South Africa’s much-vaunted right to freedom of information was undermined last year, simply because the directors general of some of the country’s intelligence agencies requested it. Like all government departments, they have, by law, to list all of the records they hold. But this does not mean that access to them is free or automatic — only that reasons should be given for denying access.

The Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are flouting the law and blocking access to our constitutional right to information.

A formal investigation has been launched by the National Archives into the 34 boxes and two folders of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) documents earlier reported missing by the M&G