The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply concerned about the high level of misinformation, fake news and disinformation relating to Covid-19 and to vaccination. We wish to caution against the spread of news intentionally misleading the public which has become an increasing problem for the functioning of our democracies, affecting individuals’ understanding of reality.
We note that social media is increasingly used to influence and manipulate public opinion and societal attitudes towards the COVID-19 crisis. A growing number of government officials, political representatives and some misguided individuals are turning to internet platforms and media outlets to exert influence and to peddle disinformation on vaccines and COVID-19.
We therefore call on the country’s media outlets to debunk misinformation, disinformation and fake news about COVID-19 and vaccines. We urge journalists to be cautious in their continued efforts of balancing news reports not to allow anti-vaccination comments without scientific response. SANEF does not call for censorship, but for sensible, fair and balanced open debate on these sensitive issues. They are a matter of life and death for the nation.
Amid controversy surrounding the perceived safety of vaccines, SANEF calls on news outlets to explain vaccines and how they work quoting credible science-based institutions and experts to counter the spread of hate and fear or the perpetuation of misunderstandings.
We believe that the media’s commitment to fairness and balance should be guided by its concomitant responsibility to prioritise the public interest, based on the objective and factual verification required to make the news accurate and credible.
SANEF also encourages citizens to report disinformation to the real411.org online portal. This includes false, inaccurate, or misleading information that is designed, presented, and promoted online and on social media platforms to intentionally cause public harm. There is also the Ombuds office in the Press Council as well as the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) to deal with print and broadcasting, respectively.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
The South African National Editors’ Forum calls on the leadership of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF) to step in and discipline its Director of Information and Publicity, Tafadzwa Tuboy Mugwadi, who is assaulting media freedom and freedom of expression daily on social media.
SANEF has sadly noted the blatant sexist and misogynistic vitriol directed from Mugwadi to SABC Foreign Editor Sophie Mokoena in a bid to intimidate, harass and stop her from doing her job of reporting on Zimbabwe and the continent.
Mugwadi seems to have taken it personally that Mokoena asked tough questions about the whereabouts of Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa amid the Coronavirus crisis in the country.
SANEF advises both Mugwadi and the ZANU-PF to direct their complaint, if any, about Mokoena’s reporting to the SABC management and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA).
In September 2020, we expressed our serious concern about the vicious online and social media trolling of women journalists and media workers in Zimbabwe. At the time, we cautioned against the tweets by George Charamba, the Press Secretary in the Office of the President of Zimbabwe and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information of Zimbabwe, who was behind the attacks on Mokoena and a colleague, Peter Ndoro. We cautioned that Charamba’s actions – assisted by Nick Mangwana, Secretary for Information in Zimbabwe – were creating significant professional harm. We asked them to stop.
And now Mugwadi has taken over the job of intimidating, sowing disinformation and discrediting the integrity of news media outlets that report on Zimbabwe’s political and administrative crises.
Recently, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)’s Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media noted that female journalists and bloggers throughout the globe are being inundated with threats of murder, rape, physical violence and graphic imagery via email, comment sections and across social media platforms.
This affects all elements of democracy, which thrives when a plurality of voices are reflected online. Yet, one group of voices has come under attack in the most disturbing and dangerous of ways.
SANEF joins world organisations defending media freedom and freedom of expression in efforts to bring awareness of the issue to the African Union’s participating States, media companies and civil society about the growing threats to female journalists with widespread repercussions including them opting out of reporting on certain issues, leaving social media and retreating into silence.
Hopewell Chin’ono’s third arrest
SANEF also calls on Zimbabwe police to stop the relentless intimidation and harassment of journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, who was arrested for the third time on Friday 8th January 2021 for doing his job. We call for his unconditional and immediate release.
Chin’ono tweeted upon his arrest: “They say they are charging me with communicating falsehoods for tweeting that a child had been beaten up and died by a police officer! They are taking me to the Law-and-order section at Harare Central Police Station.”
Chin’ono was among many Zimbabweans who tweeted about the incident, demanding answers.
