News24 Busy Updating List of People Who Pose a Threat to Democracy

JOHANNESBURG — Staff at News24 have cancelled a braai in Linden this weekend after learning that the publication’s list of people who pose a threat to democracy needs updating again, according to an unknown source.

The list started out as a Google Sheet but was moved to a dedicated server after it crashed twice and then went offline during a City Power outage in Auckland Park, leaving democracy unprotected for most of a Tuesday afternoon.

‘It’s becoming difficult to keep up,’ the source said, explaining that several people previously considered harmless had recently expressed opinions, some of them on Facebook and at least two in Afrikaans.

The newsroom now uses a colour-coded system: red for immediate threats, amber for emerging threats, and green for people who might become threats if given a slot on talk radio. A fourth colour, beige, is reserved for anyone who has described themselves as ‘just asking questions’.

A junior reporter has been assigned to monitor dinner parties in Bryanston, Durbanville and Umhlanga for early warning signs. Her first report flagged a dentist who said the country ‘used to work’ and a retired accountant who still calls Gqeberha Port Elizabeth.

Neighbourhood WhatsApp groups are also under closer watch. ‘That’s where it starts,’ the source said. ‘One week it’s a suspicious white Quantum on the corner, the next it’s views on the Constitution.’

The team is still debating whether people who object to the list should be added to it automatically.

‘We haven’t decided,’ the source admitted. ‘Although the people objecting are obviously a concern.’

Asked why News24 regards itself as the custodian of democracy, the source said the matter had been settled internally. ‘We fact-checked the claim ourselves. It came back true.’

Readers who want to check their own status are being encouraged to subscribe to News24 Premium.