AS a journalist I am obliged to cover any story that takes place within the Grahamstown area with impartiality and objectivity, which I always strive to do. But being told how to do my job by someone who is not qualified in my field is like telling a teacher how to teach.
AS a journalist I am obliged to cover any story that takes place within the Grahamstown area with impartiality and objectivity, which I always strive to do. But being told how to do my job by someone who is not qualified in my field is like telling a teacher how to teach.
Which brings me to the events of Monday morning at Victoria Girls' High, where a group of teachers and township school learners were picketing outside the entrance to the school.
On arrival, I did what I usually do, take pictures, but then I was told by one of the picketers that I'm not allowed to.
I mean, I never walk into a teacher's classroom and tell them to stop teaching. I therefore completely understood when the principal of VGHS, Madeleine Schoeman declined to be interviewed and did not want me to go inside the school.
She is the head of the school, so I have to abide by her rules on her turf. Then one of the strikers, who had just had been having a heated debate with Schoeman, said that I cannot take pictures there and they had not asked the media to be there.
I thought to myself: since when does the media need an invitation for a public event? Now, I admit, I am short tempered person, so I so tried to keep a cool head, but when she started to drag me by the collar, I shouted back at her and told her I am well within my rights to be here and cover the story.
I said to her: “This is not your school, I am well within my rights to be here.” Then one of the men, brandishing a broomstick, said: “Kwedin sithi phuma apha, asifuni media apha!”
(Boy, get out of here, we don't want the media here.) He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out of the yard, saying: “Uze ungene nje wena.” (You just try coming in).
I then asked the police, who were present during the whole ordeal, to get a clearance for me. But they couldn’t because the crowd had surrounded me, shouting: “We did not invite the media!”
Another striker then looked me in the eye and asked: “Boy, if you have a mother, do what is good for you and go home.”
As I prepared to leave, some of the picketers questioned me on why I did not take pictures of the “white people” instead of them.
The sad part is, union leaders would have been up in arms if the media did not cover the strike, but when the strikers mistreat the very people who cover the strike, how can we?
