President Jacob Zuma assured editors on Friday that the jamming of cellphone networks in Parliament will not happen again.<\/p>\n
“Rest assured that will never happen again and we did not know about it and we are condemning it. It was uncalled for,” he said after a meeting with the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) at the presidential guesthouse in Pretoria.<\/p>\n
Zuma said it was important that he met editors to make sure it did not happen again.<\/p>\n
On February 12, before Zuma delivered his state-of-the-nation address, journalists and some MPs protested that cellphone signals were being blocked in Parliament.<\/p>\n
The signals were restored after National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete asked Secretary to Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana to look into the matter.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, State Security Minister David Mahlobo said glitches with “counter-surveillance tactical measures” had led to the mobile signal disruptions on the day.<\/p>\n
Sanef chairman Mpumelelo Mkhabela said on Friday Zuma had expressed government’s regret at what happened.<\/p>\n
Sanef also made the president aware that editors had tried to talk to government officials before the start of his address, but that they “didn’t get positive feedback”.<\/p>\n
“He was not aware of that and made it very clear that that should be criticised,” Mkhabela said.<\/p>\n
“Government should be able to respond when concerns are raised and… we agreed that things should always be resolved the South African way, through negotiations and conversations…”<\/p>\n
He said Sanef was happy with its discussion with Zuma.<\/p>\n
Sanef had also briefed him on issues encountered in Parliament about the broadcasting feed.<\/p>\n
Sanef would meet Parliament’s presiding officers about this.<\/p>\n
“There was no need for the president’s state-of-the-nation address to be disturbed, for the first time in history, because cellphone signals were not working,” Mkhabela said.<\/p>\n
“It is an issue we could have addressed early, as he correctly pointed out, and it’s regrettable and will never happen again and we take his word for it.”<\/p>\n
Zuma said the meeting also discussed the relationship between government and the media in general, and a number of issues were agreed on.<\/p>\n
“We should better the relationship and be able to communicate as often as possible… We are all patriots of the country and we want to promote the country,” he said.<\/p>\n
SA security minister on signal jamming, drones and Osama bin Laden<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Signal jamming was an \u201coperational error\u201d<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n