Limpopo’s new provincial commissioner, Lt Genl Amon Mashigo, made it very clear last week that the flow of information to media institutions should not be stifled. He instructed communications officers and station commanders from across the province to ignore a previous letter which ordered them not to supply journalists with information.

The instruction that went out on 22 November caused a lot of confusion and upset a number of institutions. In the letter, signed by Deputy Provincial Commissioner B M Ntlemeza, station communicators are instructed to channel all media queries to the provincial communication officer. It is clearly stated that media liaison officers at police stations may do nothing more than make sure that members of the media don’t disturb the scene of a crime. Communication officers received clear instructions that they are not to be quoted and may not even supply members of the media with “off-the-record” information.

The Editor’s Forum of Limpopo Independent Newspapers reacted very quickly and asked for an urgent meeting with the police’s provincial commissioner. The forum’s chairperson, Yolande Nel, met with Lt Genl Mashigo and explained the matter. Mashigo stated during this interview that he was not aware of such a letter and promised to follow up on the matter. A meeting with members of the local press was then arranged for Friday, December 17, at Bolivia Lodge in Polokwane.

During Friday’s meeting, Lt Genl Mashigo made it very clear that Limpopo is not a “homeland” and must act in the same manner as the other provinces. “Unbeknown to me, a system was put in place to stifle the flow of communication,” he told the large number of station communicators and members of the press. He instructed them to withdraw the 22 November letter in its totality.

Lt Genl Mashigo also had a few words of warning for police communicators who are not always available.

“We cannot say we are unavailable, but when it suits us we are available,” he said and emphasized that the police must be seen as being transparent, open and accountable.

According to Lt Genl Mashigo, his office recognises the importance of the communicators and that is why the media communications department is to be seated in the office of the provincial commissioner.

His words were welcomed by various news editors and also from the Limpopo Independent Newspaper (LiN) group.

“Lt Genl Mashigo’s message was very encouraging and we do hope this is the continuation of a good relationship between the media and the police in the province, because we need each other,” said Anton van Zyl, manager of the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror and also a founder member of LiN. According to Anton, the instructions sent out to stations in November marred the good relationship between local media and the various liaison officers.

“We have managed to establish a good repertoire with our local police stations and we respect these communicators. Forcing us to bypass these people and deal directly with the province does not make our task easier. It also complicates the communication channels and unnecessarily delays the dissemination of important information,” he said.