by Hassen Lorgat
The lashing of Zweli
It is just incredibly sad what is happening in Palestine, and if you are watching it, it is on the news right now. And yeah, my goodness…
(Zweli, Wednesday 11 October 2023 in the afternoon)
My sentiments were not articulated as eloquently and sensitively as I intended.
(Zweli, Wednesday 11 October 2023 at 11.30pm)
I do not, do not condone any violence in any shape or form. I always want my shows to be a fun place to hang out. You know what I mean? And I always try to articulate that.
(Zweli in conversation with Mantsoe Pout, Friday 13 October 2023)
lashing
/ˈlaʃɪŋ/
noun
- 1. a beating with a stick or whip.
“I threatened to give him a good lashing!” - 2. a cord used to fasten something securely.
“the lashings used by primitive peoples are more efficient than metal fastenings”
Introduction and background
I titled this essay The Lashing of Zweli, taking it from the Daily Sun’s headline which read Lashed 94.7 host says ASKIES! (published on 12 October 2023) as it helps to root the story in our idiom. Whilst the author did not spell out the extent of the flak Zweli faced, I believe the lashing is an appropriate description.
My original sense was that this was a public lynching and was keen to label it as such. Yet, on closer reading, I found that many a scoundrel from R Kelly to Donald Trump have used the concept of public lynching. They have thereby further sullied the history of those who suffered this brutality by associating themselves as victims. Every metaphor has a history or histories.
This essay is about an apology, or many apologies, and the reader is asked to evaluate if Primedia threw their presenter-journalist, Zweli Mbhele under the bus for speaking what we all know represents accurate information, sensitively. This is not to say that Primedia operates the same on all their broadcasting and in particular radio platforms, as that is subject for another paper.
His bosses at Primedia relayed their message to the radio station as well as on many of their own platforms, in particular: 947 – Primedia Broadcasting apologises for statements made… |; Facebook and Instagram: Primedia Broadcasting apologises for statements made by Zweli Mbhele; as well as on X, formerly Twitter (I do not see it)
Zweli, it was agreed I presume, issued his statement on the night of 11 October on Zweli Mbhele on X: “.@947 https://t.co/mR5sW9fSsP” / X
The wider context is the long, historic censorship, self and imposed by global media and at home on reporting fairly about Palestine. This exceptionalism when it comes to basic freedoms for those who care about Palestine is a double standard that must be reversed. This exceptionalism exposes the mainstream media’s supposed commitment and talk of freedoms and rights for others, whilst inexplicably seeming to want to ignore the story – downplaying the genocide through their silence. Many activists have spoken about how Facebook, X and other platforms owned by corporations have shadow-banned them and even expelled dissenting voices.
The closing down of democratic rights to organise and to express freely has been under attack for years preceding the events of October 7. European and the US governments and corporations have tried to marginalise – and where possible stop – campaigns and boycotts, targeting in particular the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement (BDS). In December 2016, over 200 lawyers signed an open letter defending the BDS right to organise and to free speech. They demand the right to speak the unpalatable truths to power. The Open Letter points out that, “France, the United Kingdom, Canada and certain state legislatures in the United States, have adopted laws and taken executive action to suppress, outlaw and in some instances, criminalise the advocacy of BDS. Such measures aim to punish individuals, companies and private and public institutions that adopt ethically and legally responsible business, investment and procurement decisions.” In response, the Israeli regime has called the BDS a tool for economic terrorism that strengthens the hand of Iran, which is an obvious lie, the BDS said.
This is what Zweli landed into, a politics of media bent on the ideology of bothsidesism, which I will revisit later in this text.
About Zweli
We all know by now that Zweli is the host of the programme Afternoon with Zweli on 94.7. But, before we continue, let us learn a bit about Zweli. Bona Magazine did a feature on Zweli and from there we learnt that he first worked at Voice of Wits (VOW) FM:
It has been something I have always wanted to do. In high school, I was always interested in performance art activities such as drama. I’d like to think I’m good with speaking to people, so this field works for me.
I grew up listening to a lot of radio; If I wasn’t listening to it, I would pretend I was on the radio. It was thus only fitting that I do campus radio when I got to Wits University, where I learnt useful ways to make radio work for me. Campus radio doesn’t need formal training as you would for a commercial radio station. I personally think you cannot study radio, especially if you want to be a radio presenter. I think to make it in the industry you have to know your audience, make people want to listen and interact with you. It’s about personality, more than anything.
(It seems that one of the things he learnt was) Another thing, you have to be a people’s person; that allows you to understand your listeners when interacting with them. You have to remember that you deal with all kinds of people and have to make each and every one of them feel like a part of your show.
Apologies galore
It would appear that his audience at 94.7 got Zweli wrong, and some gave him flak. The concept flak is one of the five filters as articulated in the book Manufacturing Consent, as we will learn later in this text. Suffice to say that two apologies were offered, one from Zweli on his preferred social media platforms, and one from the corporation. The company’s apology trended.
Zweli’s Apology
Zweli apologised on or via x 11 October 2023 at night 11.30pm.
11:34 PM · Oct 11, 2023·1.1M Views
Zweli Mbhele on X: “.@947 https://t.co/mR5sW9fSsP” / X
I will not delve into Zweli’s apologies, on X and on air here, but focus on Primedia’s apology on his behalf, and briefly scan some of the comments.
Primedia’s Apology
Primedia apologised on all their platforms: Instagram, X and even on Facebook.
Primedia on Facebook
947 – Primedia Broadcasting apologises for statements made… | Facebook
Zweli’s FaceBook apology was posted on 11 October 2023. As could be expected, there were many comments which dealt with the lies of the decapitated babies, etc. Some wanted to know exactly what he said, and a few said that his apology was not good enough. His comments also solicited some support.
[Justin Shankman] He should be suspended and make a public apology! 947 how can you as a independent impartial broadcaster allow this to happen and Zweli remains unscathed whilst other radio personalities have been suspended and taken off air for in other instances!
[Mandi Miller] Not good enough he should be fired!
[Faheem Gafoor] Free Palestine
Saajida Molvi shared this:
[Christopher Large] Zweli Mbhele, what do you have to say for yourself??? I think it’s time your contract be suspended with immediate effect!!!
