The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has raised concerns over the treatment of journalist Thomo Nkgadima, who says police held him behind bars over Christmas for taking pictures of a Limpopo mayor’s house in the course of an investigation into illegal electricity connections.
News24 reports that police arrested him and charged him with intimidation and trespassing on the property of Eddie Maila, the mayor of Fetakgomo Tubatse municipality.
The municipality said the mayor and his spokesperson were unaware of Nkgadima’s investigation, and further alleged that Nkgadima and an accomplice had illegally entered the mayor’s private property.
The municipality said it had reason to believe that the journalist entered the property for reasons other than investigating illegal electricity connections.
However, Sanef noted that Nkgadima was denied bail on 27 December despite facing Schedule 1 charges, adding that it was disappointed that such charges had been brought against a journalist for doing his job. Sanef discounted the claim that Nkgadima had trespassed on Maila’s property or intimidated anyone.
Sanef said in a statement: ‘This is a worrying development that Sanef has always condemned. Our democracy requires that journalists be allowed to do their work without any inhibitions. Sanef hopes the court will make a sensible decision in offering Nkgadima a fair hearing and, when the time arrives, fully hear his side of the story.
News24 reports that editors at Sunday World told Sanef that Maila had threatened Nkgadima in the past.
[Image: Gordon Johnson from Pixabay]