The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) welcomes the news that President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken steps to have the controversial and draconian ‘’Secrecy Bill” reviewed and aligned with the Constitution.
SANEF ‘s key concern throughout has been the lack of a public interest defence – and this review will now allow for this provision to be introduced.
The Protection of State Information Bill has remained unsigned for seven years after it was passed by Parliament following numerous submissions and acrimonious debate. The Bill sought to replace the notorious, Public Information Act of 1982.
Throughout the years SANEF has joined forces with a number of media freedom groups and activists to raise awareness about the unconstitutional nature of many parts of the Bill. Further, we have made a number of submissions to Parliament. One of the most draconian aspects of the present Bill, for instance, includes a 15 to 25-year jail term for any journalist found to have ‘’classified” documents in their possession.
SANEF welcomes this opportunity to ensure that all aspects of the Bill that are unconstitutional, or too broadly defined, are redrafted – and we would be happy to give further input to finalise it.
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 death in detention of Cameroonian journalist, Samuel Wazizi and the ongoing attacks on journalists in the USA and UK.
In the US the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has noted over 300 media freedom violations since 26 May 2020 where reporters and camera operators have been punched or hit or their equipment damaged as they covered the protests against the murder of George Floyd. SANEF notes that journalists have been beaten, pepper-sprayed and arrested by police in numbers never documented in the US before. In the UK, a journalist was treated for head injuries in Westminster after protests got violent in London on 3 June 2020.
Courtney Radsch, advocacy director at the CPJ, states that what sets the past few days apart in the US, was the targeting of journalists by law enforcement agencies, even after they had identified themselves as members of the press. Some protesters and groups of “vigilantes” committed some of the violence wielding bats. This was according to the US Press Freedom Tracker, a non-partisan website of which the CPJ is a founding partner.
In terms of Cameroon, SANEF joins The African Editors Forum (TAEF) and CPJ in expressing dismay as regards the fact that the Cameroonian Defence Force, in whose hands Wazizi died, kept his death a secret and did not inform his family.
According to CPJ, Wazizi disappeared 10 months ago after he was taken by the police who then later handed him over to the Cameroon Defence Force. The Cameroonian Ministry of Defence stated on 5 June 2020, disclosing that Wazizi had allegedly died of sepsis on 17 August 2019. The family was only told on 3 June 2020.
SANEF calls on the President of Cameroon Paul Biya as well as the African Union to launch an independent investigation into the death of Wazizi and the subsequent cover-up by the army.
SANEF supports the remarks made by TAEF Chairperson, Jovial Rantao. Rantao stated, “The time has arrived for the harassment, intimidation and killing of journalists by members of the Cameroonian Defence Force to come to an end. These acts of crime visited upon journalists just for doing their work are reprehensible, and those responsible must face the full wrath of the law. We demand justice for Samuel Wazizi.”
Further, we support the statements made by Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa Programme Coordinator. She stated that “It is unbelievable that authorities covered up his death in custody for ten months despite repeated inquiries from press freedom advocates and his family, colleagues, friends, and lawyers”. She stated, “An independent autopsy should be conducted immediately, and Cameroon must also launch an independent commission of inquiry so that those responsible for Wazizi’s death are held accountable.”
CPJ has explained that Wazizi is the second journalist to die in custody in Cameroon over the last decade. In 2010 journalist Bibi Ngota died in Kondengui prison. His death certificate cited the cause of his death as a lack of medical attention while in detention. CPJ has confirmed that are seven journalists in jail in Cameroon.
SANEF would like to add its voice in calling on the government of Cameroon to immediately release journalists that are being held for their professional activities. We also call on African states to adhere to the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, which calls on countries to develop legislation and mechanisms favourable to freedom of expression and information. The African Union should also actively promote media freedom on the continent, in line with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other protocols.
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.
Media researcher, Reg Rumney has shared his presentation on the impact of COVID19 on news media sustainability.
The presentation kicked off the launch of the SANEF COVID19 Impact on Journalism Report that was held on Monday, June 01. The event was attended by different media partners, media organizations, journalists and editors.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) held its webinar on Monday, 1 June 2020 to discuss the impact coronavirus has had on the media industry.