There was contestation, on all the platforms and in real time, to the apology. And the beheaded babies? Take this exchange between Faryn Isakow and Shenaz Abdul Wahab:
[Faryn Isakow] Shenaz Abdul Wahab no they never they’ve come out actually with pictures of proof the babies were killed and burnt.
[Reply Shenaz Abdul Wahab] Faryn Isakow I have real news sources. Stop spreading lies. Go to look at the Whitehouse page, a public apology was issued. You just want to continue supporting apartheid Israel
You get the drift…
Primedia on Instagram
Primedia Broadcasting apologises for statements made by Zweli Mbhele.
I will not go into analysing these comments as they may be similar.
Primedia on X – the platform formally known as Twitter
Similarly on X, there was a mixed bag of responses.
[12 October, 2023] Wits Palesti.ne Solidarity Committee@PSC_Wits. The Wits PSC stands in support of @947 presenter, Zweli Mbhele, and his call for mindful and verified reporting within the media. Unverified claims against the Palestinian resistance have been perpetuated by Zionists and exploited by mainstream media outlets. 1/4
[Oct 13, 2023] NOWinSA @NowInSA: In case you missed it, 947 DJ Zweli made a plea for and balanced reporting on fake news been spread online by the likes of Ben Shapiro regarding the war between Israel and Palestine. He later issued an apology and turned off his comments.
NOWinSA clearly was referring to a video of Ben Shapiro, which I presume was this one: FULL INTERVIEW: Ben Shapiro reflects on Hamas and Israel war with Piers Morgan (youtube.com) I share it because as NOWinSA implies that these are the sources and narratives that governed the discourse in the early days after October 7.
Oct 18, 2023
Matilda vs Howard Feldman. Matilda Moudy makes the point @Eilermanfd that “Zweli Mbhele had to apologize for asking for factual reporting while Howard Feldman can deny the Palestinian genocide and ask for the Minister of Int Rel to be fired for doing her job, without any risk to his career. SA media is pathetic.”
She took issue with Howard Feldman’s tweet that Minister Naledi had to be fired because she called #Hamas. This is confirmed. Who even has the phone number for a terrorist organisation? What an embarrassment. She needs to be fired.
This thread shows the maligning of Minister Pandor and the responses to it. As some pointed out, not only does Minister Pandor have a right to talk to Hamas as an affected subjugated people but it is also her job.
Feldman used Zweli’s situation to advocate for his side. It may be appropriate to say that Feldman was eventually fired as a columnist on September 19, 2024, which he said was an unpaid job. Feldman hosts a radio show on ChaiFM and is a columnist in the Jewish press and other mainstream publications. Despite this influence, he said that he was not the Israel guy but October 7 changed all that he writes. Whilst he says that his comments on the Lebanon pager killings were the immediate cause of his firing, he had a number of gripes with News24.
He confirms that the media house allowed him to write what he wanted but: “Words like “alleged” were added (with my knowledge) to the claim of October 7th rapes and I was not to refer to Hamas as a “Terror” organization. And whereas I had no doubt that the “fact checking” was applied unequally to my articles in comparison to the anti-Israel ones, I still felt that the large reach was worth the compromise. Which is why I continued to write for them.”
Murder by Pagers: Feldman’s comments on X and other social media, it appears, forced the hand of ADRIAAN BASSON | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF” who fired him, thus: In light of your recent tweets about the pager explosions in Lebanon, I have decided to terminate your column on News24. News24 can in no way be associated with writers who glorify violence, which you did in my opinion.In this blog column (quoted), Feldman was trying to work out which of his tweets had glorified violence. Then he went on to ask rather callously whether it was his tweet “From the liver to the knee” or that I had jokingly asked followers if “Anyone has checked in on Naledi Pandor?” Feldman chose to laugh on the graves of the deceased and on the bodies of those maimed. Feldman praised: “The genius of the Pager attacks on #Hezbollah can’t be overstated…” and later wrote that he was merely celebrating Israel’s victory. Given that people were killed and thousands injured, there is no space for jokes or mocking.
Delving deeper into the apology
Primedia was frightened and was forced to apologise. But, for what? They apologised on behalf of Zweli and I guess they asked him to apologise. Let me state upfront: Zweli did not have to apologise and when he did, it appeared as if he did too much.
Moving on, I will now turn to the Primedia text and analyse it. I will intersperse it with comments in the hope of understanding what happened to Zweli.
In their communication, Mr Lindile Xoko (CEO of Primedia Broadcasting and Primedia Group Chief Revenue Officer) made clear what they were doing: Primedia Broadcasting apologises for statements made by Zweli Mbhele. He further pointed out that the station that Zweli worked for, 94.7, was part of the stable of stations owned by Primedia Broadcasting.
Apparently, the station “has a proud history of providing independent news” and has space for comments and debates.
Readers were reassured – I hope – when the statement continued by saying that “Primedia Broadcasting embraces our Constitution and all it stands for, including free speech and a free press, while acknowledging the importance of individual rights.” At this time, we could be forgiven for thinking that this message was an act of solidarity with Zweli’s right to free speech as a journalist and an employee / a worker with rights. But we were to be surprised when Zweli’s employers, who seemed to be buckling under the flak, presented a number of callers who called in to the radio because of some offensive comments Zweli made. For some reason, the BCCA, some political groups and campaigners, and even the mainstream press got involved.
The CEO’s explanation, seemingly aimed at giving context, went like this:
A. In times of crisis, emotions can be heightened as is the case with the violence that has erupted in the Middle East.
Note the neutral – or is it neutered? – words: violence in the Middle East, and compare it to what the South African lawyers were to argue some four months later before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Or consider the words of Ilan Pappe: “generations of Israeli and pro-Israeli scholars…have hidden behind the cloak of complexity in order to fend off any criticism of their quite obviously brutal treatment of the Palestinians…”
Violence has not erupted. Violence did not begin on October 7. A South African jurist served as U.N. Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territories from 2001 to 2008. During that time, he officially concluded that Israel’s occupation policies amounted to apartheid. Apartheid was both structural and systemic violence.
In the face of apartheid violence, we expected the world to stand alongside us… in solidarity in actively opposing against racial supremacy. Yet Primedia contradicts the letter and spirit of the Constitution by essentially taking a stance against standing up for justice.
