National Editors Forum (SANEF) and notable successes in the courts of law to uphold media freedom, there is a growing concern about the declining media freedom locally, especially in periods of intense political contestation. representations from bodies such as SANEF, Campaign for Freedom of Expression (CFE) and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), who supported amaBhungane with the case. Media 24 versus the ‘Alex Mafia’ Principal concerns for journalists: Some case studies In July 2023, two businessmen, Bridgman Sithole and Michael Maile, with links to Deputy President Paul Mashatile, filed an urgent order with the Johannesburg High Court to prohibit Media24 and its publications from referring to them as the ‘Alex Mafia’ in any of their communication or publications, including on social media platforms. A major concern for journalists is the rise in the use of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAAP suits) by powerful people in business and politics in order to temporarily prevent journalists from making public statements about their activities whilst tying up the same journalists in the courts of law. Journalists are forced to spend time and resources defending SLAAP suits that have no legal merit. ‘Alex Mafia’ is a term used to refer to a group of former anti-apartheid activists from Alexandra township in Gauteng who rose to positions of power in government and became wealthy through lucrative contracts with public entities. (2) The High Court dismissed the urgent application and judge Ingrid Opperman stated that the application was “an abusive attempt by two politically connected businessmen to gag a targeted newsroom from using a nickname — “Alex Mafia” — by which [Sithole and Maile] are popularly known and called by the public, politicians, political commentators, other newsrooms, and themselves — and have been for at least 16 years”. AmaBhungane versus Moti Group After amaBhungane published a series of indepth investigative news articles labelled the “Moti files” that were initially sparked by leaked documents, the Moti Group made an urgent application ex parte to the Johannesburg High Court on 30 October 2023 to interdict reporting and demand the immediate return of the documents used in the investigative reporting, claiming that these were accessed through theft. The judge also stated that such grievances needed to be pursued via independent regulatory channels such as the Press Council, which deals with media and public disputes. The South Gauteng High Court later set the order aside on 3 July 2023 after judge Ronald Sutherland found the original order by Moti Group an “abuse of the process of the court” and that “resistance to disgorgement of information on the ground of protecting a source is functional and not optional to the workprocess of investigative journalism” and ruled that amaBhungane could continue publishing their investigative stories and would not have to return the Moti documents or reveal their sources. This order is interpreted, as confirmed by the ruling, as an attempt to infringe on the freedom of the media and freedom of expression by politically connected figures. Gender-based harassment in the media South Africa has witnessed a rise in online attacks on women journalists by members of political parties and internet trolls. The journalists are threatened with rape, body shamed and racially profiled. The original order has been characterised as an attempt to gag the media on reporting on issues of public importance. In recent years, South Africa has been using lawsuits as a weapon — to intimidate, harass and silence journalists — in carrying out their responsibilities as the Fourth Estate. According to Professor Glenda Daniels, “We have seen trolling and online bullying of women journalists in the past decade — [Karyn] Maughan, Ferial Haffajee, Qaanitah Hunter, Sli Masikane, Lindsay Dentlinger, Pauli van Wyk, Marianne Thamm, Ziyanda Ngcobo, Tshidi Madia, Julia Madibogo and Carien du Plessis The case also reaffirmed the significant role that the justice system plays in safeguarding the constitutional rights of journalists in South Africa as well as highlighted solidarity through STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023 70