Letter to the Editor: Are journalists fighting the ‘Eighties battle in 2017?

‘When the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did to you, then you must do to the ANC what you did to the apartheid government.’

– Nelson Mandela, Cosatu Conference, 1993

During the apartheid regime, the most truth-compelled and vulnerable people were journalists. This was due to the eagerness of journalists to tell the truth about those in power in the apartheid government.

The reluctance by the media then to adhere to the government’s stringent rules on mass media meant they faced possibly job losses, imprisonment, torture and even death. Journalists like Max du Preez and Zwelakhe Sisulu faced those kind of repercussions for not favouring the National Party (NP). Sisulu, in particular, was kept against his will for a long time while being tortured. He described his newspaper as one that ought to make people share their experiences and understand that in fact what was happening was a national moment, rather than a highly individualised moment.

Think about it, what happened to journalists at the SABC seemed like a battle between the politically encroached public broadcaster and the “SABC 8”. However, it was not. It was a fight against freedom of speech and that of the press, a fight against humanity, because the key to a free nation is its will to express itself without boundaries. This group of journalists was against new policies (one being the moratorium on broadcasting of violent protests) that were being implemented by the public broadcaster.

Freelance journalist Vuyo Mvoko, who was mugged on live television while reporting for the SABC, was part of the group, but significantly so was Suna Venter who was found dead in her home a few days ago.

Venter died a hero to many South Africans because of her courage and resilience. She is like Ruth First – a journalist who didn’t change her beliefs despite the dangers that they placed her in. Venter was vocal in dismantling the plot against journalists at the SABC, which resulted in her provoking the most politically connected. In 2016, Venter was abducted and tied to a tree, and was shot in the face with a pellet gun earlier this year. She was later diagnosed with stress cardiomyopathy which is a result of trauma and unnatural stress.

Black First Land First (BLF) represents a group of delusional simpletons who think journalism is a crime and that journalists should only report on “some” things. They must be another creation by the Gupta clan to oust the essence of journalistic work, given the existence of The New Age and ANN7.

Journalists don’t work for themselves but selflessly give their time and strength to show people what is happening in our country to ultimately bring the government to submission. There is no personal vendetta against a certain party or individual but a goal to eradicate ills and socio-economic challenges. This current government resonates traits that one saw in the apartheid government. The signs are there for all to see – stand up against before it gets out of hand. DM

Thobani Dlamini is a a first-year journalism student at the Durban University of Technology (DUT).

Photo: Suna Venter (Photo: Netwerk24)