Primedia could rightly be accused of PEP: progressive except for Palestine. Is that true? They may have tried to be neutral but, as we know, neutrality in the time of genocide is not just cowardice but complicity. When I heard this, I asked where are the trade unions for the writers and journalists? Why was SANEF silent?
We are a watchdog for freedom of expression and press freedom, and we advance quality in journalism and campaign for ethics and diversity in South Africa’s media. We do this through research, policy, legal, training, campaigning and advocacy work. We are not a trade union and do not take up internal labour disputes between journalists and management.
B. 94.7 does not take sides on political questions and always strives to give coverage that is fair and balanced, all while presenting a wide variety of views.
Not taking sides is taking sides.
C. Many of our listeners have responded to comments made by Zweli Mbhele, one of our presenters on 947, who made insensitive remarks on-air on Wednesday, 11 October.
In the minutes after his broadcast was aired live, Zweli apologised. It was soon followed by the company apology. Two days after that, whilst on leave, Zweli is back in the studio with Mantsoe Pout, who was standing in on his show. This is in part how it went.
Zweli talks to Mantsoe Pout whilst on leave
Mantsoe Pout: How are you?
Zweli: I’m good, I’m very good. Have you come here to steal my show?
Mantsoe Pout: Didn’t they tell you that when people leave here, me, I’m ready to step in?
Zweli: Oh, and I know that very, very well. Very, very well. But you know, I come here with a very full heart and a lot of regret. And I’ve been off for some time as we know with… what has happened this week. And I really wanted to be able to take some time to reflect on what has transpired over the week. And I know that I have heard so many people who engage, who listen, who are always involved in the show in Afternoons with Zweli. We have got friends and, you know, members of our community that have family and friends within these regions. I’ve got friends that have got family in these regions and that is horrifying. They are caught within a devastating war. Women and children are being violently killed. That’s what hurts me so much. Women and children are being violently killed. And that is something that I would like to say that I’ve never stood for. I will never ever stand for any sort of violence and particularly against women and children.
And I really just wanted to come on here today to sincerely apologise for my insensitivity on very serious matters and the veracity of the conflict and how it is that it affects people across the world and right here in our 947 family and our Primedia family.
And it is not lost on me whatsoever that we really come from a country with an incredibly challenging and volatile past, you know, and it was and is never my intention to solicit any type of hurt upon anyone. And particularly, you know, when handling such sensitive matters that have an impact on so many people.
I do not, do not condone any violence in any shape or form. I always want my shows to be a fun place to hang out. You know what I mean? And I always try to articulate that.
And despite the many challenges that we may face on the daily, we live in South Africa. We live in a world where there’s a lot that is happening. I want Afternoons… is really …to be an inclusive and a safe space for all.
And I really just want to sincerely apologise because that’s why I needed time to reflect, to look at what it is. And I’m going to need more time to reflect. There’s more work I’m going to have to do as well on myself.
And I’m ready for it. You know what I mean? Because yes, I think, yeah, I’ve said what is it I need to say. But outside of that, I also do want to say that the 947 family and Primemedia is taking this matter seriously.
We’ve had a lot of conversations and they are assisting and the BCCSA is involved. So, they’re going to do what they need to do. And I’m fully on board with that.
You know what I mean? Because it is quite a serious issue. But yeah, when it’s coming, I apologise. But also, outside of that, thank you so much to my friends and my family, my mom and dad who have really been there for me over the past couple of days. Thank you as well to my media family. It hasn’t been an easy couple of days. It really, really hasn’t.
But, you know, there was support and there was a let’s we need to find a resolution. And you don’t always get that, you know, when you make mistakes like this, we’re human and mistakes do happen. And that’s why I had to come here.
And yeah, I apologise. But again, thank you. Thank you to everyone who’s been teaching me.
And yeah, just ..I’m going to be back. Again, I’m taking some time off. I will be back on Monday and we’re going to have some fun. But even then, without all of the other stuff that is happening, because again, it’s a safe and inclusive space and that’s how it should remain.
Mantsoe Pout Thank you.
Zweli Thank you.
This clip was produced when Zweli was on leave. And, on air, he was apologetic. I heard this clip a number of times and eventually got the impression that Zweli has been truly beaten as he apologises over and over again about a mistake he has made. Zweli further promises that, when he returns on Monday, there will be fun… – without all the other stuff that is happening. Have they asked Zweli, the media scholar and presenter, to not speak or have any critical opinion?
The Broadcast Complaints Body
Zweli mentioned above that one of the groups that helped him was the Broadcast Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA). To get behind this story, I wrote to them to find out why and how they got involved.
I was intrigued to find out and hear in his own words what Zweli said. I was equally intrigued to watch how quickly the corporation stepped in and apologised on his behalf. But my gut feeling was influenced by my own interactions with both the Press Council and the BCCSA, knowing that they would have a legal basis for intervention. The BCCSA code has this particular clause:
13. Controversial Issues of Public Importance
(1) In presenting a programme in which a controversial issue of public importance is discussed, a broadcaster must make reasonable efforts to fairly present opposing points of view either in the same programme or in a subsequent programme forming part of the same series of programmes presented within a reasonable period of time of the original broadcast and within substantially the same time slot.
(2) A person whose views are to be criticised in a broadcasting programme on a controversial issue of public importance must be given the right to reply to such criticism on the same programme. If this is impracticable, reasonable opportunity to respond to the programme should be provided where appropriate, for example in a right to reply programme or in a pre-arranged discussion programme with the prior consent of the person concerned.
From the apology, there is no reference to how long the discussion was, which offensive words were, etc. After I received some information on this, I wrote to Shouneez (BCCSA) on September 19 asking about their involvement after transcribing the wrong clip (above) sent to me. In it, Zweli speaks thus:
But outside of that, I also do want to say that the 947 family and Primedia is taking this matter seriously. We’ve had a lot of conversations and they are assisting and the BCCSA is involved. So, they’re going to do what they need to do. And I’m fully on board with that.
I followed up by asking the BCCSA the following questions: 1) Was there a complaint from listeners of 94.7 to the BCCSA?; 2) How or what propelled your involvement?; 3) What is it that you have done in this matter?; and 4) Any other information you want to share?
