Beating of SABC journalist in DRC condemned

The SABC has strongly condemned the beating on Friday, 27 October 2006, of one of its journalists by members of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) police force, when the police baton charged a group of Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba's supporters during the final day of campaigning ahead of the Presidential elections.

Njanji Chauke, a SABC Television journalist currently based in Lubumbashi, was hit several times over the head, despite having clearly identified himself as a journalist, when police charged the crowd without warning. According to a press statement, the SABC believes that this type of action by the police severely undermines the ability of its news division to provide a full picture of events in the DRC.

The crowd had gathered outside Bemba's MLC party headquarters and was demanding to be allowed to march through the city.

Chauke was briefly hospitalised and received stitches. His colleagues, cameraman Ronewa Musandiwa and radio journalist Joseph Mosia, managed to escape without injury. Mosia and Chauke hid out for more than an hour in a house at the MLC head quarters, while Musandiwa managed to make his way back to the hotel.

The journalists reported that several members of the crowd appeared to have been assaulted by the police, but have not been able to confirm as yet whether there were any serious casualties.

SABC management offered to evacuate the journalists, but they elected to stay and cover the story. There is a team of 12 SABC staffers in the DRC based in Lubumbashi, Goma and Kinshasa.

The SABC is now calling upon the security forces within the DRC to recognise the rights of the media to cover the story freely and in safety.