A member of the Sunday Times staff, Mzilikazi wa Afrika, was arrested this morning. We have assigned lawyers to represent him and we are trying to establish what the charges against him are and where he is being held, so far without any success.
Our lawyers have been unable to get a clear answer from the police on either of these two questions.
I am deeply concerned at the fact that a journalist can be arrested and held at an undisclosed location in a country where the rule of law ought to apply.
He was arrested by a large number of policemen in an operation which was clearly designed to intimidate and I can only conclude that this was the true motive for what took place today.
Mzilikazi was one of the authors of the story which we published on Sunday about the rental of new police headquarters at the cost of R500m without following the usual tender proceedings. I hope, for the sake of our country, that he was not arrested on spurious charges in order to punish him for what he wrote.
We are doing everything in our power to have him released and we are doing all that we can to assure his well being.

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  4. Mbeki bribe claim: Sunday Times editor speaks on the story
  5. The defeaning silence of the powerful as freedom was assasulted

 


Comments

 

abongilem if you care

August 4, 2010 at 1:25 pm

This is beyond disgusting…it’s shocking…where in the world is this country going. We shall not be intimidated by those hounds!!!!
We are fully behind you Mzi

 

not free

August 4, 2010 at 2:10 pm

bheki cele muist get a life who does he think he is, this is a free country the freedom of speech and opinion is one of our benefits. Mzilikazi is a journalist and his job is to expose corruption and we support him, Help us God we are being led and supposedly protected by idiots!!

 

Felicity

August 4, 2010 at 2:33 pm

Worrying… very very worrying… brings back memories of when members of Zimbabwe’s press were arrested for their articles they had had written. Leaves a sour taste in my mouth…

 

RudolphM

August 4, 2010 at 3:46 pm

This is a gross violation of our freedom of expression and opinion! We are going to become a totalitarian state if this ends up to be the rule of the land! Free Mzilikazi!!

 

John Geronimo Brown

August 4, 2010 at 3:48 pm

This has been happening to acitivist citizens frequently… but nobody gave a damn…, least of all journalists.

Now it is a journalist, we must all jump and squeel it is the end of hte rule of law…

Why do journalists think activist citizens can be arrested without warrants and journalists don’t care….

But now we must all jump?

 

colin reddy

August 4, 2010 at 4:01 pm

this is not only scary, it’s depressing. Is cele running scared after selebi’s conviction. Too much like the aparthied state. Strike fear into the hearts of opponents. But remember , agents of satan, the righteous will always prevail. Only thing is it takes our country backwards in a short time but a long time to recover.

 

Chait

August 4, 2010 at 4:26 pm

I am a photojournalist who works freelance, who will protect me? if we cannot trust the police who can we trust?

 

Zanu PF 4 Life

August 4, 2010 at 9:17 pm

Was Mzi not wrongfully in a possession of resignation letter which was directed to Jacob Zuma?

Secondly, when these journalists report false information that results to deformation of character, who holds them accountable.

Viva media tribunal viva!!!!

 

Larry Goodfella

August 5, 2010 at 6:45 am

He may have been involved in illegal activity totally unrelated to the Cele news article.

If it is intimidation by the police over the Cele crookery, then we must vote these clowns out of politics and take firmer charge of our future in this country.
Problem is that white citizens will not fight for the life of this country, and we will piss-off out of here rather than put ourselves and family at risk of confrontation with a rogue government.
The blacks will allow themselves to be ground into the dust by their own people out of sheer ethnic stupidity, before they will attempt to oppose the tyrant. Africa at its best.

 

Earl Redcliffe

August 5, 2010 at 2:57 pm

He deserves it. He is a lying little fella. For a headline he destroyed a man and a family. The man in question, Charles Robert Redcliffe, was explaining to this young man what he thought was the procedure and if there was fault, questions should be asked as good governance rules dictate.

Read the article splattered on the front bloody page of the Sunday Times. That man is lucky that he is just arrested as my Father has just died, CLEARLY AN EARLY DEATH EXACERBATED BY THIS PRICK!

 

Custard Joe

August 15, 2010 at 12:05 am

Mike Sutcliffe eThekwini City Manager Corruption is protected by ANC John Mchunu.
Why is John Mchunu protecting the corrupt Sutcliffe , Derek Naidoo and Krish Kumar.
The word is out that John Mchunu wants to rule eThekwini with Sutcliffe , Krish Kumar and Derek Naidoo. The rule will be done with their corrupt processes.

 

Sutclife Oliver Michael

August 15, 2010 at 12:08 am

Corrupt eThekwini Municipal Manager Michael Sutcliffe is trying to promote himself for another job and run away to Canada.
It is alleged that Sutcliffe is pulling onto Zuma’s belt for a position as an ambassador to South Africa



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