By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has expressed dissapointment at the imprisonment of Sunday World freelance journalist Thomo Nkgadima.
Nkgadima was arrested on charges of trespassing and intimidation after he took pictures of the house of Eddie Maila, the mayor of Fetakgomo Tubatse local municipality in Burgersfort, Limpopo.
The journalist used a picture of the mayor’s house in his news article about illegal electrical connections at an informal settlement next to the mayor’s house in Burgersfort.
“SANEF is disappointed that such charges were brought forward, against a journalist who was doing his job and never trespassed on Maila’s property, nor intimidated anyone.”
“Editors at Sunday World have informed SANEF that Maila has previously threatened Nkgadima because the latter sought to do his work as a journalist,” reads SANEF statement.
The spokesperson for the municipality, Thabiso Mokoena, says Nkgadima and his accomplice entered the mayor’s premises without his knowledge, which has put his safety at risk.
He says the mayor had to open a criminal case against the two men so that police could establish why they were at his house.
“Both the municipality and the mayor do not believe that the journalist and his accomplice went to the house to cover the story but for peculiar reasons known to them.”
“It is a fallacy to say that the municipality nor the mayor are not concerned about illegal connections, that is not what we are saying because we have never received any media query regarding illegal connections at any informal settlement,” said Mokoena.
Nkgadima and his accomplice, who is not named, were denied bail on Tuesday after spending Christmas Day behind bars.