On 28 October, Real411 formally confirmed that Globe Post and its journalists had been subjected to harassment over approximately six weeks.
This is an important first victory for my newsroom, for independent community journalism and for every journalist who refuses to be intimidated by political interests.
The finding follows a complaint I lodged against conduct I associate with members and supporters of the Democratic Alliance’s Ward 120 election campaign.
Real411’s formal determination, under complaint reference #5319, states:
“This is harassment. The evidence shows repeated personal attacks and abusive messages directed at Globe Post and its journalists over approximately six weeks across multiple platforms, creating a hostile environment that disrupted a civic space and threatened the publication’s independence and financial sustainability. The conduct persisted despite moderation efforts including temporary closures and member removals.”
Read those words carefully.
This was not simply political disagreement. An independent complaints body examined the evidence and confirmed harassment.
And now, I believe the public deserves to understand the extraordinary irony behind this matter.
THE VERY NEWSPAPER THEY TURNED TO FOR SUPPORT
During the final voter registration weekend, it was my Globe Post office that was made available as a war room for the DA.
Yes, the very same newspaper that subsequently became the target of sustained personal attacks.
The DA’s regional political head also visited my office, accompanied by a local party representative. We discussed the serious challenges facing Ward 120, including failing services, infrastructure, accountability and the urgent need for better local governance.
I shared my knowledge of the area and discussed possible solutions, drawing specifically on Midvaal Municipality’s governance experience.
I spoke about practical approaches that could be adapted to Lenasia South, rather than simply recycling election promises.
In August, my team and I also met with the Midvaal Mayor, where we discussed his model of local governance. I raised 120’s challenges and lessons from Midvaal’s approach to governance that could potentially be replicated here.
These were constructive engagements. They demonstrated my willingness to work with anyone genuinely interested in improving the lives of residents.
And when DA representatives undertook grass-cutting and community cleanup initiatives, Globe Post covered those activities on our platforms.
We gave credit where work was being done. Not because it was the DA, but because our communities deserve to know when action is taken.
That is what independent community journalism does.
We engage. We scrutinise. We acknowledge progress. We expose failures. We do not exist to serve political parties.
So what changed?
Was the relationship only acceptable while my newspaper’s infrastructure, community credibility and platforms were perceived as useful to a political campaign?
And did our independence suddenly become inconvenient when it became clear that Globe Post’s Service Delivery WhatsApp group would not be surrendered to partisan electioneering?
Those are questions I believe the DA’s Ward 120 leadership must answer.
WHEN A COMMUNITY PLATFORM BECAME A POLITICAL BATTLEGROUND
Our Service Delivery WhatsApp group was established to give ordinary residents a voice.
It was never intended to become a political campaign platform.
Its purpose is to help residents raise concerns about water, electricity, roads, crime, municipal failures and the countless service delivery challenges affecting our communities.
Yet, in the weeks leading up to the elections, individuals I identify as associated with the DA campaign repeatedly attempted to draw the group into political confrontation.
When administrators enforced the rules, the hostility escalated.
The attacks became personal. My journalists and I were subjected to abusive messages, disparagement and accusations that undermined our professional integrity.
Disturbingly, religion was also dragged into the attacks, with allegations that administrators were pro-Muslim and opposed to other faith communities.
As a woman and a Muslim who has spent decades serving this community, I found this particularly disturbing.
My gender and faith are not political weapons. Neither should they be used to divide residents or discredit an independent newspaper.
I have worked with residents, organisations, public representatives and community leaders across religious, racial and political boundaries for decades.
My record speaks for itself.
I will not allow anyone to rewrite that record to suit an election narrative.
The repeated incidents forced us to intervene, remove disruptive participants and temporarily close the group to protect its members and administrators.
We did not take these decisions lightly.
It is deeply troubling when a space created to empower residents becomes a hostile environment because of political conflict.
The pattern of conduct raised serious concerns for me about whether this was merely the behaviour of individuals or an attempt to undermine the credibility and independence of the local newspaper.
I am not claiming Real411 established a coordinated DA strategy. Its finding establishes harassment. But the pattern, timing and circumstances demand accountability.
WHERE WAS THE LEADERSHIP?
Throughout these attacks, I saw no meaningful public intervention from the DA’s Ward 120 candidate to condemn the conduct I had raised.
I find that silence troubling.
Leadership is not measured by how loudly candidates demand votes. It is measured by how they conduct themselves, how they respond to misconduct and whether they defend democratic principles when doing so may be politically inconvenient.
