South Africa 2016 violations & victories May 27 Violation of Public Freedom of Expression/Access to Information The SABC announced that it would stop broadcasting footage in news bulletins of “the destruction of property” during protests and demonstrations and immediately drew a barrage of criticism from media and civil society organisations, which ac-cused it of trying to sanitise news instead of acting in the public interest by reporting fully on what was happening in the community. Some likened the SABC’s conduct to that of the apartheid government, which at one stage barred journalists from areas where protests were taking place. In July, civil society organisations appealed to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), which directed the SABC to lift the ban. The SABC shocked viewers by taking the matter on review, which, however, failed. Despite this, the SABC stubbornly maintained its ban until it was forced by public pressure to lift it. • • • • June Assaulted The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) expressed outrage over a series of violent attacks on journalists covering protests in the Tshwane (Pretoria) metropolitan municipality. Reporters from a number of media outlets were chased away by protesters, threatened with violence and physically attacked or intimidated by police officers on the scene. Sanef reported the following incidents: • Power FM journalist Tshidi Madia was threatened and forced out of Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, on June 22 and told to leave Mamelodi on June 21 because she was reporting on the protests. eNCA reporter Jody Jacobs and camerawoman Noluthando Hlophe were robbed at gunpoint by a mob in Mamelodi after a live broadcast of the protests on the evening of June 22. Two men walked up to them and threatened to shoot them if they did not hand over their equipment. The journalists handed the robbers their camera, tripod and microphone. SABC journalist Horisani Sithole received medical treatment after his hand was bitten in Mabopane while he was trying to capture on camera a mob looting a spaza shop owned by a foreign national. News24 reporter Jeff Wicks was assaulted in Ga-Rankuwa on June 22 by a po-lice officer who wanted to prevent him from recording video footage of police shooting rubber bullets at protestors. Officers also confiscated his phone and instructed him to delete video and pictures. On June 21 Atteridgeville residents took the phones and video camera of EWN reporters Clement Manyathela and Kgothatso Mogale after threatening them with a brick. They were forced to delete all footage and were released after doing so.