The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) is outraged by four more incidents of the abuse of power by police officers‚ security personnel and taxi drivers against journalists.
In the latest incidents on Tuesday April 21‚ a reporting team from the Daily Sun newspaper covering the burning of two Golden Arrow buses in Nyanga‚ Cape Town‚ were assaulted and abused by so-called "Amaphela" taxi drivers.
Reporter Mandla Mnyakama and photographer Lulekwa Mbadamane were covering riots by taxi drivers after traffic police had impounded 45 taxis in the past two weeks.
Mnyakama and Mbadamane were taking pictures of a burning Golden Arrow bus when a group of about 20 men stormed them.
The men‚ who were carrying bricks‚ proceeded to search their car. They found Mbadamane’s camera in the car and destroyed it by smashing it on the tar road. They also took her cell phone and instructed the journalists to drive off if they didn’t want to die‚ before pelting the vehicle with stones.
Also on Tuesday‚ The Star newspaper’s photojournalist Mathews Baloyi had to be escorted out of Jeppestown‚ Johannesburg‚ in the evening just before the military and police raided the area.
This was after residents threatened to beat him and other journalists as revenge for the Sunday Times’ pictures which captured the brutal murder of Emmanuel Sithole in Alexandra township. The photos led to the arrest of the four suspects.
On April 15 Eyewitness News reporter Thembekile Mrototo was forced by a police officer in Jeppestown to hand over his cellphone after using it to take pictures of police action against looters.
The unidentified officer proceeded to delete the pictures from his phone before handing it back to him. The officer wasn’t wearing a police badge.
On April 8 Frans le Roux‚ a journalist at Paarl Post community newspaper in the Western Cape‚ was prevented by a security guard from the Passenger Rail Authority of SA (Prasa) from taking pictures of a train derailment in Paarl.
The editor of Paarl Post has since lodged a complaint with Prasa.
On April 9 journalist Eliot Mahlase from the Pretoria Rekord was detained for hours by the Tshwane Metro police and forced to delete the pictures he had taken of one of the officers stopping and detaining a motorist.
Mahlase had been taking pictures legally in a public street. The police have promised to investigate the matter but have disputed of Mahlatse’s allegations.
"Sanef is extremely concerned at the conduct of the police‚ metro police and security officers involved in these instances of the abuse of media freedom‚" it said in a statement.
A request for an urgent meeting with the National Police Commissioner General Riah Phiyega will be made. Sanef has in the past complained to Phiyega about police interfering with journalists carrying out their.
"Sanef demands that the commissioner issues instructions to stop this conduct and take public action against those responsible."
Sanef outraged by abuse of journalists
In the latest incidents on Tuesday April 21‚ a reporting team from the Daily Sun newspaper covering the burning of two Golden Arrow buses in Nyanga‚ Cape Town‚ were assaulted and abused by so-called "Amaphela" taxi drivers.
Reporter Mandla Mnyakama and photographer Lulekwa Mbadamane were covering riots by taxi drivers after traffic police had impounded 45 taxis in the past two weeks.
Mnyakama and Mbadamane were taking pictures of a burning Golden Arrow bus when a group of about 20 men stormed them.
The men‚ who were carrying bricks‚ proceeded to search their car. They found Mbadamane’s camera in the car and destroyed it by smashing it on the tar road. They also took her cell phone and instructed the journalists to drive off if they didn’t want to die‚ before pelting the vehicle with stones.
Also on Tuesday‚ The Star newspaper’s photojournalist Mathews Baloyi had to be escorted out of Jeppestown‚ Johannesburg‚ in the evening just before the military and police raided the area.
This was after residents threatened to beat him and other journalists as revenge for the Sunday Times’ pictures which captured the brutal murder of Emmanuel Sithole in Alexandra township. The photos led to the arrest of the four suspects.
On April 15 Eyewitness News reporter Thembekile Mrototo was forced by a police officer in Jeppestown to hand over his cellphone after using it to take pictures of police action against looters.
The unidentified officer proceeded to delete the pictures from his phone before handing it back to him. The officer wasn’t wearing a police badge.
On April 8 Frans le Roux‚ a journalist at Paarl Post community newspaper in the Western Cape‚ was prevented by a security guard from the Passenger Rail Authority of SA (Prasa) from taking pictures of a train derailment in Paarl.
The editor of Paarl Post has since lodged a complaint with Prasa.
On April 9 journalist Eliot Mahlase from the Pretoria Rekord was detained for hours by the Tshwane Metro police and forced to delete the pictures he had taken of one of the officers stopping and detaining a motorist.
Mahlase had been taking pictures legally in a public street. The police have promised to investigate the matter but have disputed of Mahlatse’s allegations.
"Sanef is extremely concerned at the conduct of the police‚ metro police and security officers involved in these instances of the abuse of media freedom‚" it said in a statement.
A request for an urgent meeting with the National Police Commissioner General Riah Phiyega will be made. Sanef has in the past complained to Phiyega about police interfering with journalists carrying out their.
"Sanef demands that the commissioner issues instructions to stop this conduct and take public action against those responsible."
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