If members or supporters of a campaign believe they can intimidate and bully journalists, what should ordinary residents expect when they begin questioning that campaign’s promises?
Will residents who challenge their future councillor also be bullied, dismissed or personally attacked?
Where is the political INTEGRITY? Where is the TRUST? Where is the ACCOUNTABILITY?
And what does it say about a campaign when a newspaper willing to offer constructive engagement, provide access to its office, share governance ideas and cover community initiatives subsequently becomes the subject of hostility?
I believe the leadership owes residents an explanation.
REAL411 CONFIRMS HARASSMENT
I submitted the evidence to Real411, a complaints platform operated by Media Monitoring Africa that assesses reported online harms, including harassment, hate speech, incitement to violence and disinformation.
The information was also shared with the Partnership for Information Integrity in Elections (PIIE), a collaborative initiative involving media, civil society and other stakeholders working to protect trustworthy information and democratic participation during elections.
This is important because intimidation and harassment do not merely affect the individual targeted. They can undermine independent journalism and discourage meaningful public participation.
The matter is being escalated to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
I want to be clear: Real411’s finding is not a court judgment against the DA or any individual. Nor does it establish that party leadership orchestrated the attacks.
However, it independently confirms the harassment suffered by my newsroom. That matters enormously. Why? I regard this finding as a crucial step towards accountability.
YOU CANNOT ERASE ALMOST 35 YEARS OF JOURNALISM
Globe Post’s roots go back to 1992.
For almost 35 years, we have documented the struggles, achievements, failures, hopes and resilience of communities that are too often overlooked by mainstream media and political decision-makers.
My own community activism began even before that.
Lenasia South has a history spanning approximately 47 years, and it was ordinary residents and their civic participation that helped build this community.
Not political slogans. Not election posters. Not the arrival of candidates every election cycle.
Residents organised, challenged authorities, demanded services and fought for improvements long before many of today’s political players entered the picture.
That history deserves respect.
My newsroom has never claimed to be above criticism. We welcome legitimate disagreement, robust political debate and scrutiny of our journalism.
But criticism is not a licence for sustained personal harassment, religious attacks or attempts to intimidate journalists into submission.
Did those responsible genuinely believe they could repeatedly harass my team and me, damage our reputation, disrupt our community platform and face no scrutiny or consequences?
That would be delusional.
Our independence is not negotiable.
And the right of our communities to access credible, verified and useful information is not something I will surrender to anyone.
MY MESSAGE TO THE DA AND EVERY POLITICAL PARTY
I have engaged with the ANC, DA, Al JAMAH and other political parties over the years, just as I have engaged with civic associations, government officials, community organisations and ordinary residents.
I do not apologise for that.
Engagement is not endorsement.
Constructive cooperation is not political allegiance.
And giving a party fair coverage does not entitle it to control a newspaper’s editorial decisions or community platforms.
You cannot demand access to our credibility and then attack our independence when it no longer serves your political ambitions.
The DA’s Ward 120 leadership must address the allegations concerning individuals associated with its campaign and explain what steps have been taken to protect independent community voices from intimidation.
I also believe the party owes residents an explanation for the conduct that has brought us to this point.
WE WILL NOT BE GAGGED
This is bigger than Shirley Govender.
It is bigger than Globe Post.
It is about the right of every community journalist to investigate, question and publish without fear of political intimidation.
It is about residents having safe spaces in which to report failing services and hold those in power accountable.
It is about the kind of democracy we are building.
A democracy where politicians welcome accountability, or one where anyone who questions them risks becoming a target?
I know which democracy I have spent my life working towards.
Our newsroom will continue to amplify the voices of the underserved. We will continue to expose failures, recognise solutions, inform, educate and empower residents, and hold every political party to the same standards.
We will continue the work we began in 1992.
To those who believed that harassment, personal attacks or religious division could silence this newsroom, I have one message:
GLOBE POST WILL NOT BE GAGGED.
OUR JOURNALISM IS NOT FOR SALE.
OUR COMMUNITY PLATFORMS DO NOT BELONG TO POLITICAL PARTIES.
AND OUR RESIDENTS’ VOICES WILL NEVER BE HELD HOSTAGE TO ELECTION AMBITIONS.
This Real411 finding is a significant victory for us in this matter.
Shirley Govender
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief | Globe Post
Community activist since before 1992
Real411 complaint #5319 | Formal finding issued 28 October 2026
Editor’s disclosure: This first-person account presents my experiences and allegations concerning individuals associated with the DA’s Ward 120 campaign. The Real411 outcome confirms harassment but does not determine the party’s or any named individual’s legal responsibility.
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