OLIVER METH

There is something deeply troubling and impossible to ignore about the growing hostility of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) towards sections of the media. What we are seeing is no longer just frustration or political pushback, but a clear and repeated pattern of attacking journalists, questioning their credibility and trying to turn the public against them whenever the coverage is not favourable.

The latest attacks aimed at Newzroom Afrika and political analyst Rebone Tau, are not isolated, and they should not be treated as such, because they form part of a longer history where journalists are painted as enemies, where criticism is dismissed as bias, and where a political party chooses to fight the messenger instead of answering the message.

On social media, this pattern has become even more aggressive, with EFF prominent members including Naledi Chirwa, Mazwi Blose, Sinawo Thambo and many other aligned voices pushing claims that certain media houses are running an “anti-EFF agenda”, and in doing so, are creating a hostile environment where journalists are no longer seen as independent, but as targets.

This is where the danger starts, because once people are convinced the media cannot be trusted, accountability itself begins to collapse.

The party’s leader, Julius Malema, has built his politics on confrontation, but what we are seeing now goes beyond strong debate, it is a deliberate strategy to weaken the media and silence criticism.

And we have seen him and the party do this before. In 2018, the late journalist Karima Brown was targeted after her private contact details were shared by the EFF, leading to a flood of threats and abuse from supporters. This ended up in court, where the party was found to have incited harassment.

In parliament, there have been moments where journalists were physically intimidated and blocked from doing their work, showing that this hostility is not just online, but also in real spaces where the media should be protected.

Investigative outlets such as amaBhungane and Daily Maverick have been banned from EFF events after publishing stories that were critical of the party, a move that sends a clear message: report critically, and you will be shut out.

Recently, this hostility has gone even further. Malema publicly called for a boycott of SMWX Podcast by Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, the son of advocate Dali Mpofu, after commentary that did not align with the EFF’s position, showing a willingness to punish not just journalists, but anyone who speaks critically.

What makes this worse is how social media is used to amplify these attacks, creating waves of outrage that feel powerful, but are often built on weak claims and strong emotions.

When political leaders like Malema start treating criticism as betrayal, they are no longer engaging in democratic debate, they are trying to control the narrative, and that is exactly what we are seeing.

The attacks on Newzroom Afrika and Tau follow the same script, because they are not about correcting facts, but about discrediting voices and turning supporters against them.

When the EFF, a political party with national ambitions, treats criticism as an attack, it shows an unwillingness to be held accountable.

What makes this worse is how social media is used to amplify these attacks, creating waves of outrage that feel powerful, but are often built on weak claims and strong emotions.

If the EFF believes a journalist or media house has acted unfairly, there are proper ways to deal with it, through the Press Council, through formal complaints, or through public responses based on facts. That is how democracy works. Not through intimidation, not through threats and not through trying to destroy people’s credibility.

The media is not perfect, and it must be held accountable when it gets things wrong. But there is a big difference between holding the media accountable and trying to destroy its credibility.

Accountability strengthens democracy. What we have seen the EFF and its members do weakens it, and when political leaders encourage supporters to attack journalists, they are not protecting the public, they are protecting themselves from scrutiny.

The real danger is that under Malema, the party is building a culture where journalism is treated as the enemy, where dissent is punished, and where power is protected instead of questioned.

And once that culture takes hold, it spreads. That is why this must be called out, clearly and firmly, because no political party has the right to bully the media into silence, because when that happens, accountability falls, and when accountability falls, democracy follows.