News24 reports that the body of senior radio producer Suna Venter, one of the so-called ‘SABC 8’ journalists, was discovered at her flat in Johannesburg on Thursday morning.  

Venter, 32, had recently been diagnosed with a cardiac condition known as stress cardiomyopathy or “Broken Heart Syndrome”, which could cause rapid and severe heart muscle weakness.  Her family believes this had probably been caused by trauma and prolonged periods of unnatural stress.  She was part of a group of eight SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) journalists who were fired, and seven later reinstated, for objecting to former COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s policy of no longer airing footage of violent protests.  Despite her reinstatement, she was the victim of continued intimidation, victimisation and death threats.  These acts included being shot in the face with a pellet gun, threatening messages on her phone, break-ins at her flat, the brake cables of her car being cut and her car’s tyres slashed, an abduction during which she was tied to a tree while the grass around her was set alight, and three assaults.

• Read this News24 report by Jenna Etheridge in full at BizNews
• Read too, SABC 8 journalist Suna Venter dies from 'Broken Heart Syndrome', at IOL News

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