In response, the police offered a different version of events in a statement.
Chin’ono was first arrested in July on charges of inciting violent anti-government protests. He was arrested again in November on charges of obstructing justice.
The multiple award-winning freelance journalist and documentary filmmaker, who works mostly for British and SA broadcasters. was freed on bail awaiting trial for both cases. Chin’ono is a critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule. He has a large social media following and has helped expose corruption involving Covid-19 funding.
SANEF believes that this hostile environment is a direct attack on freedom of expression.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
Former Ambassador, Journalist and Activist, Jon Qwelane
Former diplomat and veteran journalist Jon Qwelane died at the age of 68 on Christmas Eve on Thursday. He was appointed South Africa’s ambassador to Uganda in 2010.
Veteran journalist Dan Moyane said Qwelane should be remembered for his work. “He had very strong views about issues in the country way back in 1999, especially on issues about race and injustice. You have to remember JQ’s contribution is a legendary contribution to journalism in this country. His sharp pen earned him the status of a hero among many young journalists in this country.”
Qwelane worked for various media houses as a writer, broadcaster and an editor for many years. He was also known as a fearless and prolific journalist and talk show host who pushed the envelope and influenced public discourse.
He made his mark as a print journalist working for The Star and the Sunday Star, for which he also wrote columns. He produced op-ed pieces and had two regular columns in the 1990s: Jon’s Jive, which appeared on Saturdays, and Just Jon on Sundays.
Qwelane was a founder member of the Writers Association of SA and was the recipient of the SA National Editors’ Forum coveted Nat Nakasa Award in 1998.
In 2010, he was appointed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation as South Africa’s High Commissioner to Uganda for a four-year term.
“He served his country with distinction and unwavering commitment,” said ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe.
“President [Cyril Ramaphosa] had instructed that the National Flag fly at half-mast in the North West province on the day of the funeral of Qwelane, this as a sign of respect to him,” a statement by the Office of the North West Premier Job Mokgoro said.
The veteran journalist has recently been in a legal battle for his controversial 2008 column titled: “Call me names but gay is not okay”. The hate speech matter is now before the Constitutional Court for declaration.
SANEF sent its heartfelt condolences to the Qwelane family, friends, the media fraternity and the diplomatic community.
The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has learnt with great sadness of the untimely death of journalist, writer, editor and founder of the online publication Indian Spice, Naufal Khan (39). He died on Monday after a long illness.
Khan plied his craft at the Sunday Times, Thomson’s Travel and Independent Newspapers, always nurturing the dream of a relevant publication that spoke to the Indian community in South Africa, in all its diversity.
He has been described as a person who served the truth with unflinching courage and called out injustice wheresoever he found it. He dedicated the last four years to Indian Spice, growing it into a large online platform that consistently broke big stories, which gave the Indian community the blend of news that they wanted, and was itself the topic of many mealtime conversations.
His long-time friend and Media Specialist in the public sector, Sureshinee Govender said: “His bravery and courage and the sense of deep humanity for all living creatures were rare. Naufal embraced all religions and was an example to all of us not to use religion to sow divisions but to unite in service to humanity.”
Khan fought to the bitter end but succumbed to his illness after an operation and more than a month stay in critical care in hospital, unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tributes have poured in from thousands of his friends, fellow journalists, followers of his Indian Spice and those individuals whose cause he took up.
“We will mourn him and celebrate what he has achieved as the chronicle of his community,” said Derek Abdinor, Khan’s partner in Adishakti Media.
“His standard as the modern digital storyteller and the impact that a truthful voice can have will inspire generations.”
He was a contributor and supporter of MambaOnline. “His death is a tragic loss to both the Indian and the LGBTQ communities in South Africa,” said MambaOnline’s editor Luiz De Barros.
Nivashni Nair, Sunday Times senior journalist who knew Khan for more than 15 years said: “It came as no surprise that, after many years of working at various media houses, Naufal would go on to be the editor, creative mastermind and soul of an award-winning website which found success on all social media networks.”
