SANEF condemns death threats of journalists & unprofessional behaviour of a journalist
11 September 2019
The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) wishes to strongly condemn the escalating harassment and abuse of journalists in the country.
SANEF has learnt with sadness of an incident on Wednesday where Journalists Alex Mitchley of News24, Hanti Otto of Netwerk24 and Pule Letshwiti from etv were approached and threatened by a state witness in the Nicholas Ninow case.
Ninow is the man who pleaded guilty on Wednesday to raping a seven-year-old at a Dros restaurant last year. He pleaded guilty to rape, possession of drugs and defeating the ends of justice — but pleaded not guilty to assault.
According to Mitchley, the witness approached the journalists very angrily outside the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday during a tea break, asking why media houses named him. It was explained that there was no court order not to name the witness as he testified in an open court. He then looked at the journalists and said, in Afrikaans, that he was going to slit their throats even making a throat-slitting gesture with his thumb while smiling and laughing.