context if the s 173 power is to be properly exercised. The SABC cases were decided
over a decade ago. Then, the live broadcasting of court proceedings, including appeals,
was (with rare exceptions) virtually unknown in this country. While the majority of the
Constitutional Court dismissed the appeal – on the basis that there was no warrant for
interference with the exercise of this Court‟s discretion – it held tellingly that „the time has

170 Multichoice fn 119 above, at 17-19.

come for courts to embrace the principle of open justice and all it implies‟.171 It went on to
explain that changes would likely be required in relation to the approach towards
broadcasting of court proceedings.172 The position has changed fundamentally since the
SABC judgments. In 2009, three years after the SABC cases, this Court issued a practice
directive allowing, as a default position, the full audio-visual broadcasting of all of its
proceedings.173 Other courts, including the Constitutional Court and the Gauteng
Division, Pretoria, follow the same approach.

[64] The SABC judgments must therefore yield to a new reality. For, even as we
grapple with television in the courtroom, there are many (particularly younger viewers)
who are increasingly turning to the internet to keep up to date with news and current
affairs. Many people now use social media as their main source of information, resulting
in a shift in how information is disseminated and received. As McLachlin CJ observed:174
„The explosive growth of new media signals a shift in who reports on legal proceedings. Court
decisions may no longer be the preserve of trained professional journalists. Anyone with a
keyboard and access to a blog can now be a reporter. And who is to say they are not? Some
bloggers will be professionals and academics providing thoughtful commentary and analysis.
Others will fall short of basic journalistic standards. Will accuracy and fairness be casualties of
the social media era? What will be the consequences for public understanding of the
administration of justice and confidence in the judiciary? How can a medium such as Twitter
inform the public accurately or adequately in 140 characters or less? If witness or juror
contamination is a concern with television, is it not even more so with ubiquitous social media
accessed or received automatically via a hand-held device?‟

[65] There is a growing trend of openness and permitting of the broadcast of evidence
in international and foreign criminal tribunals. Since the International Military Tribunal at
Nuremberg broadcast its trial of Nazi leaders in connection with World War II atrocities in

171 SABC CC fn 9 above, para 68.
172 Ibid, paras 71-72.
173 Supreme Court of Appeal Practice Directions available at:
http://www.justice.gov.za/sca/practice/Practice%20Directions%20-%2017%20August%202007.pdf.
174 Remarks of the Right Honourable B McLachlin fn 2 above.

1945, several regional human rights courts and international criminal courts have opened
their proceedings to cameras not as the exception, but the rule.175

[66] The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) is required to keep its
hearings and deliberations „on audio recordings‟ under its rule of procedure, as approved
by the court in November 2009.176 Some of the most extensively televised international
court proceedings are those at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY), a United Nations Court in The Hague, which adjudicates the war
crimes that occurred during the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s. Since it first heard
cases in 1994, the ICTY has routinely recorded its proceedings and distributed them to
the world‟s media177. The audio-visual recording of the ICTY proceedings was designed
„to make sure that justice would be seen to be done, to dispel any misunderstandings
that might otherwise arise as to the role and the nature of the Tribunal proceedings and
to fulfil the educational task of the Tribunal.‟ The ICTY proceedings, „other than
deliberations of the Chamber‟, are held in public, unless otherwise provided. Proceedings
can be televised „in a modified manner,‟ for example, with the witness‟s voice or image
distorted if a witness is „protected‟ under Rule 75 on „Measures for the Protection of
Victims and Witnesses‟ of the ICTY Rule of Procedure and Evidence. The ICTY thus has
the discretion to close its proceedings to protect witnesses where necessary.178 The full
proceedings of the International Criminal Tribunal are recorded and broadcast using
court equipment. Footage is made available to carriers like the BBC and CNN.179

[67] The approach to the recording of proceedings in the International Criminal Court
(ICC) in the Hague is similar to the ICTY. Where necessary for the protection of a
witness, the image or voice of the person is distorted and rendered unrecognizable in the
audio-visual feed. In addition, the court retains the discretion to exclude certain testimony

175 Youm fn 39 above, at 2015.
176 Ibid, at 2016.
177 Youm fn 39 above, at 2015-2016.
178 Ibid.
179 International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia Rules of Court, Rule 81(d). See website
announcements regarding broadcasts: „Courtroom Broadcast‟ available at http://www.icty.org/sid/252;
„Courtroom Technology‟ available at http://www.icty.org/sid/167; „Broadcast of Proceedings at the ICTY
through the Internet‟ 15 February 2002, available at http://www.icty.org/sid/81222.