Khan thrived on breaking stories on His investigative stories often led to arrests and convictions.
SANEF extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has learned with profound sadness of the passing of Daily Sun photographer Lucky Nxumalo.
Nxumalo lost his battle to cancer on Sunday evening after a long battle against the disease at his Orlando East home in Soweto where he grew up, surrounded by his family. He had just turned 51 years old on December 2.
“We have known and loved Lucky for his incredibly positive and exuberant attitude and genuine and kind spirit that touched all of us. It shone ever so brightly in his work through his lens. The journalism industry is poorer without his contribution. He will be sorely missed by the Daily Sun family and our deepest condolences go out to his wife Tumi, his six children and his family. Funeral details will be shared in due course,” said Daily Sun’s editor-in-chief Mapula Nkosi.
Nxumalo first picked up a camera in his teens earning money as a street photographer. His journalism career as a photographer started in the mid-80s with several freelance gigs at local magazines and newspapers.
Having excelled in covering various beats including entertainment, hard news and sports, he was one of rare breed of journalists who had the talent to connect with people from kings to hawkers with admirable ease. Nxumalo nurtured all these relationships that turned his contact book and sources from all spheres of life into the envy of many journalists. Young journalists who worked with him over the years were as a result, mentored and eased into journalism using his impeccable sources.
Colleagues speak in awe of his unlimited kindness where he would always end up helping the subjects in the stories he had covered and would keep in touch with them for years to come. In his early years, he loved documenting Mzansi’s showbiz stars, particularly documenting the life and times of Brenda Fassie and other iconic showbiz trailblazers of the 90s.
“Lucky knew a lot of people and he had good contacts. I remember he was invited to Kenny Kunene’s 40th birthday party in Sandton and the “King of Sushi” ate sushi off a bikini-clad model. City Press was the only publication that had the picture on that Sunday and Lucky had taken it,” former Sowetan and City Press picture editor, Ruth Motau, recalled some of his exploits.
The sushi king and that iconic picture has since become part of the history of an intriguing moment in Mzansi’s popular culture.
Photographer Neo Ntsoma described Nxumalo as “an exceptional photographer, a true friend, and a gentleman who always made sure that female photographers felt safe around him even when out in the field covering assignments that were somehow compromising of our safety”.
“He would often shield us from possible danger or even offer to carry our camera gear just like a true big brother whose main concern was to protect the lives of those he cared for the most. The industry has lost a true lensman. Lucky Nxumalo was a legend in his own right. He was truly dedicated to his craft. What a loving soul we have lost. I feel blessed to have crossed paths with him in his lifetime,” said Ms Ntsoma.
Outside showbiz, Nxumalo kept pace with his many police contacts covering raids and arrests and he was equally at home on the political frontlines recording the turbulent 90s protests or at the Soweto Derby covering soccer. A former colleague, Antonio Muchave recalled how Lucky practised for weeks to master the art of taking sports pictures. This turned him into a regular feature at all the big soccer matches during the 90s and 2000s.
At the time of his passing Nxumalo had been Daily Sun’s photographer for the past 12 years since 2008. He also did most of the photographic work for Sunday Sun. Before working for Daily Sun, Nxumalo had worked for Sowetan Newspaper and City Press and was also a freelance photographer at Bona Magazine.
SANEF extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. Lala ngoxolo Zwide.
Tribute to a true lensman
By Neo Ntsoma
I have not only lost an industry colleague. Lucky was a true comrade and a brother whom I was introduced to by the legendary photographer Thomas “Bra Tom” Khoza around 1996 at his film processing Lab at corner Nugget and End street, Johannesburg.
Back in 1996, during the difficult times of my life as an unemployed aspiring photographer and young mother straight from photo school, I was fortunately introduced to a young man, a slightly seasoned photographer, Lucky Nxumalo, at Tom’s Lab in downtown Joburg.
The film processing and photo printing lab sat the corner of End and Nugget Streets, was home to many black freelance photographers and fans of Bra Tom, as he is affectionately known.
