The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) says it will regularly embed journalists in the military, including on operational deployments, as it seeks to educate the public about what it does.
South African Army Chief Vusi Masondo recently said that “for us it’s something we really want to do,” in light of the firefight in the Central African Republic two years ago when 13 South African soldiers were killed. He said that an independent voice reporting on enemy casualties would have made a difference.
“When we speak there are doubting voices,” Masondo said when explaining the need to embed journalists in the SANDF. Masondo added that journalists embedded during combat operations would be adequately protected.
During last month’s Exercise Young Eagle, Journalists from ENCA, The Times and African Defence Review were embedded with South African troops.
