South Africa’s state of press freedom: ‘notable wins; significant work remains’
PICTURE: vee terzy/Pexels
Media Institute of Southern Africa
The ‘State of Press Freedom in Southern Africa 2025’ report is based on country reports for Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The country reports were commissioned by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA).
The report was supported by UNESCO and related actions funded by the European Union, and implemented by MISA as part of a consortium led by BBC Media Action.
The editorial committee comprised: Reyhana Masters, Nqaba Matshazi, Kholwani Nyathi and Nyasha Nyakunu
SOUTH AFRICA
In the African context, and indeed globally, South Africa is considered a country with robust constitutional safeguards for freedom of expression and media protection laws.
Media representative bodies and civil society organisations often work together to protect media freedom through legal advocacy and constant engagements with the government.
Despite this record, media violations are not altogether absent.
The 2024 World Press Freedom Index ranked the country 38 out of 180 countries (a fall of 13 points from 2023), fourth to Mauritania, Namibia, and Seychelles on the African continent (a fall from second position in 2023 behind Namibia).
Notably, South Africa has fallen by 46 points from 48 out of 180 countries in 2023 to 94 on the security indicator, demonstrating a worrying trend of harassment and intimidation of journalists, especially during the 2024 general elections.
There have also been sustained online and offline campaigns harassing and threatening women journalists for their critical reporting and investigative assignments
Nonetheless, there were some notable wins in 2024, but more significant work remains.
In 2024, several SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) suits were initiated to censor and intimidate journalists from doing their work.
See ‘Media and the law: SLAPP suits’, here
In February 2024, RE Capital Holdings and director Newman George Leech filed a restraint of public order against the Mail & Guardian for a story it published which showed a connection between the United Kingdom-incorporated company and Global & Local Financial Advisors allegedly implicated in a suspected Ponzi scheme.
RE Capital Holdings and Leech approached the Johannesburg High Court for an order to declare the story defamatory and false and requested that the Mail & Guardian retract the story and issue an apology.
Furthermore, the plaintiff wanted the court to interdict the Mail & Guardian from publishing future articles with similar allegations about them.
The application was struck off by the High Court, which ruled that the case was not urgent and the court could not grant a final order prohibiting what is considered to be in the public interest.
The ruling, which also directed RE Capital Holdings and George Leech to pay the Mail & Guardian’s legal costs and seek relief through mechanisms such as the Press Council regulatory body, was widely welcomed by the media as a huge win for press freedom in the face of increasing bullying of journalists through court processes
In another case, a freelance journalist Thomo Nkgadima, was arrested and charged with intimidation and trespassing in connection with a story on illegal electricity connections in December 2023.
The case was dismissed by the Praktiseer Magistrates Court in May 2024 due to lack of evidence.
Following the ruling, the Campaign for Free Expression (CFE) director, Anton Harber, said: ‘We have always considered this to be a case of harassment and attempted intimidation of a journalist doing his work by local authorities and are pleased that the courts have confirmed that there is no case against him.’
In April 2024, freelance journalist Sandiso Phaliso, who writes for GroundUp, was arrested and detained for two hours by the South African police for photographing a crime scene in Philippi, Cape Town.
This is despite Phaliso having identified himself as a journalist and the crime scene not being cordoned off. His phone was confiscated by one of the police officers, and was asked to hand over his belongings, including bank cards and cash. He was later released on condition he deleted the pictures of the crime scene.
After his release, Phaliso realised his belongings had been given to his daughter, who had visited him while in detention, and that some of the money was missing.
GroundUp editor, Nathan Geffen, in a letter to the police, wrote that it was unlawful to detain individuals for taking photographs and that giving Phaliso’s belongings to his daughter, including the money, was a clear breach of procedure.
This was not the first time that Phaliso’s freedom of expression had been infringed.
In 2014 he was threatened with arrest for attempted murder after taking pictures of police officers, who were photographing a man seriously injured after being beaten and set alight by angry residents in Philippi for an alleged house break-in.
In May 2024, Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane sued a local newspaper, the Umjindi-Elukwatini Guardian and its editor, Bheki Mashile, for R10-million for a story she considered defamatory and for which, she claimed, she was not given a right of reply before print.
The story alleged the Premier and former Mpumalanga director-general Makhukhu Mampuru were implicated in a R100m theft case involving medicines, which resulted in gross shortages in many public health institutions across the province.
The Umjindi-Elukwatini Guardian further alleged the money was instead used to buy support from the ANC’s National Working Committee members to recommend her to President Cyril Ramaphosa so that she could be appointed for a second term as premier after the May general elections.
The CFE said the legal action against the publication and its editor appeared to be a SLAPP to harass journalists for carrying out investigative work.
In November 2024, online trading companies Banxso and AfriMarkets sued Moneyweb and GroundUp for defamation based on articles they published exposing unethical business practices resulting in people losing their investments.
The South African Financial Conduct Authority suspended Banxso’s licence in October 2024.