I had arrived from Mafikeng one morning to print photos for a kindergarten for their end of year calendar promo packages.
For some reason, Lucky was the one I connected with the most. He was the most charismatic of the lot. I did not have a place to spend the night. Lucky took a chance and offered me a place to sleep at his mother’s house at Orlando East.
At that time, no male person had ever shown me any kindness without expecting any compromising favours in return. The next morning we jumped into a taxi back to town where he showed me where I could have my photos printed on calendars and coffee mugs at a reduced price.
He was not just an exceptional photographer but a true friend, and a gentleman who always made sure that female photographers felt safe around him even when out in the field covering assignments that were somehow compromising of our safety. He would often shield us from possible danger or even offer to carry our camera gear just like a true big brother whose main concern was to protect the lives of those he cared for the most. Lucky Nxumalo was a legend in his own right and a dedicated craftsman. The industry has lost a true lensman. What a loving soul we have lost. I feel blessed to have crossed paths with him in his lifetime.
Nxumalo was a humanitarian
By Ruth Motau
Everyone who has crossed paths with Lucky Nxumalo has had a good share of his kindness. Lux was a humanitarian as I used to call him. He had a heart of gold. He was reliable and always willing to go an extra mile. Lucky was a lifesaver. There were moments where I did not have any photographer to go on a sudden assignment at night or out of town. He always came to my rescue. He will go without hesitation.
When I started working at the Sowetan in 2004, I found him there. We worked for a couple of years, and he left to join City Press.
I later joined him at City Press, and he had the same work ethic. Lucky knew a lot of people, and he had incredible contacts.
I remember he was invited to Kenny Kunene’s 40th birthday party in Sandton and the king of sushi ate off from bikini-clad model. As a result, the City Press was the only publication that had the picture on Sunday that Lucky had taken.
When I had to assign Lucky on a job, and he had to cross an unfortunate situation, sometimes he will forget and miss those decisive moments of good images because he will be busy helping instead of taking photographs. I had to always keep track of his activities, especially when he was out of town because he was a humanitarian.
One time as I was leaving my house going to the office and a suspicious guy outside my driveway and he had his wheel jerked up. I asked him why he parked right at my gate, and he said something about his car that I did not understand. When I got to the office, I told Lucky the incident. The following morning it happened again, and the same guy had parked next to my driveway. I immediately drove back to the house and called Lucky. He called a police superintendent in my area.
Within five minutes, I received a call from the superintendent. A police vehicle was dispatched to my house, and the guy removed from my driveway with a warning. I never saw that car again.
When I joined the Sowetan as a Picture Editor for months I did not understand him, he will be all over the place everywhere. People will also come to the office looking for him. If they did not find him then the receptionist will call me saying some people have been waiting for hours for Lucky. When I talk to them, they were there to thank him because for years they were trying to get ID documents and Lucky helped them.
Lucky was larger than life and an amazing human being. Sometimes we fought about unsatisfactory work with him, and he would not take it personally. Like any other human, he made mistakes but what a beautiful spirit he had.
Last week I received a frantic call from Lucky Morajane after he visited Nxumalo. He told me that Lucky was not well and asked if we could try and help him financially. The next morning, I was with him. He was in high spirit as always and telling me how he was fighting to stay alive. He spoke about some of his plans.
We then spoke briefly about getting some of his pictures sold to raise funds as he hinted that there was a shortfall from paying his medical bills, and it worried him. I was also talking to one of his close friends about fundraising for him because he needed funds every month to pay some bills. Our meeting was due on Wednesday because he promised me to be on his computer during the weekend and look for some images. At 00:12 on Monday morning 21 December 2020, I received a message from his friend and photographer Sphiwe Sibeko saying that Nxumalo was no more.
Considering his will and the determination I observed last week, I was convinced he will beat the disease.
I am now finding myself writing a tribute to him rather than a proposal that I have been preparing for days to raise funds for him. May his beautiful soul rest in eternal peace.
