South Africa: Bank Security Assault Journalist Lerato Mutsila, Delete Footage From Phone, and Remove Her From Climate Protest
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns Standard Bank employees’ brutality against Daily Maverick journalist
Location: South Africa, Johannesburg
Date: September 19, 2023
Security guards from Standard Bank assaulted and unlawfully confiscated the phone of Daily Maverick journalist Lerato Mutsila while she was covering a climate demonstration. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is alarmed at the level of aggression against the reporter and demands a police investigation.
On September 19, 2023, journalist Lerato Mutsila and photographer Felix Dlangamandla covered the Extinction Rebellion protest at Standard Bank's headquarters in Johannesburg. The protestors demanded the bank stop investing in fossil fuel projects and redirect funds to renewable energy.
Mutsila was recording the demonstration on her phone when Standard Bank employees, including Karin Dirr, the Internal Protection Services Manager, harassed her. Despite Mutsila's multiple attempts to explain she is a journalist, Dirr continued to intimidate her and tried to remove her from the building forcibly.
Daily Maverick journalist Lerato Mutsila is thrown out of the Standard Bank headquarters in Rosebank, Johannesburg, on 19 September 2023. PHOTO CREDIT: Kiara Affat
Eventually, Mutsila was violently thrown out of the building by four security guards employed by TSU Protection Services, who deleted all the footage on her phone.
Mutsila filed charges against Standard Bank and its security personnel at the Rosebank Police Station for assault, unlawful deprivation of property, and intimidation.
This incident has raised concerns about Standard Bank's commitment to media freedom, as they are the sole sponsor of South Africa's prestigious journalism awards, the Sikuvile Awards. In response, the widely read Daily Maverick has suspended their participation in the awards.
The South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) is scheduled to meet with the bank to address these concerns. After widespread condemnation of the assault on Mutsila, on September 22, Standard Bank apologized “for the treatment she experienced during an unfortunate incident.”
This assault highlights the difficulties journalists face reporting on climate actions, as they are often treated as activists by the police and face detainment and obstruction.
Journalist Harmony Pondy-Nyaga was forcefully removed and thrown to the ground by police while filming an environmental protest in Paris in May 2023. Security guards and police assaulted Pondy-Nyaga despite her visible press credentials and identifying herself as a journalist.
In February 2023, two journalists in the Netherlands were detained alongside protestors while covering a climate action. Despite repeatedly identifying themselves as press, they were detained for several hours and later fined
The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns the attack on Lerato Mutsila. This obstruction of her work and the deletion of her footage is a clear attempt to suppress the freedom of the press. We demand a police investigation into the incident and that Standard Bank employees are held accountable for mistreating the journalist.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.