The webinar was chaired by EWN’s Editor-in-Chief and SANEF Chairperson Mahlatse Mahlase with panelists News24 Editor-in-Chief Adriaan Basson, SABC’s Editor-in-Chief Phathiswa Magopeni, AIP Executive Director Carol Mohlala, and Researcher Reg Rumney.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) launched its “Covid19 impact on Journalism” report. The report was launched at a webinar held on 1 June 2020.
The hope is that this desktop research will be a starting point to assist the media industry in developing a way forward – leading to practical projects to assist journalists and the industry.
SANEF will be announcing plans for the second phase shortly.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) held a virtual meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday 31 May 2020. The meeting followed the battle South Africa has been having with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The virtual meeting with our SANEF delegation and senior editors of different media houses, afforded President Ramaphosa an opportunity to listen to the challenges and the plight of the media industry as it faces the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Today, 1 June 2020, the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) is launching its “Covid19 impact on Journalism” report. Our hope is that this desktop research will be a starting point to assist us in developing a way forward – leading to practical projects to assist journalists and the industry. We will be announcing our plans for the second phase shortly.
The report will be launched at a webinar that will be held today at noon.
Please register to participate at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7JLUOOwfRVe5-omYa2OZnA
Some of the important conclusions of the report point to the following:
The biggest upside of this dark period for the industry has been the massive surge in traffic to credible online news sources. Traffic to news websites increased by 72% in March, while these sites saw a 44% growth in unique browsers. Many news websites saw double-digit growth in their audience numbers, with News24, Business Insider, The Citizen, Fin24 and EWN growing their traffic with more than 50% in March. In terms of the SABC, the average audience for Zulu language TV news on SABC, the week after the national disaster was declared, increased 40% and Xhosa News audiences rose by 60%.
That the print industry has been placed under particular pressure. The first and most visible casualty was the magazine industry with the closure of two magazine publishers with the loss of 97 jobs at the one publisher and up to 250 at the other. Away from the limelight, small, independent, hyperlocal print publications were also ravaged. This was in the first phase of the lockdown as small publishers were unable to access emergency funding, resulting in the loss of an estimated 300 to 400 journalist jobs. Also, workers at three of the so-called Big 4 print media companies were forced to take salary cuts of up to 45% and temporary lay-offs have been widely implemented.
That neither the regional and national newspapers of the Big 4 South African publishers nor broadcasting was immune to the plunge in advertising, which varies from an estimated 40% to 100%. Added to this was the disappearance of third-stream revenue from such sources as the hosting of events. Subscriber revenue has never been more valuable.
That the crisis brought on by the Covid-19 lockdowns has pushed over the edge operations that were imperiled or survivalist, and arguably have highlighted fissures in the news media industry. How well the news media will emerge from the crisis will depend on the speed of the economic recovery and the attendant increase in advertising revenue. The outlook is that the economy will shrink by at least 6% and 16% in the worst-case scenario, the biggest economic contraction in South Africa’s history. Best case is a sharp, short recession followed by a sharp, short recovery.
That some of the ills of the news media will not wane with the crisis, such as the conundrum of print publishers migrating to a less profitable online environment, and the damage wrought by the change in news media business models and the problem of Google and Facebook soaking up the lion’s share of online advertising revenue. In any event, the crisis has shown the need for thinking about emergency funding for the news media in the short term and sustainable funding models as it adapts to the new digital realities of the 21st century in the long-term – and the world after the coronavirus.
SANEF welcomes rigorous engagement around these findings – and what is to be done. The starting point for this debate is our webinar at noon. Please read the report here :SANEF Covid Impact Research Final Report9 (optimized)
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.
Cape Town Metro Police officer barring a journalist from covering the eviction of refugees the Central Methodist Mission on Greenmarket Square. Pic: Unknown
In response to the Judge H Fabricius’ judgement handed down in the matter of Mr Collins Khosa on Friday, 15 May 2020, in the North Gauteng (Pretoria) High Court of South Africa, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has through its National Service Complaints Centre created a platform enabling the public and the media to report allegations of police brutality or cruelty, inhumane and/or degrading treatment and/or punishment, committed by members of the SAPS.
