ANC conference security remove journalist Sam Mkokeli for complaining about treatment of media
On Tuesday afternoon, Bloomberg journalist Sam Mkokeli was removed from the ANC conference in Nasrec after complaining about the stringent rules for the media. Journalists had been promised a walkabout with new ANC president, Cyril Ramaphosa, but strict security regulations resulted in the media standing around for hours and taking circuitous routes to events. Mkokeli, who is the chairperson of the South African National Editors’ Forum’s (Sanef’s) subcommittee on media freedom, complained about the treatment of journalists. He tweeted that he had been removed, saying: "I suspect I am being arrested".
The leadership of Sanef, including chairperson Mahlatse Mahlase, were engaging the with ANC protocol officials to get to the bottom of the Mkokeli matter. They went to gate 5 — where he was threatened by security officials — in the hope of getting his accreditation reinstated. Mkokeli and other journalists had waited in the sun for 45 minutes for Ramaphosa, who had been due to mak...
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