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Live Africa moves court to get Cronje live

Live Africa Network News has moved the courts to force Judge Edwin King to have all future witnesses appearing before his commission to be aired live on radio and television.

Thus far, only two witnesses, including UCBSA supremo Dr Ali Bacher, have been aired live, and this was at the request of the witnesses themselves.

Judge King continues to refuse live audio access to his courtroom. The hearings have been temporarily suspended, and is slated to resume on Thursday.

Live Africa in its court plaint claims that King, by denying live access, has breached the consititutional right of millions of South Africans who get their main news from radio.

Live Africa's CEO and rediff.com correspondent Paul Martin Cainer has expressed the radio syndication service's support for the sudden postponement of the King hearings. "It's a step in the right direction," he said.

The Cape Judge-President John Hlope (who took over weeks ago from former Judge-President King) has told Live Africa and Judge King's lawyer that he wants three judges to rule finally on the radio access matter during the coming week. The number of judges to hear the issue indicates that Hlope sees that a major constitutional question is at issue.

LANN argues that the judge could decide to go ahead with hearings even before the final court ruling -- but only if he allows microphones for audio broadcast to be used from now on until the final judgement.

King and the Commission are contesting the application. Some of the 39 or so cricketers or former cricketers who have been ordered to give evidence, may also submit papers to the court today, explaining why they would rather not be heard or seen outside the hearing-room as they give evidence.