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SANEF and SAFREA Call on Law Enforcement Members (SAPS, Metro Police and Army) to Stop Their Hostility and Harassment of Journalists

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and the South African Freelancers’ Association (SAFREA) condemn another hostile attack against journalists.

Cape Town freelance journalist, Jacques Marais has informed us of how he was sworn at, his life was threatened and how he was ultimately prevented from covering a lockdown story on Thursday, 9 April 2020, he was doing in Masiphumelele township, in the south of the City.

Marais states, “Yesterday I was following a convoy of a dozen police vehicles and an army Casper vehicle into the warren of alleys and shacks that shapes Masi township on the border of the industrial sprawl of Fish Eagle Park. I saw the police and soldiers spill from their vehicles and descend in droves on pedestrians jostling the pavements… I have blurry images that show the police with sticks beating a man.” Marais has shared these pictures with SANEF.

Marais then told SANEF that a police vehicle blocked his car as he followed the convoy further into the township. He pulled over to the side of the road and continued to travel on foot while wearing a clearly official and identifiable press bib. He also held up his camera explaining to one officer that he was a journalist and had his permit, accreditation and his media card. However, the situation got ugly as he reached into his vehicle for his media card.

Marais states, “My vehicle door slammed into my back. I turned around and two men in plain clothes, clearly visible in my photos as part of the police operation, then started shouting and brandishing 1.2m-long wooden clubs. Both men’s faces were covered in buffs and I was cursed and threatened for the next couple of minutes”.

Marais reports that his media accreditation was hurled back into his vehicle and when he asked one of the men for his name, the man lifted his club and told me to “* or you will die here today”. At that point, Marais left the township with his story unfinished. He stated, “I shudder to think what happened when I turned my back and walked away.”

SANEF and SAFREA believe that this action by law enforcement officers is wholly unacceptable and unlawful – both as regards the media and South African citizens. We deplore the security forces violence against citizens – these actions fly in the face of all lockdown regulations in place and stand in direct contradiction of our Constitution.

SANEF will make sure that this incident, along with all other incidents of hostility and harassment, is tabled with the National Police Commissioner, Khehla Sitole the Ministry of Police, Bheki Cele, and the Cape Town metro police. Our planned meeting with these parties was halted due to the Covid-19 lockdown but we will now be seeking urgent on-line meetings – within the lockdown rules – to demand that all law enforcement and army personnel be reminded of their role to protect communities and to allow the media to play their critical role of informing the public. We will, once again, strongly remind them that this is a right enshrined and protected in our constitution and one that must be adhered to under the COVID-19 lockdown rules.

Freelancers are particularly vulnerable, without media house backing so we urge them to report any incidents to SANEF, SAFREA or to the freelance organisation, ProJourn so we can take these matters up.

Finally, we would like to highlight the issue of journalists’ safety. We refer all journalists and media organisations to the safety tips including on our SANEF website.

We also call on all media organisations to ensure, wherever possible, that they provide trauma counselling for journalists who have been out on assignment. We reiterate the long-term damaging effects of untreated trauma. We have compiled a list of trauma and psychological services for journalists that can be accessed on our website.

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 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.

SAFREA is a voluntary, non-profit association for professional media freelancers in southern Africa.

 

For more information:

  • Mahlatse Mahlase – SANEF Chairperson, (083) 399-2852
  • Katy Katopodis – Acting SANEF Chairperson, (082) 805-7022
  • Moipone Malefane – SANEF Secretary-General (082) 772-5861
  • Mary Papayya – Acting SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957
  • Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (073) 404-1415
  • Janet Heard – SANEF Western Cape SANEF Convenor (078) 041-9528
  • Hopewell Radebe – SANEF Acting Gauteng Regional Convenor (083) 582-1734
  • Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334
  • Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404

 

Lynne Smit, SAFREA Chairperson (083) 299-7383

Thea Aboud, SAFREA administrator [email protected] Web: www.safrea.co.za

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SANEF Condemns Barring Of Journalists From Cape Courts And Metro Police Harassment

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The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) condemns the increasing number of incidents involving members of the Cape Town Metro and SAPS who prevent journalists from reporting on court proceedings.

