Cape Town - Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha has welcomed the Supreme Court of Appeal's judgment on the appeal lodged by the State against Media24’s live streaming of Henri van Breda’s ongoing murder trial.

The appeal was lodged by the National Director of Public Prosecutions against a Western Cape High Court judgment, allowing the media covering the trial to take photographs before trial and during adjournments.

The Supreme Court of Appeal on Thursday ruled that a request to broadcast a criminal case should be decided by the trial court on a case-by-case basis after a proper application has been brought before it.

“The minister welcomes the balancing act demonstrated by the SCA in terms of a right to a fair trial versus media freedom and the right to know, as well as the jurisprudence it sought to establish through this judgment,” Masutha's spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga, said.

Mhaga said the appeal had been brought to protect witnesses testifying on criminal matters, allowing them to give evidence in a manner free from any scrutiny that may arise due to a live broadcast of their testimony.