Death threats and Ben 10s: the ‘unprecedented’ Press Ombud’s ruling
A ruling handed down last week by press ombud Johan Retief is‚ in his own words‚ "the most serious he has dealt with in his seven years of work in the office". The complaint details alleged death threats against a journalist‚ something Retief says is unprecedented to his knowledge — after the reporter in question‚ Sipho Masondo of the City Press‚ refused to accept "incentives" to end his investigation. The newspaper was forced to hire security for Masondo and his family. The complaint centres on a story dated February 19‚ titled "Nomvula’s ‘Ben 10’ calls the shots"‚ which Masondo wrote with Ntombizodwa Makhoba. The complaint was submitted by Ricky Stone‚ a director of law firm Boqwana Burns Attorneys (BBA) — a company of which the same "Ben 10" in the story‚ Luvo Makasi‚ is a director. "The article said that the minister of water affairs and sanitation‚ Nomvula Mokonyane‚ was allowing her young male companion (Makasi‚ 32) to call the shots in her department — so much so that he was ...
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