Journalist assaulted at Chivayo funeral after DJ Ollah 7 allegedly led him to G6

Journalist and Editor-in-Chief of TechMagTV, Toneo Toneo, says he was assaulted while covering the funeral of the late socialite Wicknell Chivayo on Thursday, 8 October.

In a statement issued on Friday, 9 October, Toneo said he and his crew arrived at the Chivayo residence for routine coverage and sought a programme update from family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo.

According to Toneo, Herbert Chivayo said he would rather address journalists from all media houses than give him an update alone.

Toneo said he then contacted colleagues from The Herald, ZBC, Owen Madondo (DJ Ollah 7), and two other journalists to arrange the press conference. While his crew was still setting up, he claimed Madondo called him aside and led him to Joachim “G6” Chivayo, a cousin of Wicknell Chivayo.

“G6 immediately began berating me, ordering me to put my cameras down and stating that he had not cleared me for coverage,” Toneo said.

He said he told G6 he had been covering the story since the crash scene, providing live updates from midnight until early morning, and had done extensive coverage from the residence in the previous days. He said G6 remained adamant and insisted that they stop recording.

Toneo said he then informed Herbert Chivayo that he would not be joining the press conference he had requested because he had been stopped.

“He insisted that, as the father, all authority and clearance came from him, and that the press conference should go ahead with no one interfering and also stated that no media must be stopped or disturbed,” Toneo said.

He said the press conference went ahead and the team then left the residence for the funeral parlour in town to collect the bodies.

Toneo alleged the assault happened on their way back from the parlour along Gletwin Road. He said they were recording and broadcasting live close to the hearse when G6 shouted from his car: “So you guys mune nharo ka imi, I want to show you something.”

“We slowed down and stopped filming to ponder. Immediately afterwards, a white SUV driven by his security personnel blocked us. Three men jumped out and came straight to me as I was driving. They attacked me with clenched fists and open-handed slaps for not more than 20 seconds, then returned to their vehicle and drove off,” he said.

He said the incident was witnessed by everyone in the convoy immediately behind the hearse.

Toneo said he sustained serious injuries, including loosened lower teeth, a swollen eye and severe jaw pain.

He said he has filed a police report at Highlands Police Station under RRB 6847154 and is pursuing the matter as a criminal case with the assistance of his legal counsel.

“This is now an assault and criminal matter that we are pursuing, and my legal counsel will be assisting me,” he said. “It is regrettable that we have ended up here, all for the love of journalism and telling the story.”

Toneo said he had had a mutually respectful working relationship with Madondo until the incident.

He called for respect for journalism, saying no journalist should be physically attacked or intimidated for documenting events of public interest.

“Journalism is not a crime, and no journalist should be physically attacked or intimidated for documenting events and reporting matters of public interest,” he said.

“While we remain committed to conducting ourselves professionally and respecting reasonable, lawful arrangements made by families during times of bereavement, such circumstances must never be used to justify violence against members of the media.”

“I call upon the relevant authorities to investigate this matter thoroughly and ensure that those responsible, if identified through due process, are held accountable in accordance with the law,” he added.

“We will soldier on to keep telling you the story.”