FF Plus will request Speaker to take action against Shivambu for attacking journalist

20 March 2018

The FF Plus strongly condemns this morning’s incident during which Floyd Shivambu from the EFF attacked a journalist at Parliament and will immediately address a written request to the Speaker of Parliament, Baleka Mbete, to take action against Shivambu.

According to reports, the journalist, Adrian de Kock who is a videographer at Network24, indicated that he is going to lay a charge of assault with the police.

On the video footage of the incident, recorded by fellow journalists, one can clearly see Shivambu and another man shoving De Kock, grabbing his throat and trying to take his camera from him.

The FF Plus considers this matter to be extremely serious. It is a direct attack on the freedom of the media and freedom of speech. The EFF has also just accused the eNCA news channel of so-called one-sided reporting. The eNCA strongly denied it. 

Apart from the written request to the Speaker, the FF Plus will also ensure that the police investigate the matter with the necessary urgency and diligence. Over the last few years, journalists have played a very important role in exposing state capture, fraud and corruption in South Africa.

The South African media’s role of watchdog is of critical importance to society and journalists must be allowed to do their job without fear.

Issued by Corné Mulder, FF Plus chief whip, 20 March 2018