LCR4803 Assignment 2 2026 Semester 1 Due 3 April 2026

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Law
School of Criminal Justice


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Section 205 CPA and the Journalist's

Duty to Disclose Sources

Press Freedom, Source Con
dentiality and Judicial Discretion

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Module Code: LCR4803  Media Law


Assignment: Assignment 2, Semester 1


Due Date: 3 April 2026


Topic: s 205 CPA, Source Con
dentiality & Judicial Discretion


Referencing: OSCOLA


Quali
cation: LLB / BCom Law




Submitted in partial ful
lment of the requirements for LCR4803 at the University of South Africa.

,UNISA | LCR4803 Source Con
dentiality & s 205 CPA


Contents




Scenario 3

1 1. The Legal Framework: Section 205 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 4
1.1 1.1 What Section 205 Provides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.2 1.2 Applicability to a Journalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

1.3 1.3 The Constitutional Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5



2 2. The Journalist's Legal Obligations Under Section 205 CPA 6
2.1 2.1 The General Obligation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2.2 2.2 The Right to Remain Silent on Questions That May Incriminate . . . . . . . 6

2.3 2.3 The Absence of a Statutory Journalist Privilege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6



3 3. Consequences of Non-Compliance with a Section 205 Subpoena 8
3.1 3.1 Statutory Consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3.2 3.2 Duration of Imprisonment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

3.3 3.3 Impact on the Investigation and Prosecution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8



4 4. Judicial Discretion to Enforce Disclosure 9
4.1 4.1 The Balancing Exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4.2 4.2 The Constitutional Court's Approach in Nel v Le Roux NO . . . . . . . . . . 10

4.3 4.3 Comparative Judicial Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10



5 5. Do Professional Ethical Codes Constitute a Valid Legal Defence? 12
5.1 5.1 The Role of Professional Ethics in Journalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5.2 5.2 Legal Status of Ethical Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5.3 5.3 Ethical Codes as Supporting Evidence in Constitutional Arguments . . . . . . 12

5.4 5.4 The Goodwin Principle in the South African Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

5.5 5.5 The Whistleblower Dimension: Protected Disclosures Act . . . . . . . . . . . 13



6 6. Critical Assessment and Conclusion 14
6.1 6.1 Synthesis of the Legal Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

6.2 6.2 Critical Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

6.3 6.3 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15




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, UNISA | LCR4803 Source Con
dentiality & s 205 CPA


Reference List 16




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