from broadcast. According to the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Tribunal,
trials „shall be held in public‟.180 Like the ICTY, the ICC Trial Chamber may find special
circumstances that require that certain proceedings be closed for the purposes of the
protection of the victims and witnesses and to protect confidential or sensitive information
to be given in evidence.181 The ICC Statute also provides for similar „protective
measures‟ for a victim, a witness, or another person at risk due to testimony given by a
witness. In those instances, the trial chamber may hold an in camera hearing to decide
whether to order preventive measures against releasing the information on the identity or
the location of the victim, the witness, or the other person who is vulnerable to the
consequences of the testimony provided.182 The ICC Regulations provide for the
recording and broadcast of proceedings, including witness testimony.183 Videos of both
ICTY and ICC trials are posted on the courts‟ websites and can be streamed in full,
subject to a 30 minute delay.184

[68] The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) uses a written procedure that
allows it to make rulings primarily on the basis of „written observations‟ submitted by the
parties, although it holds oral hearings occasionally. When the ECHR holds public
hearings, they are required to be public unless the Chamber of seven judges or the
Grand Chamber of seventeen judges otherwise decides.185 The ECHR states: „All
hearings are filmed and broadcast on the court‟s website on the day itself, from 14:30
(local time).‟186

[69] The law evolves gradually. Often, technology is far ahead of both the legislature
and the courts. However, institutions, courts included, are not fixed in stone. As society

180 UN General Assembly „Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court‟ A/CONF. 183/9, art.68, (last
amended 2010) 17 July 1998 ISBN No. 92-9227-227.
181 Youm fn 39 above, at 2019.
182 Ibid, at 2020.
183 International Criminal Court Regulation 21 and ICC Regulations of the Registry, Regulation 94.
184 For ICC broadcasts see ICC Regulation 21(2) and „Video Streaming‟ at
http://www.icc-cpi.int/enmenus/icc/Pages/default.aspx
and
„Hearing
Schedule‟
at
http://www.icc-
cpi.int/en_menus/icc/situations%20and%20cases/hearing%20schedule/Pages/next%20week.aspx.
For ICTY broadcasts see „Courtroom Broadcast‟ available at http://www.icty.org/sid/252.
185 In accordance with Rules 58 & 59 of the Rules of the European Court of Human Rights (1 September
2012).
186 Youm fn 39 above, at 2015.

becomes more attuned to cameras in the courtroom, the novelty will dissipate and
cameras will fade into the background. Although the arguments put forward in favour of
allowing cameras in the court room are compelling, it needs to be accepted that South
Africa is very much at the experimental stage of examining the possibilities brought about
by new and improved media technology. There are a number of interests at stake in a
matter such as this. These include:
(a)
the interests of the NDPP, the appellant and the public in holding a trial that is fair
and is seen to be fair;
(b)
the interests of the media and the public in maintaining freedom of the press and
in ensuring open justice;
(d)
the interests of participants in the trial process; and
(e)
the interests of the court and the public in maintaining the dignity and decorum in
the administration of justice.
The goal has to be to achieve a balance of these competing interests.

[70] In permitting the televising of court proceedings this Court is doing no more than
recognising the appropriate starting point. It will always remain open to a trial court to
direct that some or all of the proceedings before it may not be broadcast at all or may
only be broadcast in (for example) audio form. It remains for that court, in the exercise of
its discretion under s 173 of the Constitution to do so. It shall be for the media to request
access from the presiding judge on a case-by-case basis.  In that regard it is undesirable
for this Court to lay down any rigid rules as to how such requests should be considered. It
shall be for the trial court to exercise a proper discretion having regard to the
circumstances of each case.

[71] It remains the duty of the trial court to examine with care each application. That
court should exercise a proper discretion in such cases by balancing the degree of risk
involved in allowing the cameras into the court room against the degree of risk that a fair
trial might not ensue. In acceding to the request, the judge may issue such directions as
may be necessary to:
(a)
control the conduct of proceedings before the court;

(b)
ensure the decorum of the court and prevent distractions; and
(c)
ensure the fair administration of justice in the pending case.
In making that decision, the judge may consider whether there is a reasonable likelihood
that such coverage would: (i) interfere with the rights of the parties to a fair trial; or (ii)
unduly detract from the solemnity, decorum and dignity of the court. There shall be no
coverage of: (a) communications between counsel and client or co-counsel; (b) bench
discussions; and (c) in camera hearings. A judge may terminate coverage at any time
upon a finding that the rules imposed by the judge have been violated or the substantial
rights of individual participants or the rights to a fair trial will be prejudiced by such
coverage if it is allowed to continue.

