Local journalist attacked while on duty
The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) also issued a statement condemning harassment on independent journalists.
Newzroom Afrika journalist, Mweli Masilela was assaulted by a group of men while on duty in Vosman yesterday.
Masilela posted on social media that he was attending to a story of a family that lost their 16-year-old boy who died at a mine after being trapped underground. He also mentioned that the men took his vehicle keys took and camera. They also forced him to delete pictures from his camera.
Speaking to Mpumalanga News, he said he did not sustain serious injuries and recovered his car keys and equipment. “A case was opened with the Vosman Police Station after numerous attempts when I was told it was just a common assault,” said Masilela.
SEE FACEBOOK POST:
https://www.facebook.com/masilelamb/posts/2564447463565761
I've never been this shaken, I was lucky because one guy in the group knows me, he asked the others to stop attacking me. pic.twitter.com/npwaSkvSB2
— Mweli Masilela (@mwelimasilela) July 9, 2019
SANEF said the initial police reaction suggests that only if journalists are beaten with visible injuries can they expect assistance.
“This is unacceptable. We know that many community news organisations suffer this kind of treatment and don’t have the luxury of access to provincial and national officials in order to ensure a case is opened. We call on all elected leaders as well as the law enforcement authorities to take seriously the safety of journalists. We believe that any incident that hampers the safety of journalists must be taken seriously,” reads the statement.
