‘Blatant disregard, exclusion’ of journalists at President’s oversight visit ‘a gross insult’
South African National Editors’ Forum
SANEF is dismayed and strongly condemns the Office of the President and the Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) for the inadequate preparations, unfair treatment and lack of professionalism displayed towards journalists during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent oversight visit to the Eastern Cape.
On Tuesday 15 April 2025, members of the media were formally invited by the Presidency, through GCIS, to cover Ramaphosa’s visit to the Port of Ngqura in Gqeberha. Journalists were accredited and sent on assignment by their respective newsrooms to provide coverage of this important public event, only to be met with blatant disregard and exclusion upon arrival.
In a shocking display of unfairness, only a select few television cameras were allowed to follow the President. The rest of the media cohort, which included print, online and radio journalists, were left waiting idly for more than two hours without access, information or updates.
The only glimpse they had of the President was as his convoy drove past them, with no opportunity to ask questions or engage meaningfully. No explanations or apologies were offered for this unacceptable treatment.
This is not only a failure in planning but a gross insult to the media and, by extension, the South African public. Journalists were not invited for ceremonial purposes. Their presence was to ensure public transparency, accountability and proper reporting on matters of national interest.
To treat them as an afterthought is to undermine their constitutional role
SANEF strongly condemns this ongoing pattern of exclusion and disrespect towards the media by some elements within government communications. The President has conspicuously avoided an engagement with the media, as he last took questions from the media in 2023.
This is despite his public commitment to do so and repeated requests and letters to his office, with the latter requests having unashamedly gone unanswered. This is not to be confused with one-on-one interviews with selected media houses that the Presidency chooses to do, and the fleeting ‘doorstop’ moments at public events.
It has been a practice in this country and other countries for the head of State to regularly engage with the media.
All of Ramaphosa’s predecessors – from the late Nelson Mandela to former President Jacob Zuma – kept to this established practice. However, the current president has chosen not to do so for reasons that the Presidency has not explained.
We remind the Presidency and GCIS that journalists are not mere spectators; they are public watchdogs tasked with holding power to account
Ignoring, sidelining, or selectively granting access to media practitioners goes against the democratic values of fairness, equality, openness and transparency.
The continued marginalisation of journalists, particularly by the highest office in the land, sets a worrying precedent and must be discouraged. Government communication must be inclusive, transparent and professional at all times.
We urge the Presidency and GCIS to take the role of the media seriously and to respect the vital role it plays in a thriving democracy.
SANEF expects an explanation from the Presidency and GCIS about the Gqeberha incident. We equally request a prompt review of their media engagement protocols to ensure that this kind of poor treatment of the media does not happen again. We further ask the Presidency and GCIS to commit to a date for an open engagement with the South African media.
- This article was first published here
