Newzroom Afrika reporter Ziniko kaMlhaba wrongfully arrested in Soweto while covering South Africa's 2021 municipal elections; SABC News reporters harassed in Limpopo.

by Thinus Ferreira

The Newzroom Afrika (DStv 405) reporter Ziniko kaMhlaba was wrongfully arrested in Soweto while covering South Africa's 2021 municipal elections on Monday for allegedly "interfering with the work of the Independent Election Commission (IEC)" while 3 SABC News reporters were harassed in Limpopo.

The South Africa's National Editors' Forum (SANEF) strongly criticised the wrongful arrest of Ziniko kaMhlaba, with the South African police criticised for its "sheer abuse of power" during an election.

Newzroom Afrika's Ziniko kaMhlaba was arrested live on television by South African police on Monday at the Zakheni Primary School in Soweto while reporting about the voting process taking place at the school.

Ziniko kaMhlaba was handcuffed, put in the back of a police van and taken to Orlando police cells.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said that the South African Police Service was forced to arrest Ziniko kaMhlaba from the voting station for allegedly "interfering with the work of the IEC".

"This matter has since been escalated to the provincial commissioner of Gauteng Elias Mawela who ordered both the release of the journalist and an investigation into the matter."

Newzroom Afrika says that both Ziniko kaMhlaba as well as cameraman Muraga Mphaphuli had the correct and necessary media accreditation cover the voting process at the school grounds.

Ziniko kaMhlaba had tried to request the presiding officer to interview party agents and members of the public outside the voting station but she refused to talk to him. 

She ordered him and a camera person to leave the premises outside the Zakheni Primary School.

Ziniko kaMlhaba tried to engage the Gauteng IEC media liaison officer to mediate, but his efforts were fruitless as the presiding officer "just walked away and refused to take the call".

"When police who observed the discussion refused to kick him out of the school premises on grounds that he had not broken any law, the presiding officer then called the Orlando Police Station and reported him allegedly as a person disrupting the elections inside the hall of the polling station."

"A senior officer who introduced herself as Station Commander Kubheka came and threatened to arrest me if I did not stop trying to interview the public on issues of lack of electricity and others that affected them," Ziniko kaMlhaba said.

“We were never inside the building where voting was taking place, but the presiding officer seemed to have informed senior officials that we were inside.

The live crossing on Newzroom Afrika was then shockingly interrupted by the Kubheka police person who then also chased and took cellphones from members of the members who were recording the incident.

IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo told journalists at an IEC briefing that the IEC has launched a "fact-finding mission" to determine the circumstances surrounding Ziniko's arrest.

Katy Katopidis, Newzroom Afrika news director Katy Katopodis, in an interview on Radio 702, said that the TV news channel "is absolutely outraged and we have taken this up at the highest levels with both the South African police and the IEC".

"It is an attack on media freedom and it is an abuse of power by the police. He has been released now but it is something we are taking very seriously."

Sbu Ngalwa, SANEF chairperson in a statement says that the arrest of Ziniko kaMlhaba "was totally unnecessary and sheer abuse of power by the police. No journalist should be arrested or harassed for merely doing their job. Journalism is not a crime."

"SANEF is concerned that despite all the pre-election engagements and preparations, something like this still happened and the police reacted with a heavy hand instead of facilitating an amicable solution."

SABC reporters in Limpopo also harassed

In an unrelated elections coverage case 3 SABC News (DStv 404) reporters were harassed and intimidated by members of the public while reporting on elections issues near the polling station in the hostel in Tsabeng, in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province.

"SANEF was told that after packing their equipment to leave the area to report elsewhere, a group of men and women hostel residents hauled insults at SABC reporters Pimani Baloyi, Mahlatse Phaladi, and cameraman Mpho Masela demanding that they immediately leave the area because the media was not welcome there."

Mpho Masela who was driving the SABC News vehicle calmly tried to manoeuvre slowly and leave the area while the group approached the car and pounded the car bonnet with their hands.

"We stayed calm and slowly drove off and avoided confrontation. We were not physically harmed," Pimani Baloyi says.