[72] The default position has to be that there can be no objection in principle to the
media recording and broadcasting counsel‟s address and all rulings and judgments (in
respect of both conviction and sentence) delivered in open court.  When a witness
objects to coverage of his or her testimony, such witness should be required to assert
such objection before the trial judge, specifying the grounds therefor and the effects he or
she asserts such coverage would have upon his or her testimony. This approach entails
a witness-by-witness determination and recognises as well that a distinction may have to
be drawn between expert, professional (such as police officers) and lay witnesses. Such
an individualised enquiry is more finely attuned to reconciling the competing rights at play
than is a blanket ban on the presence of cameras from the whole proceeding when only
one participant objects. Under this approach cameras are permitted to film or televise all
non-objecting witnesses. Spurious objections can also be dealt with. It is for the court
concerned to ensure that in balancing the public‟s interest in coverage of criminal
proceedings against those of objecting participants, the trial process, already time
consuming and expensive, must not be allowed to become further unnecessarily
protracted. Every objection should not represent an unneeded incursion into the trial
court's discretion in managing a fair trial.

[73] If the judge determines that the witness has a valid objection to cameras,
alternatives to regular photographic or television coverage could be explored that might

assuage the witness‟ fears. For example, television journalists are often able to disguise
the identity of a person being interviewed by means of special lighting techniques and
electronic voice alteration, or merely by shielding the witness from the camera. In other
instances, broadcast of testimony of an objecting witness could be delayed until after the
trial is over. If such techniques were used in covering trials, the public would have more
complete access to the testimony via television, and yet the witness could maintain some
degree of privacy and security.

[74] Whenever an accused person in a criminal trial objects to the presence of
cameras in the courtroom, the objection should be carefully considered. If the court
determines that the accused‟s objection to cameras is valid, that may require that
cameras be excluded. By framing the inquiry in these terms, courts will be better able to
strike a constitutionally appropriate balance between policies favouring public access to
legal proceedings and the accused‟s right to a fair trial. The court would accordingly have
regard to all the relevant circumstances in identifying whether the right to a fair trial in a
particular case is likely to be prejudiced.

[75] A decision on whether to restrict the broadcast of court proceedings raises the
same set of rights as occupied the attention of this Court in Midi Television.187 It follows
that the same approach should apply; namely that courts will not restrict the nature and
scope of the broadcast unless the prejudice is demonstrable and there is a real risk that
such prejudice will occur. Mere conjecture or speculation that prejudice might occur
ought not to be enough.188

[76] It follows from what I have said that not all of the reasoning of Desai J can be
supported and, in consequence, paragraph 1.3 as framed by him, falls to be set aside.
The matter will accordingly have to be remitted to the learned judge for reconsideration in
accordance with the principles set out herein.

187 Midi Television (Pty) Ltd fn 10 above.
188 See: S v Mamabolo fn 20 above, para 45 and Laugh It Off Promotions CC fn 27 above, para 59.

[77] That leaves costs: The NDPP did not seek costs. Both the appellant and Media 24
did. The appellant has achieved a substantial measure of success in the appeal. What is
more, Media 24 delayed launching its application before Desai J. This had the
consequence that the matter had to be dealt with on an urgent basis before the high
court and an expedited basis on appeal before this Court. Thus in circumstances where
his criminal trial had already commenced and was ongoing before the high court, the
appellant had to also contend with this appeal. He was forced at fairly short notice to
cause counsel, other than counsel representing him in his criminal trial, to be briefed to
argue the appeal before this Court. It follows that Media 24 should be held liable for the
appellant‟s costs.

[78] In the result:
(a)
The appeal succeeds to the extent that paragraph 1.3 of the order of the high
court is set aside.
(b)
The matter is remitted to the high court for reconsideration in accordance with the
principles set out in this judgment.
(c)
The costs of appeal of the appellant, Henri Christo Van Breda, shall be paid by the
first respondent, Media 24.

_________________
V M Ponnan
Judge of Appeal

APPEARANCES:

1.
Case no: 425/2017

For Appellant:

F van Zyl SC

Instructed by:

Cluver Markotter Inc, Stellenbosch

McIntyre & Van Der Post, Bloemfontein

For First Respondent:

J.C. Butler SC (with him M Maddison)

Instructed by:

Werksmans Attorneys, Stellenbosch

Phatshoane Henney Attorneys, Bloemfontein.

