Friday Briefing: Ramaphosa's battle against the rogues in the ANC

Stoking the embers of fascism

News of ANC supporters destroying copies and disrupting the launch of the controversial book about ANC secretary general Ace Magashule, Gangster State, in Sandton this week conjured images of the past when the South African state burnt books and banned authors to supress dissident voices.

It reminded South Africans of a time when freedom of academic thought and expression were restricted in the name of the apartheid state, a fascist government that sought to prolong its existence with the forcible suppression of any opposition. Simply put, it left a bad taste in people's mouths.

But what is even worse is that in a global climate where journalists are increasingly being threatened and treated as the enemy by despotic governments, South Africa can also count itself as a hostile environment for journalists to do their jobs in. As publishing expert Prof Elizabeth le Roux writes in her article this week, telling the truth has become a dangerous job.

This week, News24 columnists Mpumelelo Mkhabela explains how the attack on Pieter-Louis Myburgh and his book resulted from the battle for power in the ANC, Le Roux unpacks why we must protect authors' freedom of expression at all costs and News24 investigative reporter Azzarah Karrim interviews former Free State premier Beatrice Marshoff about her working relationship with Magashule.

Enjoy the read!

Alet Janse van Rensburg

News24 Opinions Editor

Telling the truth has become a dangerous occupation

Elizabeth le Roux