The latest court incident involves the media being prevented from entering the courts in Cape Town on Tuesday, 7 April 2020, to report on the case of 55-year-old Stephen Birch of Parow who was arrested for posting a disinformation video about contaminated COVID-19 test kits.

Birch has been released on a warning to appear in court for a second time for contravening regulation 11 (5) of the National Disaster Management Act.

Police did not allow the media to enter the court to cover his appearance on Tuesday. Police physically removed journalists who were there to cover the proceedings – and did not give reasons for ejecting them.

Attempts to obtain a ruling from the court on whether the media were allowed to attend the session were unsuccessful. It is our understanding that neither the justice department nor the magistrate gave a directive to bar the journalists.

At the same time, SANEF has learnt that during the removal of refugees and asylum seekers on the evening of Tuesday 7 April in Cape Town, a metro police officer prevented photographer Guy Oliver, who was documenting the incident, from doing his job. They pushed him and demanded he operates from a distance. This was without any provocation. Furthermore, some of the metro officers refused to heed his request to ensure physical distancing between the refugees, during their removal. Oliver has laid a complaint with the City of Cape Town.

SANEF is also concerned to hear that several journalists have been denied access to the Strandfontein Sports Centre where the City of Cape Town has taken homeless people. It is even more worrisome that media visits to the area will not be allowed without seeking prior permission, thereby denying the community in the centre access to the media. Visits at prearranged times make it possible for the City to stage-manage the event, making it difficult for the media to hold to account and monitor the City officials and those responsible for the upkeep of this vulnerable community.

SANEF notes that this is the second complaint against Cape Town metro police officers, following an incident involving Newzroom Afrika’s, Athi Mthongana while covering the removal of refugees living around the Central Methodist Mission on Greenmarket Square last month. At the time, SANEF requested a meeting with the head of law enforcement, Richard Bosman, which has not yet taken place, but which will be pursued urgently amid the latest incident involving Oliver.

SANEF wishes to state that the barring of the media in covering all these cases is completely contrary to the Covid-19 regulations that specifically allow journalists to operate as essential services.

In terms of the courts, SANEF notes that journalists in Durban were allowed to attend the first case of a man arrested under the same disinformation contravention for spreading lies about his ex-girlfriend on Covid-19, late in March. This heavy-handed approach by members of the SAPS in our courts is unacceptable and has unfortunately increased in the past 12 months. While our meeting with the SAPS leadership to discuss these and other transgressions is on hold until the end of the lockdown, SANEF calls on all journalists to be vigilant and report similar incidents to the SANEF office.

Journalists have a constitutional mandate to inform the public – now more than ever – and any form of censorship by overzealous officers should not be tolerated.

We again impress upon the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola to inform his counterparts in the security cluster that all state organs need to protect journalists from any form of harassment when doing their work.

The prevention of journalists from covering court proceedings – and other issues such as the removals of refugees – infringes on the right of freedom of expression, enshrined in Section 16 of our Constitution. Section 16 states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes “freedom of the press and other media” and “freedom to receive or impart information or ideas”. The protection of a free press, freedom of speech and the free flow of information are cornerstones of our Constitution and must be observed by SAPS members – and the metro police.

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 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.

For more information:

Mahlatse Mahlase – SANEF Chairperson, (083) 399-2852

Katy Katopodis – Acting SANEF Chairperson, (082) 805-7022

Moipone Malefane – SANEF Secretary-General (082) 772-5861

Mary Papayya – Acting SANEF Media Freedom Chair (082) 379-4957

Sbu Ngalwa – SANEF Eastern Cape Convenor (073) 404-1415

Janet Heard – SANEF Western Cape SANEF Convenor (078) 041-9528

Hopewell Radebe – SANEF Acting Gauteng Regional Convenor (083) 582-1734

Judy Sandison – SANEF KZN Convenor (082) 571-3334

Kate Skinner – SANEF Executive Director – (082) 926-6404