South Africa
Although South Africa is a leading country for press freedom in Africa, journalists, media professionals, broadcasters, politicians and other major parties struggle daily with unresolved issues stemming from apartheid law. One example of this is the ownership and control of the media. In addition, the country is dealing with a troubled political climate. South Africa is ranked 35th on the RSF Press Freedom Index.
South Africa is one of the countries most affected by Covid-19. The speed with which the virus and its new variants are spreading has exacerbated many of the country's underlying problems. Hunger and food uncertainty have therefore become extremely pressing issues. It is predicted that the pandemic will drive about a million people in South Africa to poverty. President Cyril Ramaphosa made EUR 25 billion available in 2020 to provide food aid, purchase protective materials and support businesses. Part of this amount, more than 35 billion of which was borrowed from the IMF, was subsequently stolen. The population's anger over corruption in the country was immense. The head of the World Health Organization called the South African corona corruption "in fact murder."
Limitation of press freedom through dated laws
The 1996 South African Constitution protects freedom of the press. The country has a well-established culture of investigative journalism, but legislation dating back to the apartheid era is used in conjunction with terrorism laws to limit coverage of government institutions when the "national interest" might be at stake. It is also common for the state security service to spy on journalists and tap their phones.
Intimidation campaigns and name-calling
Journalists in South Africa are frequently harassed in their work. For example, they are confronted with intimidation campaigns when they try to report on certain topics. These topics include the ruling ANC party, public finances, the reallocation of the country among the black population, and corruption scandals. Opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party received a warning from the supreme court in 2019 for name-calling and hate speech against journalists. It is not uncommon for journalists, especially women journalists, to be mocked, insulted and even threatened on social media by politicians or their supporters.
Our work in South Africa
In South Africa, Free Press Unlimited works with partners GroundUp and Vuselela on the initiative: ‘Covid-19 Response in Africa: Together for Reliable Information.’ The aim of this EU-funded project is to support the sub-Saharan media during the corona crisis.
Photo: Paul Enkelaar
