Media Freedom: DA concerned over Mzilikazi wa Afrika's arrest

The DA has learnt with concern of the arrest and detention by the Hawks of Sunday Times journalist Mzilikazi wa Afrika. That the Hawks are not willing to say where Mr. wa Afrika has been taken is irregular and unacceptable.

The South African Police Service must demonstrate that this arrest is not simply an attempt to intimidate the journalist who earlier this week reported on National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele's R500 million property deal. Just yesterday Mr. wa Afrika was publicly criticised by the Police Commissioner for his role in breaking that story. Now, the following day, he has been arrested on what the police claim is an unrelated matter. Furthermore, it has been reported that Mr. wa Afrika was arrested by a large group of armed police officers outside Avusa headquarters in Johannesburg, Gauteng, and has been taken to an undisclosed police station in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. This leaves one with the impression that the purpose of this operation was to intimidate him and other journalists.

This incident cannot be viewed in isolation from the disturbing trends to stifle media freedom. As such, we see it as a sinister forewarning of how media freedom will be infringed by the proposed Media Tribunal and the Protection of Information Bill.

Statement issued by Democratic Alliance leader, Helen Zille, August 4 2010

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