The public may, for the duration of the State of Disaster, report complaints regarding the SAPS at the nearest police station, the National Service Complaints Centre on the toll-free number 0800 333 177 or on the following email addresses
Complaints can vary from torture and/or cruel, inhumane, and/or degrading treatment and/or punishment, committed by law enforcement members including poor service delivery regarding police response, investigations, police negligence and police misconduct.
When you report a complaint, the respective complaint will be required to contain detailed information such as full names and surname, identity number, residential/business address, telephone and cell phone numbers and an email address.
Complainants will also be required to give a detailed description of what occurred during the incident including the province/area in which the complaint originates as well as the date and time of the incident and details of the SAPS officials involved.
The national state of disaster has created an unprecedented situation which requires the co-operation of everyone to prevent, limit, contain, combat and manage the spreading of COVID-19. Law enforcement agencies are expected to ensure that the disaster management regulations are adhered to by all inhabitants of the country.
Regulations and Directions are available at http://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/ regulations/regulations.php
Members of the public suspected to be in contravention of the disaster management regulations may expect the following to happen:
– Be arrested or requested to accompany a law enforcement officer to a police station;
– If the offence is of a serious nature, the person may be detained, subject hereto that he or she must be brought before a court as soon as reasonably possible, but no later than 48 hours after the arrest.;
– The person may apply for bail at his or her appearance in court;
– If the offence is less serious, the community service centre commander or the senior member of the SAPS in charge must consider the release of a person (in consultation with the investigating officer) ─
(a) on a written warning to appear in court (section 72 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977) [Form SAPS 496 will be issued with a court date];
(b) on written notice (section 56 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977) (Form J 534 will be issued with an option to pay a fine or appear in court on the date indicated on the form. This option enables a person to pay an admission of guilt fine and to be released thereafter. This means that the person will not have to appear in court, but by paying the admission of guilt fine, it is regarded as if the person has been convicted in court on the charge and the person will have a criminal record);
(c) on bail (sections 59 and 59A of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977) [J398 or J399] (This means that an amount for the bail will be determined by the relevant police official or the prosecutor. The person will have to appear on a date indicated on the receipt);
(d) after a charge has been withdrawn through an arrangement with the Public Prosecutor; or
(e) if he or she was detained as a suspect but is released from detention before the expiry of the 48-hour period because no charge is brought against him or her (section 50(1)(c) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977) [SAPS 328].
The public is urged to take note that the guidelines regarding enforcement of the State of Disaster Regulations. They allow that a law enforcement officer may forcibly confine the body of the arrested person if the person does not submit to custody (in accordance with section 39 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977). Furthermore, if the suspect resists the arrest or attempts to flee, section 49(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977, authorises an enforcement officer to use force that is reasonably necessary and proportional to overcome such resistance or attempt.
However, under no circumstances may a person be tortured, assaulted, or mistreated in any manner by a law enforcement officer.
It is expected of law enforcement officers to support the aim of the State of Disaster by providing a service, render assistance, give advice, guide and lead the community, in order to ensure that lives are saved. This is being achieved by ensuring that there is enforcement to inter-provincial/districts travel through roadblocks and Vehicle Check Points, checking and verification of permits issued under the regulations, ensuring closure of borders and monitoring movement of cargo, issuing of fines and arresting of offenders for non-compliance, compliance check during routine patrols and high visibility patrols and visits to identified areas. These enforcement activities also ensure that the restriction of movement of persons as the main component of efforts to confine and manage the spreading of COVID-19 is achieved.
Law enforcement officers are further expected to encourage and sensitise members of the public to adhere to social distancing. Even though social distancing is currently not an offence and it cannot, therefore, be enforced, law enforcement agencies must ensure that high visibility is maintained around malls, shopping centres and other areas and that the public is informed about compliance with the promulgated regulations in terms of section 27(2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002; liaise with private security to assist enforcement within their mandate, and social distancing (2 meters away from other persons) is applied in public when shopping and visiting health facilities.
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