Sekunjalo Independent Media proprietor Iqbal Survé and a cohort of senior editors face a criminal investigation related to their mistaken doxing of University of KZN lecturer and stand-up comedian Mohammed Yacoob Vawda.

Vawda registered a criminal complaint at the Sandton police station last week and laid charges of crimen injuria, incitement to cause harm, and violating cybercrime laws. 

News24 reports that Vawda earlier filed a civil suit against Survé, his editors and Sekunjalo Independent Media, claiming damages of R1.2m in the Western Cape High Court.

The editors named in the civil action are also named as suspects in his criminal complaint, specifically: Adri Senekal de Wet, Melanie Peters, Sifiso Mahlangu, Siyavuya Mzantsi, Taariq Halim, Mazwi Xaba and Lance Witten.

In response to a request for comment from News24, Survé said: ‘I don't deal with propaganda journalists. Go back to your handlers and give them this message… please don't insult my intelligence and don't contact me ever again,’ he said in a WhatsApp exchange.

On 15 July, Sekunjalo Independent Media launched what it called an ‘unmasking project’ – a supposed editorial campaign that would ‘(expose) individuals and networks that have been working to undermine the country's hard-fought democracy’.

Sekunjalo Independent Media editors identified Vawda as the hidden hand behind the account, displaying his personal details and a picture on a screen, as well as on a YouTube stream of the event.

Within 24 hours, the stream had been deleted and Sekunjalo Independent Media CEO Viasen Soobramoney, flanked by Senekal de Wet, published an apology.

Soobramoney said their ‘investigation’ revealed that two individuals, named Mohammed Vawda, had been ‘linked’ to the account.

‘However, during the press conference, a technical error occurred in that the wrong profile was shared with our content teams and the public,’ he said.

Full News24 report