Zuma Tells Parliament to Revise Secrecy Bill

South African President Jacob Zuma said Thursday he had sent a secrecy bill, seen as a threat to whistleblowers and investigative journalists, back to lawmakers to rework "irrational" clauses.

"I am of the view that the bill as it stands does not pass the constitutional muster," he told journalists in Cape Town.

The information bill was passed in April by parliament and sent to Zuma to be signed into law, despite an outcry from activists that it will muzzle the media and provide cover for government corruption.

The bill, which targets the classification and protection of sensitive material, has been referred to parliament's main chamber, the National Assembly, for reconsideration, Zuma said.

Two problematic sections in the legislation - known as the Protection of State Information Bill - lacked "meaning and coherence" and were "irrational" and "unconstitutional", he said.

"I realized that there are sections that needed to be fixed," said Zuma.

The president found fault with sections dealing with the failure to report the possession of classified information, and on the improper classification of material.

Under the bill, espionage-related cases carry a punishment of up to 25 years in jail, and holding or disclosing classified material carries a maximum of five years' imprisonment.

The bill first mooted in 2008, is meant to replace an apartheid-era law. It has already gone through several amendments.

The opposition, media and rights groups have fiercely opposed the bill, fearing it will be used to persecute whistleblowers and stifle press freedom in a country where the media regularly uncover government corruption and wasteful spending.

In recent years journalists have used leaked documents to expose high-level graft blamed on officials of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

The officials included Zuma, who was implicated and appeared in court on charges relating to an arms deal. The charges were dropped just months before he became head of state.

Press reporting has also led to allegations that Zuma spent tens of millions of dollars of taxpayers' cash to renovate his private home.