City Press would take down the Brett Murray’s controversial image, The Spear, from its website because the debate around it had become a clash.

The publication wanted to restore calm, said City Press editor-in-chief Ferial Haffajee.

She confirmed that the image, which depicts President Jacob Zuma’s genitals, would be removed from the website. “I just need a bit of time to do it,” said Haffajee.She would soon post a column about her decision on the website.

Haffajee also told Talk Radio 702 she was concerned about the personal safety of the newspaper’s vendors, and journalists, after the ANC called for a boycott of City Press last week.

Haffajee said newspapers had been set alight over the weekend and a journalist evicted from a National Union of Mineworkers conference.

She told The Times that some of her journalists had received death threats.

She had had the full support of her bosses. At no time had there been any pressure on her to remove the image because of commercial interests.Last week Zuma, the ANC and Zuma’s children took City Press and the Goodman Gallery, which had exhibited the painting as part of Murray’s exhibition Hail the Thief II, to court to have the picture and image banned – based on the president’s right to dignity.

City Press and the gallery opposed the challenge on the grounds of freedom of expression.