The SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) says it is “horrified by growing trends of physically intimidating and harming journalists to stop them from reporting on important stories in the Eastern Cape”.
This after a Daily Dispatch senior reporter last week received a death threat in the form of a phone call warning him to stop exposing the truth or be shot.
“We have learnt that the Dispatch’s senior reporter received an anonymous call from a person who didn’t introduce himself and told him to watch his back, as there were people hired to shoot him.”
Sanef said it was led to believe the threats were related to the assassination of University of Fort Hare (UFH) vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu’s close protector, Mboneni Vesele.
The journalist has been moved to a place of safety but the determined reporter continues to write for the newspaper from an undisclosed location.
“Sanef applauds the Dispatch editors and management for their immediate action to ensure the safety of the journalist who is currently in a safer place.
“We also note that the matter was brought to the attention of law-enforcement authorities for proper investigation who have assigned a police captain to investigate the case,” the forum said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Last year, a reporter at the Dispatch’s sister publication, The Herald, was harassed and intimidated by locals who clashed with foreigners in Plettenberg Bay, forcing the journalist to leave her home because of threats of violence by community members.
Sanef said it was “an indictment on our society when journalists, for safety reasons, must be removed from stories with clear public interest because the subjects of the reports are threatening to unleash violence. This is shameful.
“Our democracy is enriched when journalists are allowed to report fearlessly, without intimidation.
“When this right is taken away from them, the victim is not simply the media, it is members of society who have a right to access information critical to the functioning of their country and democracy.
“We believe that justice would be served if law enforcement authorities were to send a strong message by arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators.” — DDR
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