Safeguarding press freedom while strengthening policing
Statement by Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP, UDM Deputy President and Leader in Parliament
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is deeply concerned by recent incidents that expose a disturbing trend in the treatment of journalists by the South African Police Service (SAPS). Press freedom has been one of the cornerstones of our new democracy, enshrined in the Constitution to safeguard transparency, accountability and the people’s right to know. Yet, increasingly, journalists are finding themselves under siege by the very institutions mandated to protect those freedoms.
The case of Cape Town journalist Sandiso Phaliso, who was assaulted, harassed, and twice unlawfully deprived of his phone while reporting in Nyanga, is a chilling reminder of how far things have fallen. Despite his press credentials, Phaliso was subjected to violence and intimidation, and to date, his equipment has not been returned. Similarly, in Johannesburg, Julia Evans of the Daily Maverick was wounded by a rubber bullet while covering community protests in Westbury. According to her account, SAPS deployed a flashbang and fired rubber bullets without prior warning, putting the lives of residents, demonstrators and journalists in danger.
These incidents cannot be dismissed as isolated. They speak to a broader tendency within SAPS to abandon restraint in favour of brute force. This is particularly troubling because it undermines both public trust in policing and the constitutional guarantee of a free and independent press.
It must be said clearly: a police service that bullies journalists, obstructs their work, and ignores the very policies that protect press freedom is a danger to our democracy. The protections guaranteed by Standing Orders and National Instructions are meaningless if they are not enforced in practice.
At the same time, the UDM acknowledges the extreme pressures under which our police operate. South Africa is gripped by high levels of violent crime, and SAPS officers often face life-threatening situations. Their frustrations are understandable, but they cannot be allowed to spill over into indiscriminate heavy-handedness. To “shoot first and ask questions later” is to abandon discipline and professionalism, which are the bedrock of effective policing.
The balance between firm crime prevention and respect for rights must never be lost. Police officers must be supported with the resources, training and leadership needed to combat crime decisively, but also guided to uphold constitutional values in the execution of their duties. Journalists are not enemies of the police – they are allies of the public in shining a light on injustice and holding everyone, including criminals and government, accountable. When SAPS upholds this balance, it strengthens trust and legitimacy.
The UDM therefore calls on the Minister of Police, the National Commissioner, and provincial leadership to urgently reinforce this principle: that in the fight against crime, the police must never lose sight of the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. To do so would be to surrender to lawlessness, rather than overcome it.
