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JOURNALISTS UNDER SIEGE

We are our worst enemies

* Speech delivered by FAIR Board chairperson Mzilikazi wa Afrika at the National Seminar and AGM for Community Newspapers, Birchwood Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa, 24 May 2013.

Friends and colleagues, I am not standing before you here today to share my ideas and experience as a journalist but I want us to have a frank talk. Let us have an honest debate. Let us speak the truth and shame the devil. Let us talk about you and me. Let us talk about journalism and let us talk about politics.

I want us to talk about what we celebrate on World Press Freedom Day when many of our colleagues from the neighbouring countries have been silenced, some arrested, others intimidated and those who are unfortunate, killed in the line duty. Their biggest crime is to seek the truth, justice and be the voice of the voiceless, telling nothing but the truth.