Mngxitama ‘doesn’t know’ who interrupted state capture gathering

In response to an allegation from the SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) that Andile Mngxitama’s Black First Land First (BLF) disrupted an amaBhungane meeting in Braamfontein on Thursday night, Mngxitama says they are just being racist.

It was reported yesterday that amaBhungane’s Townhall, hosted by top journalists in Braamfontein, was disrupted by Mngxitama and a few of his supporters, who reportedly assaulted a journalist.

However, Mngxitama says he was the one assaulted by a “white man”.

The event was organised by investigative journalist group amaBhungane to discuss the leaked Gupta emails.

Mngxitama and his group broke into a song and started howling while investigative journalist Sam Sole was introducing invited guests.

Earlier this month Police Minister Fikile Mbalula instructed cops to nail the group if they continued threatening journalists. The high court also interdicted the BLF from intimidating journalists and protesting at their homes. However, amaBhungane has said that they have not seen any action taken against the group.

Sanef now wants the BLF to be charged with violating the high court interdict. Sanef chairperson Mahlatse Gallens told news channel eNCA they were encouraging members of the public to go to the police and lay complaints.

“And hopefully we will see the police acting.”

However, Mngxitama says the BLF had nothing to do with what happened last night. He told eNCA that the BLF had in fact opened their own case of “assault and racism” after a man allegedly hit him at the event.

“I was sitting there peacefully. I don’t even know how you media are associating Black First Land First with what happened … I arrived at the event, I sat down peacefully, waiting for my turn when it was question and answer time because I needed to expose the lies that have been fed by amaBhungane on this fake news that they produce on the basis of these so-called emails leaks.

“I came to dance as a member of the party who was interested. I don’t know who the people are who arrived singing, but these white men … because they are racists, any black person who takes action that they believe is wrong, they will pin that on us.”

He alleged this was because they needed to silence the BLF to please their funders and sponsors, “white monopoly capital”.

AmaBhungane journalist Micah Reddy told the news channel that Mngxitama’s attempts to twist the truth were “risible”, as what happened was a “clearly orchestrated attempt by the BLF to disrupt proceedings and intimidate journalists as they have been doing for far too long now”.

He said the townhall event had been meant to help the public understand the #GuptaLeaks. He explained that they had initially allowed Mngxitama and his BLF entourage to enter the venue. They were soon thereafter followed by a group of people who were singing, being rowdy and making a lot of noise.

“They were politely asked to be quiet,” which failed.

“My colleague went up to Andile and asked him very politely to control his people, at which point my colleague was outright assaulted by BLF members, including Andile himself.”

He said anyone who was not a BLF member or part of Mngxitama’s “rent a crowd” would probably attest as an eyewitness to that version of events.

Reddy considered the BLF’s approach an assault on media freedom and democracy and said it was “textbook fascist tactics”.