About 600 people are protesting outside parliament against the ANC’s new secrecy law, which is likely to be passed by the National Assembly at 2pm today unless dozens of ANC MPs break ranks and vote against the Protection of State Information Bill.

Carrying placards proclaiming “Jou ma se secret” and “The truth will set us all free”, the protesters, which included grassroots community movements and journalists, said they were opposed to the bill.

A priest even offered to pray for a speedy recovery for State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, whom he said was suffering from paranoia after he last week labelled groups opposed to the bill as “proxies” of foreign spies.

Earlier today, the Eastern Cape-based Unemployed Peoples’ Movement described the new law as an “onslaught against democracy and people’s dignity”.

“When the people protest because of the corrupt politicians who treat the poor with contempt and a lack of caring the ANC does not listen. Instead we are beaten, jailed, tortured and even killed. Who can forget Andries Tatane? Who can forget when the residents of Hangberg in Cape Town were jailed and shot at for refusing evictions? This is not democracy. There is no freedom if the people do not know what the government is doing in their name,” said the movement’s chairperson, Ayanda Kota.

“The arms deal and its cover-up was the point at which we first lost the freedom to know and it has got worse with the secrecy bill. Politicians want to be kings and queens and not the servants of the people. Just look at their blue-light cavalcades” Kota added.

Meanwhile, the University of Cape Town said it had blanked out its home page in protest against the bill.

“UCT opposes the lack of a 'public interest defence' in the current version of the bill. Without such a defence mechanism, for instance, members of the media would not be able to fulfil their role as a watchdog,” the university said in a statement.