I don�t trust govt and writers

Bame Piet | Thursday September 18, 2014 12:22

 

Two years ago a columnist at Sunday World Kuli Roberts was fired for writing certain things about coloured people. In her column Shwashwi, which I used to follow, she wrote that coloureds were a fascinating human species in that some of them, after imbibing alcohol engage in serious fights. She wrote that when such fights ensued, the fighters used anything they could lay their hands on; dishes, television sets, radio, spoons, chairs and others. She added that once all these weapons of mass destruction were done with, the fighters would use anything including their underwear.

Roberts landed in trouble for writing this and was fired immediately. What disappointed me however, was a comment by the Editor of City Press Farial Hafajee, a coloured herself. She went out and hit hard at Roberts, endorsing her dismissal.

The excerpts from Roberts column that put her in trouble: They drink Black Label beer and smoke like chimneys; they shout and throw plates; they have no front teeth and eat fish like they are trying to deplete the ocean; they love to fight in public and most are very violent; they are always referring to your mother’s this and your mother’s that; they know exactly what tik is; they love designer clothes; they love making love and leave even the randiest negro exhausted; they walk around in their pyjamas during the day, especially since they will go back to bed. Roberts later made a public apology for the remarks.

You see, we writers are an amazing species, more than the coloureds. What I am saying is that by fleeing to South Africa, Edgar Tsimane denied the reading public a lot of information that we needed to know. I am suspicious that Edgar’s love for Mzanzi is the main reason why he opted to go there as an asylum seeker, for he was reported missing last year, and only came back recently, we are told, with the aid of Bamalete tribal authorities.

If Edgar had a strong evidential support for his story, there was no need for him to flee to Pretoria, since he could seek police protection, upon learning that some unknown office was working on shortening his stay on the surface of the earth.

From my limited experience in journalism, I suspect Edgar got a tip, and got so excited about it that he succumbed to the pressure to write the story with very limited information. It happens sometimes that we reporters want to be the first to break the story and in the process we overlook some important aspects. The other possibility is that his editor found the story and worked on it to make it ‘readable’. It is common for a reporter to come to work the following day and read in the newspaper a different story from what he/she submitted to their editor. In some instances, this results in friction between reporters and editors, and that is why the latter is cited as first respondent in lawsuits. What never happens however,  is for journalists and their supervisors – editors- to exchange blame, or accusations in public on who could have introduced defamatory, or unconfirmed statements in the published story. Or, it could be that indeed Edgar’s life was in danger. It is public information that on the evening of his death, occasioned by security agents, John Kalafatis’ younger brother warned him that security agents were looking for him, and that they were going to kill him. The deceased apparently took the warning lightly, and the security agents later pumped nine bullets in him just before midnight. The killers were taken to court and convicted with manslaughter but two years later they walked free, courtesy of a presidential pardon.

Going back to Edgar, I still believe he should have stayed a few additional days to defend his story and share with the public what exactly happened during that accident. Perhaps more will be revealed during the sedition trial of his boss, if ever it does materialise.  In an election year, especially when the future does not look bright, some decisions are taken based on emotions and the pressure to satisfy the public, or those in power. Some decisions are taken without regard to the law, the evidence to support such charges, or the implications that may accompany such.

But writers should continue to do their work, including those at the US State Department and their counterparts at the Government Enclave, who recently exchanged vitriol with regard to the topic under discussion. Writers and readers use their pens to dismiss each other, and not any other weapon, including State security apparatus. Perhaps time has come for our president to start taking reading seriously, so that he can appreciate that you respond to a written statement with a written statement. Perhaps HE is of the view that government rebuttals are not effective, because of the fact that they are just too many for nothing. It’s time to adopt new practices, that include openness!