The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and Cosatu president Willy Madisha are livid with anger over City Press allegations that President Thabo Mbeki had complained to them about “Nazi propaganda” comments.
City Press reported over the weekend (27th May 2007) that Mbeki’s anger at Cosatu general- secretary Zwelinzima Vavi’s comments likening ANC and government to Nazi propaganda had emerged at a Numsa Gala Dinner on May 19, 2007in Midrand, Johannesburg.
Political Editor Sthembiso Msomi who was invited to cover the Numsa 20th Anniversary Gala Dinner claimed in his report that President Mbeki was seen complaining to Madisha and Numsa general secretary Silumko Nondwangu about what Vavi had apparently said in his Port Elizabeth Numsa public address.
It is a whacking lie to suggest that President Mbeki had ever complained to Madisha or Nondwangu about Vavi’s alleged comments. Madisha also rejected and deplored these allegations by Sthembiso as “untrue and far-fetched”.
The unquestionable proof of this lie is that S’thembiso never attended the Numsa Gala Dinner on this day in question. And, most certainly there was no City Press representative in this auspicious event. It (Numsa Gala Dinner) was held at Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park. He later explained that he could not attend because of deadline pressures.
Sthembiso errs on the right side of the Numsa individual distracters just to prove a point and to achieve their objectives of “littering and rubbishing” each and every effort by the giant metalworkers’ union Numsa to lead and influence policy and economic debates in the labour movement. And this is done anyway to paint our successful 20th anniversary celebrations with dark colours.
The allegations in the report did not add any splash of colour in the fabricated story more than taking sledgehammer to crack a nut. And why did the distinctly African media institution chose to lie unnecessarily, using the names of high-profile people presents a web of uncertainties and complexities.
S’thembiso nailed this lie by slovenly writing a pack of lies, not worrying that it would come back as a hammer blow to his high-profile career ambitions.
For the second time we registered our distress over sloppy journalism and prevarications in the report, it remains a moral certainty that the distinguished editor Mathatha Tsedu is not going to intervene and redress the problem to our satisfaction. He never responded this time last year when we encountered the same experience with his labour reporter.
For further information contact:
Mziwakhe Hlangani, Numsa national spokesperson
Cell phone: 082 9407116
E-mail : mziwakheh@numsa.org.za