NATIONAL NEWS - The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) has approached the Equality Court in Gauteng in an attempt to interdict EFF leader Julius Malema and his supporters from threatening journalists.
SANEF wants the court to interdict Malema and his party from:
•Intimidating, harassing, threatening, or assaulting any journalist;
•Publishing personal information of any journalist;
•Expressly or tacitly endorsing the intimidation and harassment of journalists by supporters or followers on social media or on public platforms;
•Expressly or tacitly endorsing the publication of personal information by supporters or followers on public platforms or on social media.
The body, which represents editors and senior journalists from a variety of South African publications, is “seeking the protection of journalists and ultimately of media freedom as a whole in the wake of sustained intimidation and threats against journalists by EFF leader Julius Malema and his supporters”.
“Sanef accepts that the political discourse in SA is robust and that the media may legitimately be criticised on public platforms, yet the social media messages by members of the EFF leadership and its supporters has now crossed the boundaries of professional criticism,” the statement continued.
According to Sanef, these messages amount to “harmful incitement” and are “demeaning and dangerous”.
They say they “didn’t take this decision to institute legal action lightly” and would have preferred the “South African way of resolving disputes around a table”, but went the legal route after attempts at meeting with the party and its leaders were unsuccessful.
