Yusuf Abramjee, Primedia Broadcasting’s Head of News and Current Affairs, has been re-elected chairperson of the National Press Club. This follows the election of a new executive committee for the club. Jos Charle, Executive Editor of the Pretoria News was re-elected as the deputy chairperson. Martin van Niekerk of Junxion Communications was re-elected as the treasurer and Tanya de Vente-Bijker, freelance journalist, was re-elected as the public relations officer. At the National Press Club’s Annual General Meeting recently, various members were elected to the executive committee. Antoinette Slabbert of Sake 24, Edwin Tshivhidzo of BuaNews, Herman Scholtz of Rapport, Andries Cornelissen of Jacaranda 94.2 and Graeme Hosken of Pretoria News were welcomed on the committee. The other committee members are former chairman Ben Rootman, Phillip Bruwer of Rekord newspaper, Elizabeth Kruger of the Daily Sun, Annemarie van Burick of the SABC and Zelda Venter of the Pretoria News. Co-opted executive committee members will be appointed at the committee’s next meeting in May. Abramjee thanked the National Press Club for the confidence they had placed in him by electing him as chairperson. “The press club has in the last year re-established itself as an important networking platform and will continue to do so. The membership is very strong and growing,” he says. According to Abramjee the club will continue to ensure that the newsmakers use the National Press Club to interact with the media and the South African public. Abramjee served as chairperson of the National Press Club from 2000 until 2003. He was the first person of colour at the time to be elected chairperson. Junxion Communications will continue to serve as secretariat of the club.

Released by: Martin van Niekerk
Secretariat: National Press Club
Tel 012 804 5199
Enquiries: Yusuf Abramjee, chairperson, cell 082 441 4203
Tanya de Vente-Bijker, PRO, cell 072 267 0751
Date: 8 April 2010

The National Press Club strongly condemns the actions of ANC Youth League President Julius Malema at a news conference this morning. Malema kicked a journalist out of a media briefing after calling the reporter a “bastard”. He was condemning the Movement for Democratic Change for criticising from its office in Sandton, when BBC journalist Jonah Fisher mentioned that the youth league leader lived in Sandton. He shouted at the journalist saying: “You are a small boy, you can’t do anything. Go out, bastard!” Malema also accused the gathered media of being obsessed with him and so desperate to sell newspapers they were willing to write anything. He asked security to remove the journalist. He also accused the journalists of treating him the way white people used to treat blacks, saying: “Don’t come here with that white tendency!” Yusuf Abramjee, chairperson of the National Press Club, said such behaviour against the media is unacceptable in a democratic country where media freedom is part of the Constitution. “The media has a job to do and we will not sit back and watch our colleagues being abused. This is a very unfortunate event and the National Press Club is shocked by this.” Abramjee recalled the words of President Zuma in his acceptance speech at the club’s Newsmaker award a few weeks ago that media freedom is part of the promotion of a vibrant debate within the country. Zuma said in his speech “we celebrate the freedom of the media which is enshrined in our Constitution, which allows the media to report on almost anything they wish to, within the ambit of the law.” Abramjee said something would have to be done. “We cannot sit back and watch a journalist being manhandled.” He also called on all journalists not to sit back and watch their colleagues being abused – saying that everyone should have walked out in solidarity with the BBC reporter. “Journalists need to stick together. It is entirely appropriate to walk out should a news conference degenerate into a shouting match and should journalists be sworn at and insulted. “This is not the first time that Malema has chosen to attack journalists and it appears to have become a trend in the past few weeks.”

The National Press Club re-iterates its statement of a few weeks ago – where it called on all the name calling to end.
(Ends)
Released by: National Press Club secretariat
Tel 012 804 5199
Enquiries: Yusuf Abramjee
Chairman, National Press Club
Tel 082 441 4203
Date 8 April 2010

The National Press Club has called an “urgent media summit” for Friday afternoon
to discuss the latest developments around ANC Youth League President, Julius
Malema’s handling of the media.
Chairperson of the National Press Club, Yusuf Abramjee, said editors, news
editors and political editors and reporters and media representatives have been
invited to the meeting scheduled for 2pm at the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton.
Earlier today, the Press Club issued a statement criticizing Malema for his
treatment of a BBC reporter during a media briefing (see statement below).
“The decision to call a meeting for tomorrow was taken after the Press Club was
inundated with calls of concern following the incident during the ANCYL press
conference.
“We will discuss the media’s concerns and the way forward. Some media houses
have indicated they wish to make proposals on how to handle the abuse of the
media by the ANCYL. We hope to find common ground going forward,” said
Abramjee.
“I can confirm that Julius Malema called me this evening after he heard that we
called an urgent media summit for tomorrow. He indicated that he was willing to
engage a delegation of media representatives after the Friday to discuss the
issue. I will table this at the meeting,” said Abramjee.
He added that representatives from the South African National Editors’ Forum
(SANEF) will also attend.