South Africa: Journalist accuses police of intimidation in KZN

The South Coast Herald is considering laying charges against staff members of the Hibiscus Coast Municipality after an incident of alleged police intimidation against a journalist, writes Jackie Bischof for journalism.co.za. Siyabonga Mchunu, a photographer and reporter for the newspaper, went to cover an outbreak of taxi violence in Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal on August 25, and alleges that in the course of taking photographs of an arrest on the scene, he was verbally abused by staff members of the municipality and that his camera was forcibly taken from him. He told journalism.co.za he was also ordered to delete photographs.

 

Mchunu says he had previously received permission from the municipality to take photographs on the scene. Shortly after arriving, Mchunu says he started taking photos of police officials guarding the taxi rank and proceeded to record the police forcing a taxi driver out of his vehicle, searching him, stripping him of his possessions and forcing him into their vehicle. A struggle broke out between the policeman and the taxi driver.

 

While photographing this incident, “the commissioner of the Hibiscus Coast Municipality's Protection Services Dave Middleton, Director Victor Chetty and municipal spokesman Simon Sobhoyisa all attacked me verbally,” says Mchunu. “Both Director Chetty and Mr Middleton threatened to arrest me if I took more photos.” Mchunu alleges that whilst being reprimanded, Sobhoyisa took his camera from him and ordered him to delete the photographs of the arrest.

 

Victor Chetty, head of the municipality’s Protection Services department, maintains there was no verbal abuse but says that he did warn Mchunu that he was infringing the rights of the driver being arrested by taking photographs and that there is a possibility a charge may be laid against Mchunu for obstructing officials in their duties. When asked to clarify in which way he obstructed the officials, Chetty declined to comment further on the matter.

 

Simon Sobhoyisa, senior manager of communications for the municipality, contends that Mchunu had only been granted permission to take photographs of the scene and of HCM staff members, not of the subsequent arrest. “I told him that what he was doing then was not what we agreed upon, and whilst police including Director Chetty were asking what his take was on infringing the taxi driver’s rights by taking photos of his arrest, I asked him to delete those photos because he was saying he asked permission from me.”

 

Sobhoyisa says that he asked Mchunu to show him that he had deleted the photographs and did not take the camera from him, and that there was no verbal abuse. “I need to also indicate that we have treated media well and with respect and if Siyabonga feels he was badly treated we are free to discuss that further with his management so that we can clarify some of the issues he has raised.”

 

Raymond Louw, founding member of the South African National Editor’s Forum, says that municipal staff had no right to demand photographs of the arrest be deleted.

 

“The conduct of the police towards him is totally unacceptable and similar complaints have been brought to the attention of the Commissioner of Police and the Minister of Police regarding undue interference with journalists at crime scenes,” says Louw.

 

“It is totally uncalled for, he had a perfect right take pictures of an occurrence in a public place, and they had no right to interfere with him and harass him,” says Louw.

 

Manager of the South Coast Herald, Bevis Fairbrother, says the newspaper is taking legal advice as to whether to lay charges of intimidation and he has sent a letter to the HCM manager, S’bu Mkize, requesting a response.

 

This appears to be the latest in a series of arguments between journalists of The South Coast Herald and the police.

 

“This is not the first time Mr Chetty has threatened Siyabonga with arrest for doing his job,” says Fairbrother. “He did so after Siyabonga took photographs at a public training session of the Algerian soccer team during the World Cup. Siyabonga was invited to attend, but Mr Chetty still saw fit to threaten him and also deleted his photographs.”

 

“We feel we’re being bullied, especially at times in South Africa when the press is under pressure, and we don’t take kindly to being bullied,” Fairbrother said.

 

Mchunu is currently gathering witnesses of the event and The South Coast Herald is awaiting a response from the municipality before further action is taken.

 

-September 03, 2010 by Jackie Bischof

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Source: www.journalism.co.za/index.php (accessed on 03.09.10)