BLACK WEDNESDAY – OCTOBER 19 1977 WHEN MEDIA FREEDOM WAS CRUSHED IN SOUTH AFRICA

 

October 19 2020   

  

(Some of the struggle journalists who contributed to media freedom and freedom in general in South Africa in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s)

By Subry Govender 

Forty-three years ago today, October 19 1977, South Africa witnessed what became known as “Black Wednesday”.
It was the day when the extreme and further erosion of human rights and the imposition of dictatorial policies were carried out by the former apartheid regime to silence and oppress the freedom of the media. 

It was the darkest day in the history of journalism in the country when the main black newspapers at that time, World and Weekend World, were banned and ordered to cease publication along with Pro Veritate, a publication of the Christian Institute; and when editors and journalists were either banned, detained or interrogated and had their homes and offices raided and searched.

The action against the media, ordered by the infamous Minister of Justice, Jimmy Kruger, was carried out in conjunction with the banning of 18 anti-apartheid interest groups, civic, student, religious and media organisations; and banning and detention of their leaders and officials.
Kruger and the State President at that time, Dr Nico Diederichs, signed the banning proclamations.
With the stroke of a pen, the then apartheid regime had removed two newspapers that had played a crucial role in keeping the people informed. 
Mr Kruger just over a month earlier had described black consciousness leader, Steve Biko's death in detention as: "It leaves me cold".
The notorious security police or "special branch" of the time carried out systematic raids against journalists, newspaper offices and other publications in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and other cities and towns around the country.

(Struggle journalists attending a UBJ conference at Wentworth, Durban in early 1977 before it was banned on October 19 1977)

In Johannesburg, security policemen arrested Mr Percy Qoboza, Editor of the World and Weekend World, at his offices at about mid-day, only a few minutes before he was due to hold a Press conference about the banning of his newspapers. He was taken to the then John Vorster Square police headquarters. Mr Qoboza was subequently issued with a five-year banning order. His deputy and news editor, Aggrey Klaaste, was also detained and locked up.
The Editor of Pro Veritate, Cedric Maysom, was also detained and issued with a banning and restriction order.
The security police in Johannesburg also carried out raids and searched the homes and offices of other journalists and organisations such as the Union of Black Journalists(UBJ), which was one of the 18 organisations banned. They also arrested and detained a number of journalists, including Joe Thloloe, one of the veterans of the struggle.   
In East London, the security police raided the offices of the Daily Dispatch and served its editor, Donald Woods, with a five-year banning order; and searched homes of some of his reporters, including Miss Thenjiwe Mntintso, who later skipped the country to go into exile because of harassment and intimidation.   

                              (Zwelike Sisulu, Juby Mayet and other comrades marching in 1977)

In Durban, the security police raided and searched the homes of Dennis Pather, who later became editor of the Daily News; and this correspondent.
When representations were subsequently made to Mr Kruger for the release of detained journalists, he unapologetically responded by saying that the detentions were not meant to intimidate the Press and that his Government had good reasons to detain the journalists. 
The clampdown against the media on October 19 1977 had an ironic twist two weeks later when it was reported that the Government was planning to print postage stamps to celebrate 150 years of Press Freedom in South Africa.
A Durban lawyer who was national chairman of the then Progressive Federal Party, Ray Swart, launched a blistering attack against the National Party Government for talking of Press Freedom at a time when it was conducting one of the ruthless campaigns to suppress the media.

                           

(Struggle journalists Philip Mthimkulu and other colleagues at a UBJ meeting early in 1977 in Durban)

In an interview on October 28 1977, Mr Swart, a strong critic of the apartheid regime, told me in an interview that he was impressed that the Government should want to commemorate Press Freedom but he would be more impressed if it gave greater indication of what it considered Press freedom to be.
He had said: "It seems strange that they intend doing this after having just banned three newspapers, incarcerated one editor and banned another. I find it difficult to reconcile the actions of the Government. I suggest the stamps they intend issuing to commemorate Press Freedom should have the faces of Mr Qoboza and Mr Woods."
Of course, the Government of the day did not take up Mr Swart's recommendation and despite his, the country and world-wide condemnations of the action against the newspapers, editors and journalists, the apartheid regime continued with its clampdown and suppression of the media much more forcefully.
Over the next 13 years the apartheid regime continued with their repressive actions of banning and detaining journalists. Some of the journalists who paid the price included Nat Serache, Isaac Moroe, Duma Ndlovu, Mateu Nonyane, Juby Mayet, Mono Badela, Don Mattera, Enoch Duma, Mathatha Tseudu, Zwelakhe Sisulu, this correspondent, Joe Thloloe and Phil Mthimkulu.

                                                                     JUBY MAYET

                                                                         PHILIP

                                                              MTHIMKULU           

                                                              ZWELIKE SISULU

                                                        MATHATHA TSEUDU

                                                           LESLIE XINWA

                                                        RASHID SERIA                                          

                                                     NAT SERACHE

                                                    ISAAC MOROE

                                                 DUMA NDLOVU

                                                   DON MATTERA

                                                    SUBRY GOVENDER

                                               MATEU NONYANE

                                                                                              

                                                               JUBY MAYET AND PHILIP MTHIMKULU

                                                           JOE THLOLOE                  

But despite some of the most stringent regulations and harassment and intimidation of media practitioners over the next 13 years, most journalists never gave up and used October 19 to continue with the struggles for Press Freedom.
They realised their dream of Press Freedom when the ANC and other organisations were unbanned and when Mr Nelson Mandela and other leaders were released in February 1990.
But the new democratic regime also tried to stymie the media when in 2012 it attempted to introduce new measures to force journalists to be compliant and to “toe the line”. But the ANC Government dropped its plans after strong condemnation by editors, journalists and society in general.
The non-government organisations informed the ANC that if it tried to suppress the media then it would actually be suppressing the freedom and democracy that was attained through a great deal of sacrifice by most people, including journalists.
Despite the turn around by the ANC, today, eight years later, politicians are still trying to intimidate journalists and editors. A group of politicians, who believe the media is carrying out a vendetta against them, have embarked on a warpath against media houses and journalists they don’t agree with.
One politician, who has been exposed of gaining from millions of rand that were stolen from a bank, made this dastardly statement: “kick the dog until the owner comes out”.

                                                 MONA BADELA

                                            ENOCH DUMA

He accused some journalists of being the “Ramaphosa Defence Force”.
What this politician, his fellow officials and others must understand is that we have a free media and a free society in South Africa today because of the role played by journalists during the apartheid era. Journalists under the wing of the Union of Black Journalists (UBJ), the Media Workers Association of SA (MWASA) and the Association of Democratic Journalists (ADJ) and other black and white media people stood up against the apartheid regime in the course of their work.
The politicians of today must realise that if they continue with campaigns against journalists who report factually and truthfully, then they would only eventually destroy the democracy we had all fought for.
Our first President, Nelson Mandela, acknowledged after his release in February 1990 that if it had not been for brave journalists, he would still be in prison.
“I want to thank all of you for standing up for freedom and democracy and it is because of your brave stance that I am free today,” he told a press conference in Cape Town soon after his release.
He then went onto call on journalists to continue with their courageous work and to hold the present generation of politicians accountable.
It seems that some of the new politicians believe that they are above the law and that they want to operate in our new democracy without being called on to answer for their misdeeds and theft of billions of taxpayers’ money.

No journalist worth his salt will allow himself or herself to be pushed around or intimidated by politicians. – ends Subry Govender Oct 19 2020