Ever since he launched his solo career and tied the knot with Judith Niyonizera last year, singer Safi Niyibikora, who prefers to call himself Safi Madiba, has been a subject of endless stories in the local media lately.

If it is not about his music and parting ways with Urban Boys, it is about his Canada-based wife, with some local online outlets focusing on her past and alleged lifestyle.

The singer, however, could not take it anymore, deciding to drag one of the local websites ‘Touch Rwanda’ to Rwanda Media Commission (RMC) over what he termed as consistent defamation and invasion of privacy. 

In a series of articles, the website focused on Safi and his wife, alleging that she defrauds men in Canada to buy the singer gifts, but the article that angered Safi most alleged that his wife does odd jobs and prostitutes herself to men in the North American country.

After lengthy deliberations, RMC concluded that the local showbiz website had exhibited  unprofessional conduct after it found that the website never made any effort to verify the claims which they reportedly got from a 3rd party, neither did it give the singer or his wife the right to reply thereafter.

The hearing, which took place on Tuesday at RMC’s headquarters, was attended by Safi and his spokesperson, Jean d’ Amour Kwizera.

"As an artiste, I feel my name has been tarnished repeatedly by the website. I earn from my name. Their attempts to tarnish my name amount to defamation,” the singer told the RMC Ethics Committee. 

Safi accused the news website of insulting him publicly, defamation, publishing lies about him, invading his privacy and failing to give him or his wife a right to reply over particularly an article published on July 11.

During the hearing of the case, filed on July 12, Safi said a journalist, identified as Frank Iradukunda, wrote an article on the life of his wife, Canada-based Judith Niyonizera, alleging that she is a prostitute. 

The article also alleged that she does petty jobs, including cleaning houses with a certain company, but the singer said that his wife has never worked for the said company and provided proof of her current employment.

Safi said the website did not make effort to verify the claims before publishing them. He also denied having received a message from the journalist seeking a comment.

When asked why he did not give Safi or his wife a chance to give their side of the story, Iradukunda said he tried to reach Safi’s wife in vain. On the right to reply, he said he felt it was not necessary because he had his facts but RMC’s Ethics Committee faulted him for flouting professional ethics.

He also claimed that the article was not focusing on Safi but his wife.

Iradukunda insisted the details he received from the people who know Safi’s wife in Canada well were enough to publish the story but RMC commissioners rejected his argument. 

"How far did you go to verify these claims? What if it was someone seeking to tarnish her name?” asked LilianeUwineza, one of the commissioners.

The Ethics Committee, composed of Rev. Jean Pierre Uwimana, Edmund Kagire and Liliane Uwineza, was not convinced by the journalist’s responses, stating that he should have pointed out that he failed to reach Niyonizera in the story, a mistake also admitted by the journalist.

Part of article 6 of the media self-regulatory body’s Code of Deontological Ethics, states that, "a journalist shall respect human dignity and privacy. The broadcasting or publication of any information related to private life shall only be dictated by public interest”.

The ethics committee also pointed out that the website failed to balance the story, contrary to article 14 which states that, "a journalist shall be mindful of balance in the broadcasting or publication of information in line with fundamental regulations”.

Given that the journalist failed to prove he had tried to contact Safi Madiba or his wife before publishing the article, he was found guilty of flouting the ethical standards.

The committee said the journalist had no reason to rush and publish the article before he got a comment from all concerned parties.

After deliberations, the ethics committee ruled that the journalist, Iradukunda, be suspended until he gets the RMC accreditation card.

The committee also issued a warning against the publication which has on several occasions been on the spot over publishing controversial articles. The website was also asked to get accreditation cards for all of its journalists who do not have them. 

Touch Rwanda was also ordered to apologise to Safi through an official letter, pull down the story and post a public apology on their website within 24 hours of the ruling.

Safi and Niyonizera tied the knot in October last year, just weeks after he announced his departure from Urban Boys group. 

editorial@newtimes.co.rw