THE editor of South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper has condemned the arrest of one of his journalists “in an operation which was clearly designed to intimidate”.
Mzilikazi wa Afrika, an award-winning investigative journalist, was seized “by a large number of policemen” from the newspaper's Johannesburg offices on Wednesday morning, his editor Roy Hartley said.
The South African Press Association news agency said the journalist was held on a charge of fraud and trying to defeat the course of justice, but did not give further details.
Musa Zondi, a spokesman for South Africa’s elite police unit, the Hawks, said the journalist would appear in court within 48 hours in accordance with the standard criminal procedure.
“The media will get will hear the full details of the charges when he appears in court,” Zondi said.
Mzilikazi last Sunday penned an article which alleged that Police Commission Bheki Cele had improperly purchased a new building for police headquarters at a cost of R500 million. It was not immediately clear if that was the source of his arrest, but Hartley made reference to the story in his press statement.
Hartley said: “He was arrested by a large number of policemen in an operation which was clearly designed to intimidate and I can only conclude that this was the true motive for what took place today.
“Mzilikazi was one of the authors of the story which we published on Sunday about the rental of new police headquarters at the cost of R500m without following the usual tender proceedings. I hope, for the sake of our country, that he was not arrested on spurious charges in order to punish him for what he wrote.
“We are doing everything in our power to have him released and we are doing all that we can to assure his well being.”
Another report, however, suggested Mzilikazi had been arrested for the possession of “a fraudulent letter of resignation from Mpumalanga premier David Dabede Mabuza to President Jacob Zuma.”
The arrest came as journalists debated a new government Bill which will create an independent Media Tribunal to hear complaints against newspapers and journalists.
South African news organisations see the Tribunal – championed by President Jacob Zuma’s ruling African National Congress -- as an attempt to muzzle the media from reporting corruption in government.
Raymond Louw, chairman of the Press Council which administers the Press Ombudsman system of press self-regulation, said in a statement: “It has nothing to do with promoting press freedom but everything to do with the way the press reports on the conduct of governance including the conduct of cabinet ministers and other senior officials of the party.
“They don’t want the public to be told of their poor governance, corruption by “tenderpreneurs” and lavish life-styles. They want the press to report the African National Congress’s version of what is happening.”
But ANC spokesman Brian Sokutu said: "What the media appeals tribunal seeks to achieve is in line with the constitution (on) the rights of individuals and groups.
"There are instances where people's rights have been violated by the media and their images tarnished in a negative way ... The tribunal will make sure that every South African has recourse and access to the law when their rights have been violated.”