He will be dearly missed.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) notes the ruling by Magistrate Dawn Soomaroo on our application for the broadcasting of the court case involving the matter of former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede and 16 others.
We are disappointed that our application to have the proceedings of the case broadcast has been denied. Although not clearly stated, the application to record for purposes of radio also appears to have been denied. The Magistrate has not yet issued reasons for her ruling, but this will be requested by SANEF. SANEF believes that there is a clear basis for an appeal to the High Court based on this ruling.
To download Magistrate Dawn Soomaroo’s ruling click here
The media will only be permitted to do the following:
1. Six journalists can attend court, subject to SANEF providing a list of attendees to the court manager five days prior to each court date. This ruling was made because the court manager requested that all parties must let the court know beforehand who is going to be present to enable them to control access to the building and manage the situation for Covid-19 purposes;
2. Photos and video recordings can be taken inside the courtroom for 15 minutes before court, during any adjournment and at the end of proceedings each day.
No photographs or videos may be taken in the corridors outside the courtroom. In court, on Thursday 10 December 2020, the Magistrate expressed concern about the fact that there are sexual offences courts that take place on the same floor and she doesn’t want the media to inadvertently disclose the identities of the people involved in those proceedings.
The only other aspect of the request that has been granted is that an additional empty courtroom will be made available for members of the media to use when attending court. The application for an additional room was made in order to link a TV screen broadcasting the proceedings to help an extra number of journalists report from there since the seats inside the court are limited due to COVID-19 protocols. While this will now be of limited use without the TV screens, it will assist with the accommodation of journalists at court.
SANEF also notes that this ruling will only apply to the pre-trial proceedings that this magistrate will be presiding over and not to the trial itself. SANEF has been informed that once the trial begins, a new presiding officer will be appointed and that the case may even be moved to the High Court. This presents an opportunity for the media to once again apply for media access once the trial begins.
SANEF has received legal advice that this ruling, unfortunately, deviates from the principles set out in the leading Supreme Court of Appeal case on the matter which endorses the approach that broadcasting should generally be permitted subject to reasonable restrictions unless there is a real risk that substantial prejudice will occur.
We also believe that Magistrate Soomaroo’s ruling does not accord with the approach stated in the Guidelines on Media Access to Magistrate Court Proceedings issued by the Magistrates Commission earlier this year which state that courts should not restrict the nature and scope of broadcasting unless prejudice is demonstrable and there is a real risk that such prejudice will occur.
In essence, what the Magistrate has done is ban all video coverage while court is in session – even broadcasts of counsel making an argument and of her handing down rulings, which the Guideline states should be allowed unless the presiding officer rules otherwise.
Meanwhile, SANEF will endeavour to persuade the Magistrates Commission to implement training for all Magistrates around the Guidelines to ensure that the principle of open justice is upheld without the need to resort to lengthy and costly litigation.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) condemns the indiscriminate shooting by the police that injured Lowveld Media (Caxton Group) journalist, Thobile Mlangeni in Mbombela, last week Thursday 26 November. Mlangeni was hit by a rubber bullet while covering a peaceful protest by artists.
Mlangeni stated that the protest was peaceful but that police started firing rubber bullets at close range without warning after the protesters refused to leave the venue – demanding that the MEC come to receive their memorandum in person. Mlangeni wrote in her statement that there was no warning to the crowd to disperse.
She stated that she was injured even though she had sought refuge under a pickup truck that was used as a stage by the protesters. She has reported the incident to the Mbombela SAPS – CAS 9/12/2020.
Her injuries come amid an outcry around the world, against harassment of journalists by law enforcement agents. While bringing news from the ground, the United Nations Agency, UNICEF acknowledged that journalists were highly vulnerable to contracting the infectious COVID-19 virus but also had to deal with the daily routine of mistreatment by the police.
Meanwhile, the New-York-based Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ) has reported a plethora of incidents from various African countries in the months since Covid-19 lockdowns were enforced. CPJ has urged the 16 heads of state in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to prioritise media freedom and safety.
