EFF: Sanef wants to shut down criticism of the media

Sanef said on Wednesday that it had approached the courts on behalf of journalists who have been attacked by the party and its supporters.

EFF spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi says the party will not allow Sanef to use the courts to prevent it from criticising the media.

"We believe that they are motivated by an attempt to shut c criticism of the media and (President) Cyril's faction and conduct in the media. Nobody is above criticism in a democratic and open society and we certainly are very sure that the courts of this country do not have a constitutional mandate to shut down debates. We are not going to be intimidated or bullied by editors, bosses of the media, to not be critical about their actions and certain media personalities. We will always speak the truth even if it means prison."

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Ndlozi says they have maintained that the EFF's fight is ideological and the party will never condone violence.

"We have been very consistent, including the first time that we named journalists, that ours is an ideological and intellectual confrontation with an ideological enemy of the EFF. We have indicated that there should never be any violence, particularly against women, we've said this. So it makes no sense for Sanef to say they demanding something that is already happened," he says.

Ndlozi adds that the party is simply too busy to meet with the group's management as it is preparing for the upcoming elections.

"We will not be giving time to bosses of the media over non-existing problems. We don't see the urgency at all in relation to what they have raised. It is a blatant lie that we had agreed that we'll meet them before elections," Ndlozi says.

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