Jacques Pauw Biography, Age, Wife, Wiki, Family, Partner, Children, Salary, Net Worth

Jacques Pauw Biography – Jacques Pauw Wiki

Jacques Pauw is a South African investigative journalist and author. He was the Executive Producer of the Special Assignment current affairs programme on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). He was a founder member and assistant editor of the anti-apartheid Afrikaans newspaper Vrye Weekblad. He began his television career in 1994, specializing in documentaries around the African continent.

He has received several national and international awards, including CNN’s African Journalist of the Year and the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award. In 2002, Pauw became the recipient of the ICIJ award, for his work for The Bishop of Shyogwe, a TV documentary that exposed the secret hideout of Samuel Musabyimana, an Anglican bishop wanted on genocide charges in Rwanda. In 2007 he won the Nat Nakasa Award for Media Integrity.

Pauw has authored several books, including, The President’s Keepers: Those Keeping Zuma in Power and out of Prison (2017), Rat Roads: One Man’s Incredible Journey (2012), Little Ice-Cream Boy (2009), Dances with Devils: A Journalist’s Search for Truth (2007), Into the Heart of Darkness: Confessions of Apartheid’s Assassins (1997) and In the Heart of the Whore: The Story of Apartheid’s Death Squads (1991).

Jacques Pauw Age

Jacques Pauw’s age is unclear. He hails from the city of Tshwane.

Jacques Pauw Wife

Jacques Pauw is married to his wife Sam Rogers. Pauw, together with fellow journalist and wife Sam Rogers took a break from writing about newsmakers and established their own guest house, restaurant, and bar called Red Tin Roof in Riebeeck Kasteel in the Cape Swartland.

Jacques Pauw Daily Maverick

On Friday, 12 February 2021, investigative journalist and author Jacques Pauw wrote a column published on Daily Maverick, recounting his experience at the V&A Waterfront restaurant. In the lengthy article, Pauw explained how he came to be arrested while walking to an ATM to withdraw money to settle a bill at an unnamed restaurant. He claimed he was forced to walk to the ATM to draw cash money as the R1 600 payment would not go through on his credit card.

He wrote that, while walking to the ATM, with the waiter close behind, three police officers “pounced on me, grabbed my arms and cuffed my hands tightly”. He said the officers told him he was being arrested for theft after a complaint by the restaurant. He then went on to describe the ordeal, including how the police stole R1 000 he had on him at the time. Later, he appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on charges of theft.

On 16 February 2021, Pauw issued the following statement and an apology for the events at the V&A Waterfront on 6 February 2021. The statement said:

I wish to correct the mistakes I made in a Daily Maverick column, “I was stunned and dazed when pounced on by police, arrested, jailed and charged with theft”, that appeared last Friday.

I also need to apologise for my actions when I was arrested at the V&A Waterfront on 6 February 2021. I was detained overnight and released at noon the following day on a warning.

On Monday, 8 February 2021, I appeared in the Cape Town magistrate’s court on a charge of theft. I denied this charge at the time, and still do. I maintain that my arrest and detention was unlawful.

On the Wednesday following my court appearance, I wrote a column for Daily Maverick in which I related my experience as I recalled it.

I wrote the column because I was emotional, angry, and humiliated by the entire experience.

The column was published on Friday afternoon.

Upon reflection and additional evidence provided to me, I have realised that there are errors in the column. I now wish to set the record straight.

I had too much to drink in the restaurant and my memory was blurred. The ordeal of the experience of the arrest and having to spend the night in jail compounded my emotional state.

I had a meeting with the restaurant owner and a conversation with a V&A executive this Monday. They showed and explained certain facts to me. I misbehaved and I wish to apologize for my behaviour.

The column in the Daily Maverick created the impression that either the restaurant management, or the waiter that served me, or the V&A Waterfront made a call to the police to have me arrested. It turns out this did not happen. Neither the restaurant nor the Waterfront made any such calls and played no role in my arrest.

The three policemen who arrested me were already at, or near, the venue after attending to an unrelated incident.

They enquired what was going on. In the heat of the moment, I lost my cool and I acted in an impolite manner. My own action played a role in getting me arrested and detained.

I have also now established that the police officers did not take the R1,000 in cash I had with me. I was only provided with the evidence on Monday. I apologise to the three policemen for having said this.

The restaurant owner is busy withdrawing the charge of theft against me as there is no dispute between us. The outstanding bill was paid the Sunday morning prior to my appearance at court as I explained in the column

I must therefore appeal to the public that any backlash against the V&A Waterfront and its restaurants stop. Neither the restaurant nor the V&A Waterfront played any role in my arrest and detention.

I apologise to the restaurant, the V&A Waterfront and the police.

The V&A Waterfront has done much to protect their small and medium-sized businesses – including restaurants – during Covid and subsequent lockdowns, and therefore the organisation is undeserving of the criticism and attacks levelled at them because of my column.

I feel embarrassed about my conduct. In this era of fake news, propaganda and lack of accountability, I must publicly accept responsibility for my own actions and apologise for them. It is the right thing to do.

I also apologise to Daily Maverick readers and its editor for the wrong account of events in the opinion piece.