Our country is sliding toward dictatorship - AZAPO

As the Azanian People's Organization (AZAPO), we are convinced that our country is speedily sliding towards dictatorship and anarchy. We believe this can be stopped if our fellow countrymen don't play a 'sit and watch' role, but protest energetically and consistently against this looming threat. If this fails, we can see ourselves in the similar situation as the people of all the dictatorial countries, where the media is owned and controlled by the state; where free press is outlawed; where editors and journalists not only received death threats, but exiled from countries of their birth.

In any country where there is military rules (junta), soldiers guard media houses 24 hours. News scripts are edited by the Generals, not trained journalists. Actually, in any country where there is a coup d'état, the first place that the Generals want to occupy is seldom a state house, but a media house. Such signs are simmering in our country under the ANC rule.  

The intimidation of journalists (as we saw with Mzilikazi wa Africa), and allegations of death threats, must not only make us worried about the direction of our democracy, but our own role as citizens in its protection. Our silence as citizens when ANC called for boycotting of the City Press is worrisome if not threatening.  

AZAPO feels saddened by the fact that media houses always give to pressure by the ANC (City Press being latest example) largely because ANC as a ruling party dictate which newspapers to advertise on. This may also be a reason why even if ANC calls for a boycotting of City Press, City Press covers ANC more than any other political organization in the country. This maybe a reason why organizations like AZAPO, in spite of their forthrightness in calling for the protection of the media against abuse, never get covered in many newspapers in this country including the City Press.

While our media is under threat from the ANC, media is further threatened by the bottom line! AZAPO is aware that newspapers (and all other forms of media) don't sell news, but advertising space. This being the case, while we call for Media Freedom, we also yearn for the days when newspapers agitated for change and development. We yearn for days when journalists were freedom fighters who dedicated their lives in the struggle for truth, using their pens to tell the story, and laying their lives for truth not money.

While City Press buckled under pressure (understandably so), we wonder what would be the next move from the ANC as it seeks to control the media through intimidation and threats.   

Statement issued by Funani ka Ntontela, AZAPO Deputy Spokesperson, May 29 2012

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter