South Africa should not allow media coverage when security forces are dealing with protests, says George Charamba

“No volatile situations are handled in the full glare of the media,” says George Charamba.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba says it is irresponsible for South Africa to allow the media to cover how the security forces are dealing with protesters.

Charamba says allowing media coverage may end up inciting rioters to coordinate.

“You end up inciting and coordinating rioters and looters; you end up revealing the disposition of law-enforcement agents and how they fare in dealing with lawlessness.

“Above all, cameras play tonic to mobs. The authorities are trying to balance too many competing and mutually negating values,” he says.

Charamba through his shadow Twitter account Jamwanda says there are several takeaways from what’s going on in the sister Republic of South Africa, adding that he would limit himself to my area of speciality, the media.

“You never cover riotous situation in real time, thus you don’t cover volatile situations ‘Live’ he says.

“It can be futile. No volatile situations are handled in the full glare of the media.

“Apart from what that does to culprits, it isn’t hard to imagine the sense of siege this creates in minds of the citizenry.

“Once a situation gets to the phase of volatility, only actors are the only permissible audiences!!

“Allowing news organisations like eNCA to hire helicopters for running aerial real-time coverage??? Varume!!!!!,” he says.

-Zwnews