DA calls for IPID to investigate police who manhandled journalists in eThekwini

11 July 2019

The Democratic Alliance in KwaZulu Natal will be writing to the KZN Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Metro Police Head, Steven Middleton, and IPID for the reasons behind the manhandle of journalists who were covering a protest march this morning in eThekwini. We have learned that the journalist that was detained has been released. The DA is calling for an explanation as to why journalists were subjected to torture, insult and assault while doing their job.

It is a sad day in South Africa where our police, who are meant to provide a service of protecting citizens, are now trampling media freedom. The journalists were manhandled and some arrested for covering the police’s behaviour during a protest this morning. It is alleged that chaos broke out when the police asked journalists to delete the footage they took when the police were manhandling the protesters. The journalists then refused and were subjected to torture and arrest.

In a country where media freedom was fought so hard for, it is sad and embarrassing to see such incidents. The DA condemns this incident and is asking for the Police Commissioner, Metro Police Head and IPID to urgently attend to this matter and for the heads to roll on those members of the force who manhandled and arrested journalists.

It is the mandate of the media to report and inform our people in this democratic dispensation and no one has a right to infringe the right to media freedom, not even the police. The police should concentrate on arresting corrupt councillors not journalists. We are calling for an immediate action on this lawlessness by the police force.

Issued by Zwakele Mncwango, DA KZN Leader, 11 July 2019