- Sanef has called on the IPF to "rethink" its march to the offices of City Press.
- The party will be protesting against alleged bias by the newspaper's editor-in-chief.
- The march is planned for next Friday.
The South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) has urged IFP leaders to "rethink" their plans to march to the offices of City Press in Johannesburg.
IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the party would embark on a mass march to the offices of City Press on Friday, 16 September. He claimed City Press editor-in-chief Mondli Makhanya harboured a "personal political grudge against the IFP".
Hlengwa claimed Makhanya had breached the editorial code of conduct and "continues to peddle unsubstantiated opinions and blatant lies" about the party and its founder, Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
Makhanya declined to comment.
Sanef said the march was the result of the IFP's "unhappiness with some reports published by the news title".
Sanef said:
The organisation said the march was not likely to "achieve any constructive result" and could "only be viewed as nothing more than the bullying of [Makhanya] – intended to silence him".
"It must be noted that journalists are not above criticism. Where there are disagreements around their work, there are available bodies such as the Press Council and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA to independently handle and adjudicate such complaints," said Sanef.
Sanef added that the IFP leadership had previously complained to the Press Ombudsman about City Press, but the complaint failed. In 2018-2019, the IFP also filed a lawsuit, which was later abandoned after City Press filed a responding affidavit.
"It would appear to Sanef that having been unsuccessful in its previous attempts to challenge City Press and its editor, the IFP is now resorting to intimidatory tactics – that set a dangerous precedent, not just for City Press, but the media in general. With a week to go before the planned march, Sanef is calling on the leadership of the IFP to reconsider this dangerous idea."
Hlengwa said the party would respond to Sanef during the course of Thursday.