Ms Martin (BCCSA) replied as follows: I need to clarify when a complaint is received and accepted by the BCCSA, it does not mean that it has been entertained. The fact that the complaints were withdrawn after the apology by the broadcast and there is no BCCSA ruling on this matter we did not entertain the complaint.
Not satisfied with this, I pushed further and got this reply: We were involved when complaints were lodged based on social media posts, which we do not deal with. In the end, we had four official complainants who provided us with the required information. However, after the apology was issued the Complainants withdrew their complaints and the matter was closed. I trust this clarifies the matter.
At no stage was I told that the South African Jewish Board of Deputies were involved. As you can imagine I felt uneasy as I thought that values and principles were at stake here about media authenticity and independence. There was no discussion of the media (broadcasting values being transgressed). The Ethical Journalism Network (EJN), a UK based coalition of more than 70 groups of journalists, editors, press owners and media support groups from across the globe have agreed upon core values and principles. The EJN’s values of Truth & Accuracy; Independence, Fairness and Impartiality, Humanity and Accountability… were they violated?
When the BCCSA stepped or when the corporation stepped in, one would have hoped they would have gone beyond the mere sloganistic – or is it ritualistic – statement of support for the constitution then sanction the actor, the one practising their freedom.
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa regulates broadcasting by enforcing codes against hate speech and discrimination, aligning with constitutional values to ensure fair media representation. Thus, one would have hoped that they would have come out stronger in defence of speaking truths at all times. That the principles and values that journalists hold dear, would have been their first prize.
Instead of Zweli apologising, Primedia and the BCCSA and the many other organisations working with free speech and media too must take account of their actions or inactions.
Maybe the BCCSA and Press Council must have the citizens advisory bureaus as part of their work, so that the journalists or those who are aggrieved by media houses can have independent sources of support and counsel. The Ethical Journalism Network lists five essential values that journalists – many – have agreed are essential for a fair shot at the job and love of keeping the public informed, or entertained. These principles of ethical journalism, they tell us, are universal and a precious resource that builds respect for democracy and human rights and they list them as such: Truth & Accuracy; Independence, Fairness and Impartiality, Humanity and Accountability.
The BCCSA, I lament, did not interrogate the principles of media or ethical journalism. In fact, based on these values and principles, Zweli was more correct and ethical than all his detractors. I will argue this point using the values and principles as outlined above by the Ethical Journalism Network.
- I conclude that Zweli spoke truthfully and with great accuracy, history and the events of the past year has proven him correct.
- In addition, I confirm that Zweli upheld the principle – value of Independence. He spoke what he learnt from the media studies and he spoke of what he saw, but the corporation wanted him to be aligned to their corporate interests. Primedia were conflicted, not Zweli, and that is why they bowed to those interests that levelled flak.
- On Fairness and Impartiality, Zweli condemned violence and spoke about engaging critically with media that manipulates narratives and he was leaning on siding with justice.
- Humanity: Journalists should do no harm. Whilst Zweli apologised because he was inarticulate and insensitive… this is not true based on the evidence we have heard and seen. Language in these times is more often a contested terrain. What did Zweli say wrong when he said ‘the situation in Palestine is unacceptable’? This policing of language by elites often results in self-censorship and becomes a threat to others who want to report with humanity.
- Accountability: A sure sign of professionalism and responsible journalism is the ability to hold ourselves accountable, the Ethical Journalist values holds. Zweli was more accountable – in effect he was the only one accountable for a presumed unfairness. Primedia owes Zweli a public apology and they need to rethink what it means to support the constitution of the country.
I confirm the above, after listening and transcribing the Zweli chat with Mantsoe Pout, as well as the original clip (deemed offensive by some) and comparing it to the flak and apologies that Zweli and the company Primedia proffered. I must add that I struggled to get the clip from Primedia. It was only at the 11th hour that I got it.
I will accordingly use the Primedia broadcasting statement as a basis for my critique and it opens like this:
D. Primedia Broadcasting unreservedly apologises for these offensive remarks made by Zweli and will be engaging with him about his adhering to our core values going forward. Primedia Broadcasting is also engaging with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission in addressing this matter.
I am left with no transgressions of values articulated but a wide accusation that the broadcasting group unreservedly apologises for these offensive remarks made by Zweli. The flak came from a few quarters but the flak seemingly was mobilised by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies and their allies.
There was no discussion or reproduction of what the offensive words were. What was repeated was that the words were offensive. It seems trite to say that if something is deemed offensive, we must at least begin with the actual words spoken. Many people online asked this and even I asked the BCCSA and the Primedia head of legal department for the actual clip.
The former assumed it was already given in the apology. My approach to the company was more complicated as I wanted the full written words as spoken on air by Zweli. And so began a long email engagement with Primedia. I was keen on the tone and tenor, his diction and mood to determine whether he was, in my opinion these comments were hateful.
At first I was given the wrong clip (which I will talk about) and eventually after threatening to do applications for the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (PAIA) and so on, the correct audio clip was given. My first impression was that Zweli was punished for daring to doubt the mainstream media. Zweli was punished for saying this at the time. Was it his timing? Yet timing and speaking the truth about mainstream media is right at all times. The truth is that Zweli was let down by all of us. The former senior United Nations human rights official Chris Mokhiber concluded in a discussion with Ahmed Alnaouq (Deep Dive Palestine) that the Western media can be held accountable for genocide. In fact he goes on to say that many in Western Media could be accused of complicity with the genocide.
Zweli in his own words
These were days after Zweli spoke his words and it is worth listening to it, in full.
We took time to do a rough transcript of what Zweli said in the clip at the core of this matter is reproduced here:
The other thing that has been dominating news, and not just in SA but internationally, has been the war. This conflict thatE has been going down between Israel and Palestine. And it has been so incredible, because it is something that I have been reading about since I was in varsity in terms of apartheid Israel, and how it is that the media is able to manipulate certain narratives. And it is just, excuse the pun.., but it has just blown my mind how many people fall for whatever it is that they write on the front page of a newspaper.
