JOHANNESBURG – The South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) says it is shocked by information that three Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers have been arrested in connection with the murder of journalist Godknows Nare.

Nare was killed in April 2017 outside his home in Florida, west of Johannesburg.

“Members of the media and indeed all South Africans should be able to trust law enforcement officials and not have to fear for their lives,” Sanef said in a statement.

READ: Journalists should walk out more often: Sanef

“After the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) they found that the officer’s version of events was not true. According to an Ipid statement, it was discovered that “they, in fact, killed the deceased and staged the crime scene to cover their tracks,” reads the statement.

The organisation says there is no indication that the murder was linked to any of his work.

Sanef has however reiterated that journalism is not a crime and that journalists should be allowed to work without fear of intimidation, threats or murder.

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