Judgment is expected in the High Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday on an application for the SA Police Service to reveal the list of National Key Points. National key points are protected from being photographed or identified as key points, and are understood to include military installations and services or factories which are considered strategic.

The Right2Know Campaign (R2K) and SA History Archive (SAHA) want the national key points to be made public in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act. On November 24, Viwe Notshe SC, for the State, argued that although the National Key Point Act did not prohibit disclosure, such disclosure would put the country’s defence and security at risk.

The court heard there were 200 national key points. Steven Budlender, representing R2K and SAHA, argued: “If dark forces are intent on launching an attack on South Africa, OR Tambo [International Airport] would be a good place to start whether it is a national key point or not”.

Matseleng Lekoane, friend of the court for the Mail&Guardian newspaper, argued that it was important for journalists to know where the national key points were to avoid major infringement to the rights of the media and the public. SAPA