Jessie Duarte John Steenhuisen ANC

Jessie Duarte on the campaign trail – Photo: @GautengANC / Twitter

Jessie Duarte loses her cool in a furious argument with reporter [video]

This is a terrible look for the ANC: Jessie Duarte flipped her lid when she was asked a question she didn’t want to respond to, as sparks flew at the press briefing.

Jessie Duarte John Steenhuisen ANC

Jessie Duarte on the campaign trail – Photo: @GautengANC / Twitter

There was an extraordinary exchange between an eNCA journalist and the ANC Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte on Tuesday afternoon, which culminated in a frank exchange of words between the pair.

Samkele Maseko took a tough line of questioning to Duarte regarding allegations that have been made against Ace Magashule. Although the briefing was set up to discuss candidates on the ANC Parliamentary list, the politician accused the reported of going too far with his inquiries, calling them “irrelevant”.

Jessie Duarte loses it with a journalist

As Maseko argued his point, Duarte become more irate. She then gave the journalist a fierce dressing down, accusing him of “bullying” members of the ANC and acting in an arrogant manner. She also had a go at Maseko for apparently trying to dictate who can and can’t use free speech:

“I’m going to complain about you to the ombudsman. I too have the right to freedom of speech, and Mr Maseko, you have a habit of intimidating everybody. You make people feel that you are ‘the Lord of the media’ – but you are just one journalist.”

“You call me a bully, yet you are the worst bully I’ve ever come across. I’ve never met anyone as arrogant as you are. You want to defend freedom of speech which you never fought for. What do you want us to do, bow when you’re in the room and call you our Lord?”

Maseko stands his ground

It’s a response that has proven particularly problematic: Not only is Jessie Duarte using the classic bullying tactic of calling someone else a bully, but her comments on free speech are unsettling, to say the least. Maseko, however, has received plenty of support from his industry colleagues, including Sunday Times’ Qaanitah Hunter:

Watch Jessie Duarte have it out with Samkele Maseko:

(Watch the whole briefing here…)