Sunday Times' Wa Afrika on reporting from the Wild, Wild West

The jackboot arrest and detention of Sunday Times reporter Mzilikazi wa Afrika last week alarmed all in the media world and has added impetus to the fight against the ANC government’s attempts to curb media freedom in the country.  Wa Afrika talked to Gill Moodie about his detention, reporting in Mpumalanga and what it all means for investigative journalists such as himself.

In the latest instalment of her "Backstory" series, Gill Moodie writes exclusively for journalism.co.za:

GILL MOODIE: Now let me understand where thing stand. You were released on R5 000 bail (in the Nelspruit Regional Court in Mpumalanga last Friday) but the charge sheet was completely empty?

MZILIKAZI WA AFRIKA: Yes, completely empty.

MOODIE: But that’s crazy.

WA AFRIKA: Ja, they said they would charge me with forgery and uttering but the charge sheet was completely empty so we don’t know exactly what is happening.

MOODIE: What is this charge of “uttering”. I’ve never heard of it.

WA AFRIKA: I don’t know. Neither have I and my lawyer is waiting to find out what it’s all about. (Wa Afrika must appear in court again on November 8^th.)

MOODIE: What did the magistrate make of the proceedings last Friday if there was no charge sheet?

WA AFRIKA: Well, the  prosecutors have already said they think there is just no case. I think these guys (the police) are pushing so they can be seen to be  doing something.

MOODIE: It seems the international press have been slow to pick up on the attacks on media freedom such as the proposed statutory media tribunal and the Protection of Information Bill. But I would imagine that’s changed with your arrest.

WA AFRIKA: CNN’s interviewing me today. I’ve been getting emails from as far afield as Singapore and Japan. Yesterday I did an interview with CBC from Canada.

MOODIE: We’ve all been speculating about what’s behind your arrest. Whether it’s (National Police Commissioner) General Bheki Cele hitting back after the front-page story you wrote about him the previous Sunday, we don’t know. But it does seem to me that there is something personal going on here. He was quoted as calling you a “shady” journalist when you were arrested. It seems as though he’s been looking into your background  so let’s clear the air here. Let’s talk about your dismissal from the Sunday Times a few years ago because of an apparent conflict of interest with one of the accused in the Travelgate scandal.

WA AFRIKA: It does seem to be personal and for the National Police Commissioner to be like that is just a shame... It was supposed to be a conflict of interest but at the end of the day – like Ray (Hartley, the Sunday Times editor) said I think in an e.tv interview – that they thought it was (a conflict of interest) but it was a minor thing. There was no conflict of interest. I’ve been here with (Sunday Times publishers) Avusa since then. I was at Sunday World and came back to the Sunday Times.

MOODIE: Going back to last week, when the cops arrested you and you realised they were taking you to Mpumalanga, you must have been worried. I know you’re from there but bad things are happening in the province – hit lists, apparent political assassinations, journalists getting guns pointed at them

WA AFRIKA: If you read my piece on Sunday, I was not afraid to be arrested but I was afraid to be taken to Mpumalanga. It’s the Wild, Wild West.

MOODIE: Ja, what’s going on in Mpumalanga? It’s even loonier than the Eastern Cape and certainly more dangerous.

WA AFRIKA: I think the best people to answer that question is the ANC as they have been conducting an investigation (by a task team) in Mpumalanga for God knows how many months and we were initially told that the findings of that investigation would be made public by the end of July. Now it’s August and we still don’t know what is happening. The point is that people are dying and  know one really seems to care. The police seem to be more interested in the journalists who are reporting on things than the people who are being killed.

MOODIE: The Sunday Times story this week said the Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza is very wealthy. Where does his wealth come from?

WA AFRIKA: That’s a good question. The Mail & Guardian on Friday had a story on this.

MOODIE: It seems that Mpumalanga is getting to be a dangerous place for journalists. City Press’s Sizwe Sama Yende in Nelspruit had a gun pointed at him last week.

WA AFRIKA: You know that Sanco (the South African National Civic Organisation) issued a statement (this week) calling him a traitor because he wrote about his attack. They say he joined the ranks of traitors such as myself just because he’s writing about the premier – instead of condemning his attack, they are attacking him.

MOODIE: I know you to be a fearless investigative reporter. You’ve gone undercover in dangerous situations. But does something like this make you less fearless?

WA AFRIKA: I’m not really worried about my safety. I’m really worried about the safety of my sources. People are very interested to find them so they can intimidate them. Look at Victor Mlimi, my co-accused. When the hit list (of 11 senior government officials and ANC members in Mpumalanga) was produced two years ago, he was on it. This year people have tried to kill him at least three times. Bullets have been fired at his house but the police haven’t done anything about it. They are going after people who know things or who are speaking to the media – trying to frustrate them, intimidate them and kill them.

MOODIE: The main complaint against you is this letter faxed to the Sunday Times purporting to be Mabuza’s resignation letter. Why didn’t you guys run a story based on it?

WA AFRIKA: Because we couldn’t verify its authenticity... The point is that the fax was sent to the Sunday Times, not to me and yet (Hawks spokesman) Musa Zondi said I was arrested in my personal capacity.

MOODIE: When did the fax come through?

WA AFRIKA: Last month.

MOODIE: With your arrest coming together with the proposed media tribunal and Protection of Information Bill, are you worried about the future of investigative journalism in South Africa?

WA AFRIKA: I am worried. I was arrested for receiving a fax. If this Bill is passed, what will they arrest us for next? You could be arrested for receiving  phone call from your wife. What happened last week shows how they are going to abuse (the Bill).

* The "Backstory" series is exclusive to journalism.co.za. Gill Moodie is a freelance journalist who is also responsible for the website http://www.grubstreet.co.za