(MISA/IFEX) – On 5 December 2002, University of Botswana (UB) students, armed with bricks and stones, attacked two journalists from the bi-weekly newspaper “Mokgosi” on 5 December 2002. At around 5:00 a.m. (local time) on 5 December, Moreri Moroka, a “Mokgosi” freelance reporter and well-known poet, who is also a third-year student at the UB, […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 5 December 2002, University of Botswana (UB) students, armed with bricks and stones, attacked two journalists from the bi-weekly newspaper “Mokgosi” on 5 December 2002.
At around 5:00 a.m. (local time) on 5 December, Moreri Moroka, a “Mokgosi” freelance reporter and well-known poet, who is also a third-year student at the UB, and photographer Moreri Sejakgomo were covering student demonstrations on campus, when a crowd of about 100 students surrounded, verbally abused and manhandled them. The Student Representative Committee (SRC) and UB security personnel later identified and freed Moroka. He was then forced to dodge flying bricks from the mob as he was walking out of the campus gates. Sejakgomo had managed to flee the campus earlier, but not before being manhandled by the students.
“Mokgosi” management said it viewed the incident with contempt, finding it both disturbing and unfortunate. “The fact that [the journalists] were made the target of misdirected anger of rampaging students serves as a warning and a threat against those who put their lives on the line to inform the nation of problems facing the country,” said “Mokgosi” editor Pamela Dube. “The fact that the students felt strongly about the university administration’s disregard to their demands does not give them a licence to target innocent messengers.”
Moroka says he fears for his life since his attackers are fellow students, with some of whom he shares lecture rooms.
MISA Botswana strongly condemned the students’ action and said that it was unfortunate that “the messenger had to be shot.” MISA Botswana re-affirmed its commitment to advocate for a free media environment for all journalists in Botswana.
