South Africa joined the global community in commemorating World Press Freedom Day, as concerns mount over the growing trend of online abuse targeting journalists - particularly women and marginalised voices - posing a serious threat to media freedom and democracy.
World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on 3 May, serves as a reminder of the vital role that a free and independent press plays in sustaining democracy and holding power to account. In South Africa, where press freedom is constitutionally protected, the day is both a celebration and a stark call to action.
Despite robust legal safeguards, journalists in South Africa continue to face a barrage of digital hostility ranging from coordinated disinformation campaigns and misogynistic harassment to cyberstalking and threats of physical violence. These attacks, often perpetrated on social media platforms, aim not only to intimidate individual reporters but also to erode public trust in journalism itself.
“The rise in online violence against journalists - especially women and queer journalists - is not just a safety issue; it’s a freedom of expression crisis,” said Buyiswa Mpini - Technical Advisor Partnerships for Prevention of Gender based Violence in Southern Africa (PfP-II) programme for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in South Africa. “When journalists are silenced, harassed, or forced to self-censor due to fear, it undermines the very foundations of our democracy.”
In recent years, prominent veteran South African journalists such as Pauli van Wyk and Rebecca Davis have publicly shared their experiences of online threats, gendered disinformation, homophobic abuse, racist hate speech, and threats of extreme sexual violence. Research indicates that these attacks are often orchestrated and aimed at discrediting or delegitimising media work that challenges corruption, gender-based violence, or political power.
While law enforcement agencies have made some progress in acknowledging online abuse as a serious offence, gaps remain in both policy and practice. Existing cybercrime legislation must be enforced consistently, and social media companies must be held accountable for providing safer digital spaces for journalists and the public.
Furthermore, media houses have a responsibility to invest in digital safety training, mental health support, and internal protocols to protect their staff, particularly those working on sensitive or high-risk beats.
The rising high rates of online violence against women journalists are concerning and require comprehensive effort to ensure safety of women journalist as well as safeguarding freedom of expression and press. The regional project PfP-II implemented by GIZ is implementing its Flagship - The Safeguard Women Journalists Online. Building on the flagship called Step It Up 1, this flagship seeks to safeguard women journalists against OGBV in the conducting of their journalism work. The Safeguard Women Journalists Online Flagship will engage Media Houses from four streams of media (Radio and TV; News Media; Independent Media and entertainment media) that employ women journalists to commit to a call to action for zero tolerance against online attacks of women journalists through a development of a Statement of Commitment and implementing an inhouse campaign showing support against OGBV for their employees.
There must be a concerted effort from government and law enforcement agencies in speedily addressing South Africa’s problem with violence. South Africa grapples with a significant violence problem, characterized by high levels of both criminal and interpersonal violence. According to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, South Africa's murder rate of 45 per 100,000 (2023/24) is the second highest for countries that publish crime data. On 8 May 2025, South Africa and the rest of the world received media reports confirming that Sibusiso Aserie Ndlovu was the founder of a community radio station, Capital Live was found dead together with his partner. The couple were murdered and their bodies dumped in a bush in northern Limpopo province.
Violence in any shape or form must be strongly condemned and there must be a concerted effort in protecting the most vulnerable groups.
As we reflect on this year’s World Press Freedom Day under the theme "A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis", it is important to recognise that the ability of journalists to report freely - whether on the climate, corruption, or inequality - is being systematically undermined by hostile online environments.
As the appointed service provider to roll-out The Safeguard Women Journalists Online, the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) commits advocating for the:
- Strengthening legal protections for journalists facing online harassment.
- Hold digital platforms accountable for content moderation and safety standards.
- Invest in training, mental health support, and resources to help journalists deal with online threats.
- Promote a culture of solidarity that condemns abuse and defends press freedom.
We call on all relevant government departments that fall in the Social Protection and Community Development Cluster; Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster; and the Trade & Economic Cluster to work together with tech companies, media institutions, and civil society to defend Press Freedom online and offline, every single day.
South Africa’s rich history of courageous journalism must not be tarnished by digital silencing tactics. Protecting journalists - both offline and online - is not optional; it is essential to safeguarding transparency, accountability, and truth in our democracy.