I was watching one of the news networks, I think it was Al Jazeera, where there was a journalist who was saying that they can say that these, what do they call them?, the terrorist group Hamas, is killing young Israeli children. And they said, this was the report, they are saying that they are literally chopping their heads off. But there is no proof, there is nothing to support any of these claims, you know what I mean? Like the Palestinians can be like, “look, this is what is happening here,” but Israelis can be like “take my word for it, bru.”It is a humanitarian crisis, we can’t take anyone’s word for it. Yeah. Just. I always say, world leaders, but my goodness, what do they do outside take care of their own interests, you know? It is just incredibly sad what it is that is happening in Palestine, and if you are watching it, it is on the news right now. And yeah, my goodness, all of the strength to everyone that is affected over there, because it just looks incredibly incredibly heartbreaking.
Where to with free speech
The context that followed the events of 7 October 2023 propelled Zweli to speak to his fans truthfully. He may have forgotten the sentiments also articulated by Geoge Orwell in this unpublished introduction to an edition of Animal Farm: Unpopular ideas can be silenced, and inconvenient facts kept dark, without the need for any official ban.
In his short comment, I have underlined and placed in bold to highlight how sensitively and compassionately Zweli tried to handle the issue, or the war / conflict between Israel and Palestine which he has just seen on television. As a university graduate, he studied apartheid Israel and how the media manipulates certain narratives and from these networks he sees the terrorist group Hamas is said to be killing Israeli children, chopping their heads off, but he noted that there is no proof. The control of the narratives, he explains, is where the views and oppressions and violence on Palestinians are doubted (although proof is provided) yet Israel’s narrative is simply trusted when they say, take my word for it bru. It is a humanitarian crisis but the world powers look after their own interests. It’s incredible what is happening in Palestine.
One wonders if the company lawyers wrote his apology (11 October) because, in it, he says that he was not as articulate as eloquently and sensitively as he intended and does not condone violence.
This was a false attack on Zweli. Yet he was forced into responding, talking to their frames and not his own. He knows better: as we can glean from his commentary, he was a critical producer and consumer of media. He was not a native informer, but spoke honestly about how things played out.
Zweli studied media at Wits University and clearly took within his knowledge the rights to the information and freedom of expression as contained in the Constitution of South Africa and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), in that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
He did not have to be lectured about these principles and values, although he must have known deep down the power of elite nations to use speech and propaganda to undermine and defeat those who speak truth to power.What Zweli had to endure can best be explained by other theorists. As a media student, he must have encountered Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman’s seminal work, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (1988), which outlines the Propaganda Model of Communication. I will briefly explore how this model is still relevant today to understand the Zweli Saga.
The propaganda model
The contents have been simplified to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the book by Al Jazeera’s The Listening Post provided an animation. It was produced by Marcela Pizarro and narrated by Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman. This model describes how the media serves power interests through five filters, namely:
Filter 1. Media Ownership Structure — The media is not simply a neutral agent to educate and inform it is about profit. Media ownership by the corporations and elites concentrates the message and generally speaking these posts are in conflict with journalistic integrity and the bosses. This conflict of interest is never really resolved under this ownership model.
In the Zweli case, the owners rushed to isolate Zweli by issuing their release whilst professing to love the constitution they ditched in order to throw Zweli under the bus. [See comments below by Ramonet why we need a fifth estate]. The whole role and power of concentrated ownership of social media platforms warrants greater and deeper public scrutiny as they control the way the narratives are received if at all.
Filter 2. Advertising — Media costs more than consumers will pay, we hear Amy Goodman read, which brings in the advertisers to fill the gap. The paper or media house cannot survive without the advertisers but: what or who is being sold or what do the advertisers actually pay for? They are paying for access to audiences. “It isn’t just that the media is selling you a product. They’re also selling advertisers a product: you”, the narrator concludes. Thus, the advertisers influence the content and editorial decisions and give them direct access to consumers.
We will have to see who put pressure on Zweli’s comments or what they threatened 94.7 with, overtly or otherwise.
Filter 3. Media Elite / Sources — Journalism cannot be a check on power, because the very system encourages complicity. Governments, corporations, and big institutions know how to influence the media. They feed it scoops and interviews with supposed experts. They make themselves crucial to the process of journalism. If you want to challenge power, you’ll be pushed to the margins…. You won’t be getting in. You’ll have lost your access.
Please check – as Zweli tried to do – whose voices count without proof and whose require proof in mainstream media. Elites are quoted and they are the sources with authority, often supported by our interests or our allies, western civilisation and other lofty phrases which marginalise the voices of the poor and working people and those marginalised. Critical and oppositional voices are written out of the script, marginalised or the mainstream still tries to do so, but it is more and more difficult to do with mass social media activism.
Filter 4. Flak — When the story is inconvenient for the powers that be, you’ll see the flack machine in action: discrediting sources, trashing stories, and diverting the conversation, the narrator reads.
So those who speak unpopular words, or present dissenting views, will get kak. You will receive strong rightwing ideological attacks for these marginalised views and perspecives. You will, like Zweli, receive unwelcomed smearing, labelling, and false attacks for expressing your strongly felt views.
In the Zweli case, we can see these attacks on all social media platforms above and, if the bosses did not step in early enough, they would have gone for his head, his job and other punitive actions. Zwezi was condemned in a roller coaster bluster without anyone getting his full words repeated. So his flak, which was unleashed via Twitter / X, Instagram, Facebook, and via cell phone calls to the bosses, rapidly brought in the BCCSA.
As an aside, we must note that this flak was not without resistance, as many spoke out in favour of free speech and Palestine as we can see above, many perform the task of citizen journalists or critical uses of media.
In my recent query to the BCCSA mentioned above, their narrative simply talks of the individuals who made a noise but they did not mention the SA Jewish Board of Deputy, who tried to be modest – but could not help themselves by claiming victory for having Primedia and Zweli issue an apology.
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies website notes under the heading Offensive comments made by 94.7 host Zweli Mbhele (12 October 2023) that: Following offensive comments made by 94.7 host Zweli Mbhele, we have engaged with Primedia Leadership. Please see their apology below.
These apologies were a result of pressure or organised flak by the Jewish Board of Deputies, and many individual Zionist supporters, including prominent ones – social media users on X mentioned one Howard Feldman…
It could be argued that flak is leveraged against those whom you differ or are opposed to ideologically or politically. It is integrally related to the last filter Chomsky and Herman spoke of.
