As a young journalist, roped into court reporting to cover Jacob Zuma’s 2006 rape trial, Karyn Maughan could not have known that she would be reporting on Zuma’s legal woes for the next two decades. She would become an expert, the only journalist who covered his corruption case from the start still reporting on him – and the first journalist who herself would become his target.

In September 2022, Zuma would privately instigate an abusive prosecution against Karyn and Billy Downer, the state prosecutor in his corruption trial. Forced to sit in the dock and to endure social media vilification and traumatic threats of violence, Karyn had to travel with armed bodyguards.

This book tells the story of a respected journalist prosecuted by a former president, a first in South Africa and the world. Disarmingly honest and deeply personal, it also takes a razor sharp look at how powerful men, to avoid accountability, attack individuals, the media and the courts, undermining democracy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karyn Maughan is an award-winning journalist, documentary producer and best-selling author. She writes for News24 and is a BBC contributor. She regularly appears on local and international radio and TV stations, and has been named one of South Africa’s most influential journalists. She has over 508 000 followers on X. She lives in Johannesburg.

‘I Will Not Be Silenced’ is published by Tafelberg, an imprint of NB Publishers