Sunday Times reporter plucked off the street, may stand accused of anti-government conspiracy

Sunday Times investigative reporter Mzilikazi wa Afrika was en route today, Wednesday, 4 August 2010, to hand himself over to police when, in the words of his editor Ray Hartley, "somebody decided they wanted to make something more dramatic out of it" and six police vehicles rushed in to make the arrest. His crime? Either fraud and conspiracy, or just being a thorn in the side of powerful people.

By Phillip de Wet

4 Aug 2010

As journalists and editors were meeting downstairs from the newsroom, the Sunday Times learnt that reporter Mzilikazi wa Afrika was being sought by the police. So he headed off to the Rosebank police station a few blocks away, to hand himself over as arranged by the paper's lawyers.

But he never reached his destination. Instead several police, using no fewer than six vehicles, arrested him on the roadside.

Continue reading the full story on [www.thedailymaverick.co.za]].

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Source: Daily Maverick

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Phillip de Wet

About Phillip de Wet

Phillip de Wet is associate editor at the Mail & Guardian. He used to be deputy editor of Daily Maverick (www.dailymaverick.co.za), its live-tweeting specialist (@phillipdewet, @dailymaverick) and the editor of First Thing, the morning email from Daily Maverick. He writes primarily on politics, business and technology, and also deals with persistent trolls.