Filter 5. Common Enemy – In their book the authors referred to it as “ideology of the state” as the fifth filter, but Amy Goodman’s formulation of the common enemy better captures the essence of how the powers organise to galvanise their power by manufacturing consent. In 1980, the perceived threat or enemy target was Communism but today, as Goodman et al, define it, it refers to the Common Enemy, which plays a role in creating a shared fear or threat: to manufacture consent, you need an enemy, a target: Communism, terrorists, immigrants… a boogeyman to fear helps corral public opinion.
Clearly communism has been eclipsed by Islam or anti Muslim racism or versions of such added to terrorism and anti justice hysteria that is needed to manufacture consent. The Palestinians right to resist is undermined as it is cast by the powerful as terrorism against a legitimate government.
This filter brings it all together. A common enemy serves to divert attention from internal issues, whilst justifying or reinforcing militarism and reactionary authoritarianism, and national unity under elite rule or dominance. Patriotism is enhanced whilst attacking and discrediting immigrants, foreigners, etc, that is, those who dissent.
One agent that manufactures consent against Palestine is the South Africa Jewish Board of Deputies. They are members of the South African Zionist Federation which unashamedly states that: The SAZF looks after matters relating to Israel and its image in South Africa, which they formally state is done through education, advocacy, and lobbying. They also assert that the South African Jewish community has always been proudly Zionistic, standing our ground and defending Israel on a daily basis.
Their influence in the mainstream media, private and public, is worrisome largely because they are uncritical supporters of the state of Israel. They promote and hasbara which some dictionaries define as the Israeli state’s communicative or propaganda strategy that “seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified”
Kareen Haddad in her The Instafada: social media as resistance spells out the methodology of the Zionists thus: Herein began a cycle, where western media programmes published disputed claims from an inherently, if sometimes thinly veiled, Zionist perspective with no care for substantiation, and subsequently (but often too late) redacted their lies and misinformation.
One example was the allegation of rape in the Los Angeles Times, which was later redacted in a footnote stating that “such reports have not been substantiated.” The most significant and widespread of the lies that I have found has been the reports of ’40 beheaded infants’ which was broadcasted and then not substantiated nor confirmed neither by the Israeli government, nor President Biden, nor media platforms such as CNN.
I will return to this suffice to say that lying and giving flak to dissenters is part and parcel of the hasbara.
Mokhiber argues similarly and criticises the impunity and exceptionalism that Israel enjoys in the mass media arguing that: …If your only source of information is mainstream Western media, you may have no idea that Israel is on trial for genocide in the World Court or that Israel’s leaders are the subject of arrest warrant requests for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. It is likely that you have never heard the numerous statements of genocidal intent by the Israeli President, Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, and military commanders.
You will likely still believe the stories of beheaded Israeli babies (long proven to be fabricated) and be unaware of the many Palestinian babies who actually have been beheaded. You will almost certainly not know of the systematic killing of Palestinian civilians, children, infants, women, older persons, persons with disabilities, and others. You will be unaware of the torture camps, the systematic rape of detainees, and the Israeli snipers targeting small children in Gaza. And you may not even know that Israel now holds the world records for the murder of journalists, of aid workers, of UN officials, and of healthcare workers.
Instead, transparently false Israeli disinformation and propaganda are regularly and uncritically published in Western media to justify war crimes, dehumanise Palestinians, and distract the public from the daily atrocities committed in Israel’s campaign of extermination. Stories covering the genocide are censored. The voices of Palestinians and human rights defenders are suppressed.
Reporters are instructed not to mention “occupied territory”, “Palestinians”, or “refugee camps.” Those Palestinian civilian victims who are not erased entirely are reduced to “collateral damage” or “human shields” at best, or “terrorists” at worst. In massacre after massacre, Palestinians in headlines are not killed by Israel, they simply “die.”
Mokhiber ends with South African judge Navi Pillay who, in the Rwandan genocide case, noted that: The power of the media to create and destroy fundamental human values comes with great responsibility. Those who control such media are accountable for its consequences.
Zionist propagandists will not stop spinning the narrative but good and courageous journalists are important to tell the world the truth as some continue daily to fight the good fight. But the truth tellers are organised on the ground and include groups like the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, a renowned Israeli human rights organisation. They have documented alarming allegations of torture, rape, and other forms of abuse against Palestinian prisoners.
Their “Welcome to Hell” is a report on the abuse and inhuman treatment of Palestinians held in Israeli custody since 7 October 2023. They found systemic torture which included methods include beatings, shackling, sleep deprivation, and threats. Furthermore, they found that sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli soldiers, in particular rape, sexual harassment, and humiliation was common. Israeli soldiers do this because they can. Such impunity means that Jewish perpetrators of abuse in interrogation practices and tactics are rarely held accountable as coercion, hunger- starvation, intimidation and manipulation is common. Their report found that 90% of Palestinian detainees reported being subjected to torture or ill-treatment and women and minors are also the victims of sexual violence and abuse.
We all know that Zweli was not a full-time activist joining us in weekly protests against tyranny. He was simply a journalist doing his job. He was speaking from the heart, crying out for justice, truth and accuracy in media reporting. But these times doing a simple job honestly comes at a price.
The media ideology and practice during these times may be explained by those deniers of the genocide, whilst those stating that Israel is committing a genocide fall out over the so-called principle of balance. Or fake balance, which has also been called bothsidesism.
Bothsidesism
At the beginning of the essay I spoke of the attacks on free speech and the right to organise predating 2016. Fast forward to October 2023 and the mainstream media’s supposed commitment to accurate and truthful reporting has been questioned and is again under fire. In South Africa, their supposed commitment to impartiality stands in stark contrast to its commitment to the constitution of the country and its press and broadcast codes commitments to fairness / accuracy and so on. Is this so-called bothsidesism the problem?
This ideology of bothsidesism is also known as false balance or equivalency. It ignores the historical context and power dynamics or, better still, the asymmetrical power between Palestinians under occupation and the Israeli state. It creates false equivalence, implying both sides have equal merit. It fosters doubt, confusion and even cynicism to the undiscerning consumers of media and undermines their trust in the integrity of the media organisation.