GroundUp noted an apparent link between Banxso and AfriMarkets, given that Warwick David Sneider and Harel Adam Sekler are directors for both companies.
In the summons served against GroundUp and Moneyweb, Sneider sued for a combined R13.3m for defamation arguing the articles gave an impression of him being ‘dishonest, unethical, untrustworthy, deceitful, unscrupulous, engaged in fraud, involved in illegal business practices, disreputable and acting fraudulently’.
AfriMarkets also sued the media organisations for R10m as damages for the apparent association in the stories that implicated the company and Banxso giving the impression that they too operate illegally, deceitfully and unethically.
There have been sustained attacks, primarily online directed at South African female journalists. Women journalists are still confronted with sexist cultures in the media despite some notable progress in terms of gender representation
Female journalists have also been subjected to physical assault and harassment in their day-to-day line of duty.
In May 2024, members of the media were physically assaulted and harassed by a group of men at an uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party political rally. A video shared on X by Amanda Khoza, a News24 journalist, shows a group of men wearing military fatigues aggressively advancing towards the journalists. Khoza said she was pushed and fell to the ground.
Another female journalist, whose name is being withheld for safety reasons, told the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) that she was ‘pushed aside by a man who touched my breasts as he aggressively wanted to make way for the arrival of [party president] Jacob Zuma’.
This incident took place after SANEF had shared a statement of commitment to media freedom and the protection of journalists with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) ahead of the 2024 general elections, and for political parties to ensure journalists were not subjected to intimidation, harassment and assault by party representatives and supporters.
The Big Data Case Study, published by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in partnership with the University of Sheffield, reveals that online violence towards women journalists is mostly directed at those writing investigative work on issues such as state corruption and the actions of political parties.
The findings detail the experiences of South African women journalists, Ferial Haffajee, Pauli van Wyk and Rebecca Davis, indicating that X remains a key platform used for directing abuse, threats, and harassment against women journalists to silence and suppress their critical reporting.
The report stated that content moderation mechanisms were not sufficient in dealing with online attacks targeted at women journalists. Some of the journalists interviewed said platforms such as X had consistently failed or refused to remove abusive content or take down accounts after these were reported.
Furthermore, policing institutions such as the South Africa Police Service and the criminal justice system showed indifference and often did not have the resources and expertise to address online attacks targeting women journalists in a manner that is effective and responsive.
Branko Brkic, then-Daily Maverick Editor-in-Chief, said while both male and women journalists receive insults because of their work, for women journalists the comments are ‘much more physically threatening’.
‘You know, I don’t have anybody threatening me physically, but people basically in the post throwing insults, trying to prove that I am a gangster or racist or whatever else. But nobody says, I’m going to kill you. So that’s the difference.
‘Nobody tried to threaten me with rape ever. If you are a troll, you can easily threaten any female journalist with rape. So, this element of gender-based violence is underlying everything; every single attack is much more threatening and much more dangerous for female journalists.’
Gendered harassment and violence against women journalists is also instigated and reinforced through the media itself.
For example, a legal journalist for News24, Karyn Maughan, was subjected to numerous harassment, intimidation and threats due to her critical reporting at the Sunday Independent newspaper.
Independent Online (IOL), published an abusive opinion piece that compared her to a Nazi fi lmmaker Leni Riefenstahl in her coverage of the legal disputes involving the newspaper’s parent company. The accompanying graphic for the article ncluded a gun pointing at Maughan’s image.
The opinion piece was widely shared and promoted through IOL’s social media accounts.
The Press Ombudsman said the opinion piece caused severe harm and sanctioned a retraction and apology. However, the newspaper’s publisher, Independent Media Group, refused to obey the ruling.
See ‘Press Council expels Independent Media Group’, here
There are broader concerns that the refusal to operate by the rules of a self regulatory body is detrimental to the media’s work.
A study by Genevieve Govender and Tigere P Muringa (Durban University of Technology, 2025) also revealed that women journalists face persistent exclusions and systemic barriers in the workplace and journalistic roles. This has a detrimental effect on their work, well-being, and personal safety
One of the respondents in the study, who works for the SABC, said she was subjected to sexist remarks and jokes by male colleagues and news sources, which was often normalised and dismissed as ‘harmless banter’.
Similarly, a female reporter also recalled encounters where male newsroom colleagues and politicians would make uncomfortable and sexualised gestures towards women journalists.
Unfortunately, such incidents are frequent in the newsroom and the field.
With the prevailing culture of impunity, most victims often opt to self-censure for fear of retribution. Most of the perpetrators are usually senior colleagues or those in positions of authority.
This problem is compounded by gender inequalities in leadership in the newsroom. The Reuters Institute reported that the number of women in top editorial positions decreased to 29% in 2024, although a marginal improvement of 38% can be seen in the 2025 figures.