SANEF calls on the South African authorities to guarantee the freedom and safety of journalists covering all stories, including protests and marches during the pandemic and to hold to account all those responsible for abuses against reporters.
Note to Editors: The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is a non-profit organisation whose members are editors, senior journalists and journalism trainers from all areas of the South African media. We are committed to championing South Africa’s hard-won freedom of expression and promoting quality, ethics and diversity in the South African media. We promote excellence in journalism through fighting for media freedom, writing policy submissions, research and education and training programmes. SANEF is not a union.
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said the power utility had recovered more than R1bn from companies that played a role in state capture. The power utility was also making headway in recovering more money from companies and individuals fingered in corruption, De Ruyter said.
De Ruyter was addressing the South African National Editors’ Forum fundraising breakfast event in Johannesburg. Watch his entire speechhere
“In exposing the malfeasance that has characterised Eskom for so long, we have been able to recover R1.1bn from McKinsey. We have recovered in excess of R770m from Deloitte consulting,” said De Ruyter at the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) fundraising event on Friday.
He said Eskom was in the process of recovering more than R700m from Trillian and from PwC Consulting.
“We’ve also gone after the individuals who have sought to enrich themselves at the expense of SA, of the taxpayer and of electricity consumers, by launching in conjunction with the SIU an R3.8bn claim against the Guptas, Salim Essa, Mosebenzi Zwane and former Eskom executives including former CEOs.”
“The principle is not so much that we will recover all the money — much of the money I’m sure has been stashed safely away in strange jurisdictions around the world — but we understand that without holding people to account, you open the doors to a free-for-all,” De Ruyter said.
The power utility, he said, had parted ways with no fewer than 30 senior executives and managers.
“We are continuing to investigate and register cases to hold those to account. The sad part is that as a consequence of state capture, such an important institution as Eskom has been hollowed out to a very large extent and it’s not only reflected in the poor maintenance of our power stations, which we are recovering. It’s not only reflected in how we have handled billing of municipalities, but it’s also in systems and processes in our very culture as an organisation.
“Rebuilding the ethos that made Eskom the top global utility in the world as recently as 2001 — that is a mountain we have to climb,” he said.
Political leadership should also be held to account, De Ruyter said.
He said he had not experienced any political interference, particularly from public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan.
“I think I have been given a free hand to do what I think is best from a business perspective, in conjunction with the Eskom board.
“There is no pressure on me to award a contract to a particular vendor. There is no pressure on me to appoint particular people in particular positions and that I think is crucial in restoring trust.”
With Eskom’s gross debt approaching half a trillion rand, De Ruyter said the utility posed a systemic risk to the country’s economy.
“We need to find a way of making Eskom financially sustainable and that is a challenge we are engaged with now.
“We are grateful for the fiscal support we receive from the National Treasury. Up until 2026, we anticipate that we will be receiving about R121bn. The sad part of this fiscal support is that its money that is diverted from other key national priorities. We need to wean ourselves off taxpayers’ support as soon as possible.”
The best way to move away from taxpayers’ support, De Ruyter said, was for Eskom to charge cost-effective tariffs.
“No business can survive by selling its product below its cost of production.”
De Ruyter also announced that Eskom was on Friday on its 40th day of not burning any diesel to support its system.
“This is at the same time as we have taken out for long-term maintenance — the so-called reliability maintenance programme — 11 units, which is equivalent to two major power stations that we have taken off the grid that we are now maintaining.
“For us to be able to keep the country’s lights on without using diesel while doing maintenance, I think is good.”
He said diesel cost Eskom R10m per hour.
“It speaks to the need for us to fix the operational integrity of Eskom.”
This included getting Medupi and Kusile functioning well, he said.
“We are making good progress on that. We now know what the design defects are that have bedevilled those two plants. We have implemented modifications on four of the units at Medupi and we are now at a point where those units can operate to their full capacity.”
Colleagues, we meet today amid the persistent and powerful winds of public opinion ravaging our newsrooms, pummelling us into unchartered territories and blowing us into acrimonious and embarrassing finger-pointing charades as seen on the Twitter streets recently.
