(MISA/IFEX) – On 19 September 2002, Sina Sebetha, an Edenvale traffic officer in Gauteng province, threatened “Sunday Times” journalist Sabelo Ndlangisa. She told the journalist she would make him “vanish if he did not leave her alone.” Sebetha called the offices of the “Sunday Times” and left a recorded message: “You! You will vanish. They’ll […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 19 September 2002, Sina Sebetha, an Edenvale traffic officer in Gauteng province, threatened “Sunday Times” journalist Sabelo Ndlangisa. She told the journalist she would make him “vanish if he did not leave her alone.”
Sebetha called the offices of the “Sunday Times” and left a recorded message: “You! You will vanish. They’ll look all over for and won’t find you. If you want to do the right thing, stay out of other people’s business. We will finish you off.”
The threat followed a report in the Metro section of the “Sunday Times”‘s 15 September edition, entitled: “Traffic cop who asked for a bribe is still in job”. Sebetha admitted to making the threatening call but said she did it out of anger.
The newspaper also reported that Ekurhuleni Mayor Duma Nkonsi quickly distanced the council from Sebetha’s threats, stating they were not acceptable and unfortunate.
MISA’s South African chapter regards this as a direct violation of a journalist’s right to report freely. Such threats should not be encouraged within a democratic country such as South Africa, which guarantees media freedom.
