S. Africa Expels Photographer for U.S. Newspaper

An American newspaper photographer was ordered to leave the country within 10 days, the government said Friday.

The Home Affairs Department said David Turnley, a staff photographer for the Detroit Free Press, had sent “biased photo material” overseas. It did not describe the material. Turnley could not immediately be reached for comment.

Turnley, 32, has been in South Africa since August, 1985. Since the beginning of the year, with the permission of his newspaper, he has spent most of his time taking photographs for an upcoming National Geographic article about South Africa.

Gerrie Van Zyl, director general of the Home Affairs Department, said the government decided last year not to renew Turnley’s work permit but reversed the decision after a meeting with the photographer. Van Zyl said the expulsion order was issued again because Turnley had continued to send out biased photographs.

Turnley had told the government he would be transferred to France after the end of the year. He is the ninth foreign journalist based in South Africa to be ordered out of the country since a state of emergency was declared in June, 1986.