In a ruling that is seen as a significant step for reining in the power and influence of big tech companies operating in South Africa, the Information Regulator rejected Meta’s attempt at circumventing local laws, arguing that they do not apply to the company.
This is after the CFE asked Meta, through legal mechanisms under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), to provide information on its steps to protect South Africa’s right to vote in safety in the 2024 general elections.
See ‘The Press Council’s PAIA manual’, here
Furthermore, the CFE also requested Meta to detail the steps it was taking to prevent hate speech, disinformation and harassment of women journalists. After Meta’s refusal, the Information Regulator ruled that the CFE request had merit.
Attempts by SANEF for a joint action from TikTok, X, Meta and Google in combating disinformation and hate speech during the general actions were met with resistance.
For instance, SANEF said, ‘the only interpretation we can make of such shoddy treatment is that it demonstrates a lack of accountability and commitment by the interlocutors to serious electoral action to protect journalists online, limit hate speech, and promote authoritative information’.
In April 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Judicial Matters Amendment Act (2023), which repealed a provision relating to criminal defamation. The repeal was hailed as a significant win for media freedom in South Africa.
This came after intense and sustained advocacy by the media, legal entities, and civil society who had long argued that the repressive provision had been weaponised to target, threaten and silence journalists’ public interest role
Furthermore, the criminal defamation law was antithetical to democratic principles given that the South African constitution protected freedom of expression.
See ‘Media and the law: defamation’, here
In November 2024, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, withdrew the highly controversial SABC Bill, which had sought to restructure and modernise the public broadcaster.
The move was widely welcomed by the media, given its fundamental flaws, especially regarding the potential interference by government in the management of SABC as well as not having a realistic, effective and sustainable financial model structure.
See ‘South Africa needs its public broadcaster, but who is going to fund it?’, here
While the bill was withdrawn, there were delays in formalising withdrawal processes in Parliament.
Media organisations, including the SOS Coalition (SOS), Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), SANEF and the CFE, have stated that the interference by the Cabinet in the withdrawal of the bill is unlawful and unconstitutional.
Media partners, policy experts and the public maintained that a more comprehensive restructuring of the SABC governance framework was needed. Such an approach would ensure the public broadcaster continues to fulfil its mandate in the face of an increasingly polarised society and a highly competitive and shrinking market.
SANEF Executive Director Reggy Moalusi notes that the South African media market is at an unprecedented juncture and faces significant job losses from 15 000 in 2009 to about 4 500 in 2024 due to declining revenue
There is a general concern that the increasing role of AI in news aggregation and consumption will further sideline journalists in the news cycle. Furthermore, there are concerns that with the prevalence of inaccurate and unbalanced information online, AI would further amplify misinformation and disinformation, especially where there are no robust regulatory safeguards for AI accountability.
However, anecdotal evidence shows there is still potential for newsrooms in South Africa to leverage AI for timely, efficient and comprehensive delivery of data-driven stories, especially in financial markets and in the business sector. There are also opportunities for using AI for automated fact-checking and verification of information and stories to combat misinformation.
Local organisations such as Develop AI, founded by journalist Paul McNally, are offering training for journalists on how to use AI in investigative stories.
Generative AI has also given rise to bogus and predatory media organisations such as the now-deindexed BNN Breaking, known for plagiarising stories and posting misleading and inaccurate news.
A GroundUp investigation also revealed how BNN Breaking rewrote its stories using ChatGPT. This fly-by-night journalism outlet was enabled by search platforms such as Google, Microsoft and MSN, with Google Ads as an incentive model.
In May 2024, the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (ICASA) fined the SABC R500 000 for refusing to air a controversial advert from the DA. It further ordered the broadcaster to air the advert.
The DA said the advert, which showed the South African national flag in flames, was a symbolic warning of the consequences of not voting for the party in the general elections.
While the burning of the national flag is not illegal, the advert received criticism for being offensive, with Ramaphosa stating that the act was treasonous.
However, CFE, MMA and SOS noted that while the burning of the flag was profoundly offensive, and acknowledged the SABC’s concern around the desecration of national symbols, censoring the advert undermined freedom of expression which should be protected particularly when there are disagreements in opinion
Consequently, ICASA’s Complaints and Compliance Committee found that there was no legal basis under the Electronic Communication Act to refuse to air the advert and that this contravened the Act by discriminating against DA.
The overage of climate change and environmental issues is on the increase in South Africa. Media organisations such as the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, Daily Maverick, GroundUp and the Oxpeckers Center for Investigative Environmental Journalism having dedicated teams that investigate the social and economic impacts of climate change.
However, given the global nature of climate ssues and environmental challenges, some of which are the result of global extractive markets, there is a need for localised perspectives alongside international dialogues.
The effective coverage of climate change issues is frustrated by the marginalisation of African media in the global ecosystem, limited financial resources and shortage of scientific and technical expertise in climate-oriented investigative reporting.
- Read the full ‘State of Press Freedom in Southern Africa 2025’ report here
