The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has condemned the abusive and intimidatory behaviour towards an eNCA news team covering the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) protest at the Clicks store in Goodwood mall on Monday.
The reporter and cameraman were reporting live and unhindered until the EFF chair Veronica Mente arrived.
She refused to address the media until the team had left. Video footage shows that the cameraman was insulted, sworn at and abused verbally.
Mente said that they were blocking the eNCA crew in retaliation for the broadcaster withdrawing coverage of the party’s second elective conference in December last year.
Sanef says this kind of intimidation and treatment of journalists by supporters of any political organisation is unacceptable, and its particularly worrying because the EFF is represented in National Assembly and various provincial and local government legislature structures.
The forum says the EFF is obliged by the country’s Constitution to protect the freedom of the media.
Below is the full statement by Sanef:
#ClicksShutdown #RacismMustFall indeed racism must from each and every institution in this country, dankie mama our nation chairperson @veronica_mente 4 dealing decisively with racist institution called @eNCA no to the drama queens of the media etv voetsek haak pic.twitter.com/daeFnYptuh
— ?Rakgadi?Soldier? (@BlackCulture_HM) September 7, 2020
The supposedly new leadership is already descending into the arena. You and enca stick to your decision you took on 14-12-2019 cutting the feed and dramatically walking out of our 2ndNPA, we are doing very well without you and your biased journalism. https://t.co/POsffNqbWW
— Zovuyo Veronica Mente (@veronica_mente) September 8, 2020
Did you condemn ENCA when they walked out of our conference unprovoked….Did you direct them to apologise to South Africa for censuring the third largest political party in parliament and municipalities unprovoked…. @SAEditorsForum it’s a right of association !!!
— Godrich Gardee (@GardeeGodrich) September 7, 2020
