Department of Communications (DoC) spokesperson Wiani Ngobeni has issued a statement describing the DoC’s shock over alleged collaboration between the Sunday Times newspaper and the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party.
Ngobeni said the DoC was “flabbergasted” by allegations in the City Press yesterday of a collaboration between the Sunday Times and the DA, which the paper claimed has been confirmed by Phylicia Oppelt, editor of the Sunday Times
He called the alleged collaboration “a desperate attempt to influence the outcome of the Parliament’s Ethics and Member’s interests committee in the matter involving [communications] minister Dina Pule”.
“The Department strongly condemns the unethical conduct of the Sunday Times and its editors. We call on the South African National Editor’s Forum (SANEF) to take note of this shameful behaviour by the Sunday Times editor, who is supposed to exercise due care when dealing with matters of this nature,” said Ngobeni.
In its article titled “More twists in the Pule inquiry,” the City Press claimed to possess a document, which had been submitted to the parliament’s committee. Furthermore the City Press claims the document, which contains information supplied by the Sunday Times, was handed over by Dianne Kohler Barnard, a DA member of parliament.
“When approached by the City Press to explain this bizarre conduct by the Sunday Times, Oppelt shamelessly admitted that she authorised the submission of unsubstantiated information about Minister Pule to Kohler Barnard on the first day of the parliamentary hearings,” said Ngobeni.
Furthermore Ngobeni claims Kohler Barnard then submitted the information to the committee the same day. The City Press claims Kohler Barnard attempted to hide the source providing the information, claiming it came from an anonymous source.
“However, she was caught out and exposed that the information was from the Sunday Times because she had foolishly forgotten to delete references to the Sunday Times in the document, which then gave away the source as being the Sunday Times,” said Ngobesi.
Ngobesi then questioned the independence of the Sunday Times and its adherence to the press code. He is also of the opinion that Oppelt’s “confession raises the spectre of the dark days of apartheid.”
