Afrikaans
news-photographer assaulted by Gaurds at Unisa Cape Town campus while
investigating a story – 
Beeld photographer Craig Nieuwenhuizen after he was assaulted in front of
his colleague Alet Rademeyer by Unisa security guards. (Photo24) Cape Town –
Cape Town. Aug 23 2011 – A photographer from Beeld newspaper was
assaulted by Unisa security guards on Tuesday while investigating complaints
about a stench in a campus building. The security guard had earlier refused to
grant Beeld’s reporter, Alet Rademeyer, and the photographer, Craig
Nieuwenhuizen, access to the sonamed ‘Es’kia Mphahlele’ building. When the
guard walked to the main entrance of the building, Nieuwenhuizen and Rademeyer
followed him. According to Rademeyer a second guard approached them, shouting
that they should return to the gate. He shoved Nieuwenhuizen. An argument
ensued, after which Nieuwenhuizen and Rademeyer walked to the gate. At the gate
the guard grabbed Nieuwenhuizen by the throat. Two or three more guards started
to hit the photographer.Nieuwenhuizen took pepper spray from his pocket to ward
of the attackers. According to Rademeyer he fell to the ground while the guards
continued kicking him and ignoring her pleas for them to stop.
Cape Town – A
photographer from Beeld newspaper was assaulted by Unisa security guards on
Tuesday while investigating complaints about a stench in a campus building. The
security guard had earlier refused to grant Beeld’s reporter, Alet Rademeyer,
and the photographer, Craig Nieuwenhuizen, access to the sonamed ‘Es’kia
Mphahlele’ building. When the guard walked to the main entrance of the
building, Nieuwenhuizen and Rademeyer followed him.
According to Rademeyer a
second guard approached them, shouting that they should return to the gate. He
shoved Nieuwenhuizen. An argument ensued, after which Nieuwenhuizen and
Rademeyer walked to the gate. At the gate the guard grabbed Nieuwenhuizen by
the throat. Two or three more guards started to hit the photographer.
Nieuwenhuizen took pepper
spray from his pocket to ward of the attackers. According to Rademeyer he fell
to the ground while the guards continued kicking him and ignoring her pleas for
them to stop. Peet Kruger, editor of Beeld, said in response to the assault
that “thuggery of this sort is unacceptable and flies in the face of
democracy”. “The journalists were at a building which is a public institution.
“The role of journalists
is to tell the story of all South Africans so that ordinary people can be heard
and problems can be highlighted in the hope that people with the proper
authority can fix them. “In this case the story was about the unpleasant
working conditions of Unisa staff after the department of labour had ordered
the air conditioning to be shut off. “Assault and violence is not the way to
handle investigations and debate.”
Unisa spokesperson Doreen
Gough said they deeply regret the incident. “We’ve always had a good
relationship with Beeld and the other photographers. We are investigating the
incident,” she said.
