"Cape Town Press Club says its membership policy is not the real issue"

Following the recent incident with Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, the Cape Town Press Club wishes to state:

The Cape Town Press Club is the oldest and most active press club in South Africa, and our membership base includes politicians, business people, journalists, PR practitioners and members of the diplomatic corps. We are not associated or affiliated to the National Press Club or the Johannesburg Press Club.

Our Constitution states that, "Membership shall be restricted to persons over the age of 18 years. All applications will be approved according to the committee's discretion." It describes a "Full Member" as being someone who is, "committed to pursuing and promoting the interests of the Press, media and communications industries, especially the principle of providing through the Club a non-partisan forum and platform for the exchange of opinions and ideas in the spirit of a free Press and freedom of speech, conscience and association."

Until now, members of the media and people who may be of interest to the media and public, including politicians from all parties, have been welcome to apply for membership. Members are also welcome to bring guests to functions. Our membership includes public representatives from all parties. Politicians are also allowed to be members of international press clubs such as the National Press Club in Washington, the New York Press Club, and others in America, Europe and the Far East.

Our members come from a range of backgrounds and industries:

• Business - 133
• Diplomatic - 29 (Consuls and consular staff)
• Journalists - 125
• Politics - 18
• Public Relations - 86
• Writers - 16
• Retired - 52
• Other - 77

We are committed to a democratic South Africa where equality and free speech is respected, protected and defended. Our mission is to provide a platform and we have managed to do so.

We are not a press conference or press briefing forum.

Nor are our functions for members only. Excluding politicians from our membership would not necessarily have changed the events around this unfortunate incident, since members are allowed guests and these guests may include politicians.

The chair at meetings is always in control and will intercede if a member of the audience starts to make a political speech.

No previous politician ­- from Jacob Zuma to Tokyo Sexwale to Malusi Gigaba and Helen Zille - has had an issue with this. All have spoken to the press club with other politicians present. Recently, DA MP Lance Greyling was a guest and asked our speaker Minister Ebrahim Patel a question. There was no problem, and for 36 years we have had no such incident nor demand from any speaker to exclude a member of the audience.

In September 2008, an ANC member applied to become a member of the Cape Town Press Club. In his membership motivation, he said we provided a, "... platform for [regular media] interaction in a coordinated, professional fashion. The Press Club also serves as a forum for debate and interaction with newsmakers that will in turn provide personal insight into social and political issues. ... no media professional can do his or her job properly without this network, forum and instrument."

While we regret the incident on Friday, we note that this is the first time ever that a speaker - many of them far more controversial or senior - has objected and behaved in such a way.

There have been allegations that the Club's chairperson was formerly a DA spokesperson. This is not the case - he was the spokesperson for a Minister. This was not a party-political post. 

 [The Cape Town Press Club is the oldest press club in South Africa, and draws its members from professionals who work in the media in Cape Town. Visit www.capetownpc.org.za for more information, follow @CapePressClub on Twitter or join our Facebook page.]

Statement issued by Donwald Pressly, Chairperson: Cape Town Press Club, May 8 2012

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter