President Cyril Ramaphosa convenes a virtual engagement with journalists and members of the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) on Sunday.
The meeting takes place at a time when the country and the rest of the world are immersed in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also takes place on the basis of acknowledging the role played by media as a vital conduit of information disseminated by government and other sources with the aim of saving lives and protecting livelihoods.
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The President has again thanked the news media for the critical role they play in the coronavirus pandemic. The meeting with Sanef afforded the president an opportunity to engage editors on the country’s ongoing measures to manage the spread of COVID-19 through its risk-adjusted strategy.
“I must say that right at the beginning when we made the lockdown provisions announcement, the media, for a while, had not been identified as essential. And you immediately raised the issue and it was an oversight on our part, which was quickly corrected, because of your own interventions which we thank you for. The continued interventions between the media and government are quite helpful.”