One might ask if the proponents of bothsidesism argued similarly when looking at apartheid racism in South Africa or when the Nazi’s exterminated millions of Jewish people, Roma, disabled people and others?
The South African case before the ICJ details the hate speech and incitement by the uppermost leaders of Zionist society which is captured in my poem the hate they make, (in words) published 10 January 2024. Many have confirmed that interim ruling that a “plausible genocide” is being waged on the people of Palestine and this clearly should have warned the socalled neutral media about how to report within a justice perspective. But it is a long struggle that we must still wage as long as injustice prevails.
The prestigious US journal Council on Foreign Affairs explored the question: What military aid has the United States provided Israel since the October 7 attacks? In response, they wrote that: Israel has been using American-made weapons against its foes, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, for decades. Since October 7, the Biden administration has reportedly made more than one hundred military aid transfers to Israel, although only two—totaling about $250 million—have met the aforementioned congressional review threshold and been made public. The Israeli military has reportedly received expedited deliveries of weapons from a strategic stockpile that the United States has maintained in Israel since the 1980s.
Shortly after Hamas’s attack, the United States also agreed to lease Israel two Iron Dome missile defence batteries that Washington had previously purchased from the country.
The extraordinary flow of aid has included tank and artillery ammunition, bombs, rockets, and small arms. In April 2024, news reports said the Biden administration was considering new military sales to Israel that are valued at more than $18 billion and would include fifty F-15 fighter aircraft, although the shipments wouldn’t arrive for years. The Israeli military is also reportedly purchasing some high-tech products, such as surveillance drones, directly from smaller U.S. manufacturers.
Critical thinking is clearly a requirement and this is what Zweli asked us all to practise. Yet it is clear that the truth and accuracy that Zweli spoke of counts for nothing. Elsewhere Palestinians speaking on mainstream media channels were corralled into supporting the Israeli state against Palestinians. Do you condemn Hamas? Do you condemn Hamas?
In this regard, please watch the BBC who were given a tongue lashing by Husam Zomlot, PLO ambassador in the UK. Marwan Bishara similarly argued in November 2023, writing on Israel, Gaza, and the mass production of myths for mass media, where he observed how the speakers from the Israeli side often repeated rehearsed lines as if they had studied the Israel Project’s “Global Language Dictionary [PDF]”, memorised its lines, and repeated them verbatim, not missing a beat. The playbook was created in 2009 after Israel’s first war on the besieged Gaza Strip, to guide Israel’s supporters on how best to speak to the media about the conflict.
Other mainstream bodies tried to recoup some credibility for their reporting although not as deep and consistent as other groups like Electronic Intifada and others.
Despite adopting the precautionary principle: taking in all views, Hasbara demanded we outsource our intellect and simply fall in line and bow at the altar of the powerful.
Beheaded babies, rape and the other Israeli propaganda talking points have been disproven by many, yet sadly they continue to be repeated by government leaders kowtowing to Netanyahu after October 7. Prominent Western leaders such as US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron… they all pledged support their support for Israeli victims and some pledged their vocal support for the war against terrorism. Many of them bought Hasbara imposed narratives on the events of 7 October uncritically.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz was more critical in reporting the events on and around October 7 than most of the so-called international newspapers of record. This includes South Africa where some media houses have simply stayed away from reporting struggles of Palestinian people for national liberation. Haaretz in one story, headlined IDF Ordered Hannibal Directive on October 7 to Prevent Hamas Taking Soldiers Captive, they displayed their relative independence. The sub-headline read that “There was crazy hysteria, and decisions started being made without verified information: Documents and testimonies obtained by Haaretz reveal the Hannibal operational order, which directs the use of force to prevent soldiers being taken into captivity, was employed at three army facilities infiltrated by Hamas, potentially endangering civilians as well”. Despite these damning allegations, it has not stopped Zionists from branding the IDF as the most moral army in the world.The Hannibal Directive is a highly controversial top secret Israeli military protocol, first devised in 1986 to weaken the bargaining power of groups like Hamas in negotiations over captured soldiers. It has its roots in previous wars and has been used again in 2014, 2021 (Wars on Gaza) and in 2023. It permits – unwritten rule – the IDF to kill its own citizens. Al Jazeera’s The Hannibal Directive – Featured Documentary tells us more about it and about the idea of being cautious about how the media reports the news or tries to shape the narratives around October 7.
Media activists fight back
On 12 October, whilst Zweli was being roasted for talking truth, US president Biden was forced to walk back his lies. It was left to the White House to walk back Joe Biden’s claim that he had seen pictures of beheaded children after the attacks of 7 October when Hamas launched their “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”.
Biden said “I never really thought that I would see, have confirmed, pictures of terrorists beheading children,” and described the Al-Aqsa flood attacks as the “deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust”.
The German ambassador in Tel Aviv has admitted that he spread fabricated Israeli atrocity propaganda intended to give credence to Israel’s debunked claims of mass rapes by Palestinian fighters on 7 October 2023. “I regret having believed – like so many others – that that suicide letter was real. It turns out it was a fake,” Ambassador Steffen Seibert posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. “I find this an appalling act given that so many real lives were taken at the Nova festival, so many crimes committed, so many souls destroyed.”
Of the mainstream newspapers and media houses role in the colluding with the Zionists and the genocide has been tackled by many even in the US and Canda in particular by The Intercept and Electronic Intifada (EI). Their ongoing work remains inspirational. The Intercept in their writing on the New York Times and embedded Zionist ideologues remains a compelling read for activists. In addition, their reporting on how the mainstream media of record covered Palestine – Israel post October 7 is revealing:
The New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times’s coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza showed a consistent bias against Palestinians, according to an Intercept analysis of major media coverage. The print media outlets, which play an influential role in shaping U.S. views of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, paid little attention to the unprecedented impact of Israel’s siege and bombing campaign on both children and journalists in the Gaza Strip.
Major U.S. newspapers disproportionately emphasized Israeli deaths in the conflict; used emotive language to describe the killings of Israelis, but not Palestinians; and offered lopsided coverage of antisemitic acts in the U.S., while largely ignoring anti-Muslim racism in the wake of October 7. Pro-Palestinian activists have accused major publications of pro-Israel bias, with the New York Times seeing protests at its headquarters in Manhattan for its coverage of Gaza –– an accusation supported by our analysis.
