Pretoria - Government has urged the media to be responsible and abide by the rule of law when performing their duties during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
This follows reports that a South African journalist has been temporarily detained by the South African Police Service (SAPS) for interfering in a police investigation at a crime scene.
The journalist was covering a story on three foreign journalists, who were robbed of their belongings while sleeping at a lodge in Magaliesburg, early on Wednesday.
The foreign journalists from Portugal and Spain are in South Africa to cover the World Cup tournament.
Government spokesperson Themba Maseko said government appreciates that the story was of interest to the media, but appealed for responsibility and patience from the media.
He said police were working to ascertain the facts of the crime and the perpetrators would be brought to book.
"Systems are in place to deal with this, including activating 24-hour World Cup-specific courts," Maseko said.
He further noted that requests by media to accompany security forces on operational activities or visit any operational or control rooms during the World Cup would not be granted.
"Information will be made available to the media upon finalisation of the investigation," said Maseko
