‘I’m providing this information to you so the truth won’t be lost should something serious happen to me . . .’
FEAR is etched on her face as she stands tied to a tree, adhesive tape tight around her throat. It’s the dead of night and she’s been left all alone on the deserted Melville Koppies in Melville, a western Johannesburg suburb.
This ghostly image of Suna Venter, a senior SABC producer and one of the so called SABC 8, was allegedly captured just hours after she was abducted from her home and the grass set alight around her in a circle while she was bound to the tree.
This incident, of which she showed YOU pictures in the months before her death, is one of the harrowing ordeals Suna endured in the past year.
But while the harassment wasn’t a secret, no one was expecting the shock announcement: Suna had been found dead in her flat in Fairland, Joburg, after failing to report to work for two days.
The relentless stress had taken its toll. According to a statement released by her family, her death on 29 June came three months after she’d been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, also known as broken heart syndrome, a heart condition that often arises after periods of prolonged and unnatural stress and trauma.
Her death sparked outrage across the country and beyond our borders. A young journalist had been hounded to death – intimidated and frightened until her heart gave in, social media users commented.
The nightmare started after Suna and other members of the SABC 8 were sus pended after defying an SABC ruling – instigated by then CEO Hlaudi Mot soeneng – that journalists should stop reporting on violent protest action.
While all eight members were targeted, Suna allegedly bore the brunt of the barrage of harassment. Her car was bro ken into, her flat was burgled, she was shot at through the windscreen of her car, she was abducted, she was shot in the face with a pellet gun and her car brakes were tampered with.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 13, 2017-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 13, 2017-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!
THE eyes HAVE IT
They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life