2.
Case no: 426/2017

For First Appellant:

H Epstein SC (with him L G Nkosi Thomas SC)

Instructed by:

The State Attorney, Cape Town

The State Attorney, Bloemfontein

For Amicus Curiae:
S Budlender (with him T Mosikili)

Instructed by:

Webber Wentzel, Johannesburg.

Honey Attorneys, Bloemfontein.

THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

MEDIA SUMMARY - JUDGMENT DELIVERED IN THE SUPREME COURT OF APPEAL

The NDPP v Media 24 Limited & others and Van Breda v Media 24 Limited & others

From:
The Registrar, Supreme Court of Appeal

Date:
21 June 2017

Status:
Immediate

Please note that the media summary is for the benefit of the media and does not form part of
the judgment of the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Today, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) handed down judgment in an appeal brought separately
by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) and Mr Henri Christo van Breda (the
appellant) against a judgment of the Western Cape Division, Cape Town (court a quo). The matter
originally arose out of an urgent application to the court a quo brought by the 1st respondent, Media 24
Limited, that it be allowed to televise or sound record the proceedings in the ongoing Van Breda
criminal trial.
On appeal, the SCA opined that the question whether, and under what circumstances, cameras
should be permitted in South African courtrooms provokes tension between the rights of the media to
freedom of expression, on the one hand and the fair trial rights of an accused person, on the other.
Further, that when two constitutional rights are in conflict, the rights should as far as possible be
harmonised with one another. The SCA held that the right to freedom of expression is not limited to
the right to speak, but also to receive information and ideas. The court recognized the key position
that the media holds in society and found that the constitutional right to freedom of expression goes
hand in hand with the principle of open justice, according to which trial proceedings should be
conducted publicly in open court.
In considering the right to a fair trial, the SCA acknowledged that one of the most persuasive
objections relating to the opposition of cameras in courts is the possible effect that cameras, and the
larger audience they represent, may have on the testimony of witnesses in criminal trials. The SCA
held that courtrooms are already public places with a physical public presence and that it was open to
debate whether such public presence could be said to have an inhibiting or distracting effect on

counsel, judges and/or the witnesses. The SCA emphasised that it remains the duty of the trial court
in the exercise of its discretion under s 173 of the Constitutions, to examine with care the approach to
be taken with regard to each application. As such, the court indicated that it was undesirable that any
rigid rules be laid down as to how such requests ought to be considered. The SCA accordingly
rejected the approach of the NDPP that there should be a blanket ban on live broadcasts in all
criminal proceedings.
The SCA held that It shall be for the trial court to exercise a proper discretion having regard to the
circumstances of each case. The default position, so stated the SCA, is that there can be no objection
in principle to the media recording and broadcasting counsel’s address and all rulings and judgments
(in respect of both conviction and sentence) delivered in open court.  In addition to a case-by-case
determination, when a witness objects to coverage of his or her testimony, such witness should be
required to assert such objection before the trial judge, specifying the grounds therefor and the effects
he or she asserts such coverage would have upon his or her testimony. This approach entails as well
a witness-by-witness determination and recognises that a distinction may have to be drawn between
expert, professional (such as police officers) and lay witnesses. Such an individualised enquiry, held
the SCA, is more finely attuned to reconciling the competing rights at play than is a blanket ban on the
presence of cameras from the whole proceeding when only one participant objects. Under this
approach cameras are permitted to film or televise all non-objecting witnesses and spurious
objections can also be dealt with. If the judge determines that a witness has a valid objection to
cameras, alternatives to regular photographic or television coverage could be explored that might
assuage the witness’ fears. For example, television journalists are often able to disguise the identity of
a person being interviewed by means of special lighting techniques and electronic voice alteration, or
merely by shielding the witness from the camera. In other instances, broadcast of testimony of an
objecting witness could be delayed until after the trial is over.
Consequently, having had regard to the position in various foreign jurisdictions as well as the need for
an intricate balancing of the constitutional rights at play, the SCA concluded that courts should not
restrict the nature and scope of the broadcast unless the prejudice is demonstrable and there is a real
risk that such prejudice will occur. Mere conjecture or speculation that prejudice might occur, so
stated the SCA, ought not to be enough. In the result, the appeal was partially upheld and the matter
was remitted to the court a quo for reconsideration in accordance with the principles set out in the
judgment.