LENASIA, JOHANNESBURG — A journalist was arrested and detained in a police van while covering a Lenasia protest over service delivery demands south of Johannesburg. The unrest, which led to significant road closures, escalated when media personnel attempting to document the scene were allegedly targeted by law enforcement.
The demonstration resulted in the closure of major routes, including the N12 freeway, the K45, and Abubakar Asvat Drive. Protesters barricaded the roads with burning tires and trees. The unrest was centered around an informal settlement near Lenasia South, where residents were demonstrating for basic necessities such as housing, water, and electricity.
Thabiso Radebe, a journalist covering the event, arrived at the scene in the early evening after hearing radio reports about the barricades. Upon reaching the informal settlement, he began using his mobile phone to take photographs and record videos of the gathering crowd and the heavy police presence, which included heavily armed officers from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department and the South African Police Service (SAPS).
According to Radebe, an officer abruptly approached him without asking for identification, accusing him of inciting and provoking the crowd to fight. Radebe was then forcibly placed into the back of a police van alongside a local resident.
While detained in the vehicle, Radebe reported that police began firing shots to disperse the crowd, who had started singing upon the arrival of the authorities. He attempted to contact his national editor, Mr. Lansen, to report the arrest, but his phone battery died. Before it switched off, he managed to send video footage and pictures confirming his detention.
A SAPS scene commander eventually opened the back of the van to question Radebe. Despite Radebe identifying himself as a member of the press, some officers allegedly accused him of lying and claimed he was a protester. Radebe was ultimately released following interventions by his editor and the local mayor, who contacted the office of the police commissioner.
Following his release, police took Radebe’s particulars and threatened to transport him and the resident to a police station for charging. During the drive, the resident accompanying Radebe was heard praying and expressing fear of imprisonment. The resident emphasized that the demonstration was a peaceful plea for basic services following negotiations with the Johannesburg Metro, noting that the community felt marginalized and were being arrested simply for seeking basic human needs.