There seems to be a wedge developing between and among our tradesmen and tradeswomen and also with some of our customers. It is a regrettable development that unfortunately undermines the fragile public confidence in our profession.
Journalism does not belong to the media proprietors, shareholders or media managers – it is a public good – even though it has commercial undertones. Our customers deserve better from us. They are bound to us by that novel word – credibility – we dare not lose this!
Some of the people who walked before us such as Nat Nakasa, Aggrey Klaaste, Zwelakhe Sisulu and Allister Sparks, understood that journalism is essential to the health of our democracy through exposing wrongdoing, reflecting the state of our society, and facilitating conversations on the burning issues of the day.
Public interest is at the heart of ethical journalism. It stands to reason that ethical journalism is the only kind of journalism that can ever be in the public interest. So, what is ethical journalism? There are some easy answers and some that lead to more questions.
At the starting blocks, journalists must have the interests of the readers and the citizenry at heart. Journalists must not be gullible and should strongly resist influence from commercial, financial or even political interests. They must strive to be impartial – no matter the provocation or agitation.
Next, practising the basics of good journalism will develop our ethical muscles and save us from many lapses: don’t make up your mind until you have heard all sides of the story, make fulsome and sincere efforts to get all sides of the story, speak to multiple sources, get documentary or other evidence whenever it is appropriate, probe the motives of your sources, provide context wherever possible, be accurate, be fair.
But even this is not always enough. If there is one thing that the past decade has taught us, it is to be more sceptical about the motives of the people who leak stories to us, particularly when they involve people in power or people standing in the way of abuse of power.
An easy narrative is one where there are good guys and bad guys. But the fact is that we are all flawed, and so are the people we write about. We need to spend more time investigating motives and unravelling the relationships and histories of the people we write about before we publish.
We will never have the full picture and never have all the facts. We should therefore be humble about how authoritatively we state facts. We should be more transparent with our readers about how we reach conclusions and state when there are gaps in our knowledge.
Even when we think we know the story we must remain open to information that could change the narrative or shed new light of information already in the public domain.
Human relationships can be tricky, and none of us is so unscrupulous as to cultivate sources without also forming an authentic connection with those people. Nonetheless, journalists must be able to negotiate their relationships with their contacts and sources without losing sight of what the relationship is.
These relationships are transactional in the sense that they are about information and controlling the narrative. There is always the possibility of manipulation. We have to resist the temptation to be flattered into thinking that powerful or influential people are our friends.
Sometimes we get stories that are true and in the public interest – and are still only leaked in order to weaken someone or to lead attention away from some other malfeasance. We must be alert to these manipulations. Not to say we shouldn’t report them, but we must understand why the story is being leaked, and why we want to publish it. And if possible, we should explain this to our readers too.
One of the gravest errors of our recent past was to become attached to a narrative and then stick stubbornly to it even when the cracks started showing. Another was to publish before the story was ready.
The practice of ethical journalism is not only a question for the individual journalist. The organisational culture needs to encourage, nurture and support journalists to be courageous. It needs to not only tolerate but also encourage journalists to stand their ground with their managers if their stories are edited to make them take a stronger line than the facts can sustain.
At an organisational level, the practice of ethical journalism also encompasses the stories we chose to write about and the ones we don’t.
# Molebeledi delivered this edited speech at the SANEF Fundraising Breakfast on 4th December 2020 on behalf of Arena Holdings, who are the new publishers of the Sunday Times, Financial Mail, Business Day, Sowetan, The Herald and Vrye Weekblad among others.
# The keynote address was delivered by Eskom CEO on “Restructuring Eskom beyond the energy crisis”. Please watch his speechhere
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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is deeply concerned about the high level of misinformation, fake news and disinformation relating to Covid-19 and to vaccination. We wish to caution against the spread of news intentionally misleading the public which has become an increasing problem for the functioning of our democracies, affecting individuals’ understanding of reality.
