Sanef condemns attack on journalist covering taxi violence

The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has condemned the assault of a journalist allegedly by taxi association members.

In the incident in Embalenhle, Secunda, on Thursday evening, freelance journalist Desmond Latham as well as a female staff member from Frayintermedia and female Unicef employee were assaulted allegedly by members of a local taxi association.

At the time, they were covering an ongoing dispute between the taxi association and a local bus company.

“There has been no report about this [story], and we were attacked without warning… The police are involved because the Unicef person is from Brazil,” said Latham in a statement released by Sanef.

“These men are punching women. They appear to be hired by the association. There was no anger or even a sign of any trouble before we were attacked. The taxi company is targeting reporters.”

While the victims were not seriously injured, the attackers stole their Canon D5 and lens and damaged their vehicle.

Sanef believed the intention was to intimidate journalists to make them reluctant to write, research or speak about the violence in the taxi industry in Mpumalanga.

“Sanef is deeply concerned that journalists are increasingly facing violence and intimidation for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of expression in this country. Women journalists face specific dangers and are especially vulnerable and sometimes subjected to mob-related violence when covering public events, often in reprisal for their work,” it said.

“As a result, they suffer from trauma and the emotional impact of experiencing physical attacks which lead to anxiety, insomnia, irritation and or post-traumatic stress disorder, which can cause incapacitating feelings of horror, fear and despair.”

A case of assault and robbery was opened at the Embalenhle police station.

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