A media union officer named Tileni Mongudhi demanded better treatment for reporter Jemima Beukes last Friday. He spoke up because Network Media Hub allegedly blocked Beukes from having someone represent her during job discipline meetings. The company charged Beukes with disobeying leadership rules at the Namibian Sun newspaper, where she works as a senior reporter.
Mongudhi expressed deep frustration about how they handled things with Beukes, who serves as secretary general for the Namibia Media Professionals Union. According to him, she asked for representation help, but company leaders refused her request. He simply wanted fair treatment and basic human dignity for his colleague regardless of whatever mistakes she might have made.
Police nearly forced activist Michael Amushelelo out of the media company building when he showed up supporting Beukes. Staff members eventually convinced him to leave instead of causing more trouble. Amushelelo criticized the hearing process as going against her constitutional rights because it denied her representation during important job proceedings.
The activist warned everyone that press freedom faces danger if media companies treat reporters unfairly. He called the situation "banana press freedom" and urged all journalists across Namibia to fight back against workplace mistreatment. Neither company boss Albe Botha nor managing director Frank Steffen answered questions about the situation Friday when reporters asked them to explain what happened.
Mongudhi expressed deep frustration about how they handled things with Beukes, who serves as secretary general for the Namibia Media Professionals Union. According to him, she asked for representation help, but company leaders refused her request. He simply wanted fair treatment and basic human dignity for his colleague regardless of whatever mistakes she might have made.
Police nearly forced activist Michael Amushelelo out of the media company building when he showed up supporting Beukes. Staff members eventually convinced him to leave instead of causing more trouble. Amushelelo criticized the hearing process as going against her constitutional rights because it denied her representation during important job proceedings.
The activist warned everyone that press freedom faces danger if media companies treat reporters unfairly. He called the situation "banana press freedom" and urged all journalists across Namibia to fight back against workplace mistreatment. Neither company boss Albe Botha nor managing director Frank Steffen answered questions about the situation Friday when reporters asked them to explain what happened.