In addiion, EI in particular revealed in many exposés the naked lies that were manufactured after 7 October. In one such expose, they delve into why the mass media is pliant or compliant to the global powers: Why do the media keep parroting Israel’s genocidal lies? | The Electronic Intifada. Their other programmes explore how the sources or informants of Israel’s “executed children” finally admitted that his story was a lie and untrue. Electronic Intifada also noted that “Yossi Landau of the group ZAKA concedes in a new interview with Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit that dead bodies he previously claimed to have seen in Kibbutz Be’eri were “not children.” EI also monitored and tracked how mainstream media groups like NY Times misreported and collaborated in manufacturing support for the Zionist state.
The misinformation some have realised is not in the margins – in social media but it has gone mainstream and this is what many of us are fighting. The groups referred to here, have done that work as did others.
I think these resources above cover all the main arguments: rapes, terrorism, hostages, etc. Let us see what you make of them.
Neither Zweli nor Primedia could not have anticipated the global marches and outrage in the streets. Nor could they have anticipated the South African application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) before the ICJ, which was significant for advancing the struggle for truth and accurate reporting and justice for the victims. It was followed by other cases which confirmed that Israel is a colonial power undermining Palestinian lives and aspirations.
The case before the ICJ emboldened a weak Karim Khan to put Israel in the dock of public accountability. Despite his attempts at equating the oppressor with the oppressed, this is significant. In a CNN interview with Amanpour Exclusive: ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan – Amanpour – Podcast on CNN Audio, the chief Prosecutor amplified the charges of extermination and starvation being waged by Israel. This step is huge and suggests that questioning Israel’s impunity in the global community is largely over.The lies were perpetrated and told by powerful people. When Zweli warned about how the media worked, he was right. Israel and its supporters after October 7, shifted the discourse and, for a while, held the ground. But their actions in Gaza, as Mehdi Hassan said in a debate he held recently, show that the Zionist strategy that nothing justifies October the 7th, but that October the 7th justifies everything, has been unsuccessful.
Conclusions and the search for alternatives
Some have argued that our society is changing. People are going into and buying organic foods. Why then we cannot decontaminate our news?
People should mobilise to demand that the media owned by the global groups show respect for the truth, because news is only legitimate when it is really engaged in a search for truth.
I am a supporter of the in and against approach, contesting where you work in the private and public spheres whilst we build and consolidate our own media outside the mainstream. There are many efforts but they too must work in a more networked manner to wield the influence that we need.
This trend has been growing from its noble roots. I recall many years ago, Ignacio Ramonet in his Set the media free (October 2003) made the point that there is a need to move beyond the presumed hallowed fourth estate role of the media, which defined it as a check on power, through ownership of corporations of media houses which are much more concentrated and diversified than what he wrote about in 2003. Instead, he calls for action because the media is all pervasive. Ramonet wrote that, whilst the Greek philosopher Empedocles said that the world was made up of four elements: air, water, earth and fire, we must another: Information has become so abundant in our globalised world that it is now almost a fifth element. Because of this power, Ramonet proposed the setting up of Media Watch Global (Observatoire international des médias). It will at last give people a peaceful civic weapon against the emerging superpower of the big mass media.
Journalist Rania Khaled argued similarly with reference to Palestine (Gaza) and other struggles. She asserted that it was not just sufficient to hate the way they report the oppressed of the world – what’s required is to replace the mainstream media.
More recently with the spaces opened up by social media – for good and bad, Kareen Haddad quoted above reflects that “following 7th October, I saw how any interpretation that did not prescribe to the mainstream perspective of ‘terrorist’ versus ‘innocent’ was at best instantly demonised; at worst, it was criminalised. Anything short of full fledged condemnation, even an acknowledgement of the context that led to the events that took place, was met with hostility and branded as anti-semitic or terrorist sympathising.”
In the case of Zweli, we have seen above that he simply asked us to exercise caution when dealing with western, corporate media that seemed to work against the public right to be fully informed. Whilst Zweli did not state that Israel and the media that gives them a free hand, as others have said, are complicit in the genocide.
It begs the question whether Primedia can be counted upon as an ally in the struggle for social justice? I wonder but it is undeniable that the funds from the mineworkers were critical and it is said today that it is the largest shareholders in the group. Primedia is owned by EPE Capital Partners, FirstRand, Old Mutual and the Mineworkers Investment Trust but the workers and the union’s influence in the sphere of social justice is not felt. It must be more than the bottom-line, comrades!
In the meantime, Primedia must revisit its commitment to the country’s constitution. They must undertake a process of restorative justice and start by apologising to Zweli, as he did no wrong.
SANEF and the other journalists unions must step up and meet with Zweli and find their moral compass. I wonder where the Communication Workers Union during these times. The union describes itself thus: We are Communication Workers Union A militant Marxist-Leninist Trade Union. They were not present and they are also obliged to think and act on these issues whether a person is a member or not; as any injustice in these media spaces undermines us all.
Of the few freedom of expression organisations and campaigns, we too heard not a whimper. Maybe they too needed to speak out. Others did speak out as I have shown above, but more of us needed to be there for Zweli. Sorry Zweli.

Hassen Lorgat has worked in the trade union movement, civic associations, and anti apartheid sports movement led by the South African Council on Sports (SACOS) as well as NGOs for the past while. He has also worked with civil society groups opposing harmful and exploitative mining and extractivism.
Hassen is a media activist who has been featured in different media and has, on a few occasions, used the services of the Press Council, the Broadcast Complaints Authority of South Africa (BCCSA), and other platforms to ensure accurate and fair reporting.
Acknowledgements
To the Palestinian people, whom we stand with, for being steadfast and the activists for standing up for justice. Also, my thanks goes to my comrade and friend Marta Garrich, for editing and transcribing some texts, Rashid Mbabaali who helped with transcribing one text as well. My thanks to all the comrades who read and gave feedback.
- They thought he was their trump card - February 6, 2025
- The poet talks to himself about Zubeidi A-Poem - January 31, 2025
- USA lifts the blacklisting of cuba - January 18, 2025