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Myburgh confident about the veracity of the facts in book

Gangster State
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Investigative journalist Peter-Louis Myburgh says he is confident in the veracity of the facts in his book “Gangster State – Unravelling Ace Magashule’s Web of Capture”  outlines ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule’s alleged involvement in State Capture during his time as Premier of the Free State.

Magashule has said the controversy around the book will not deter him from focussing on the party’s election campaign.

His lawyers are expected to brief the media in the coming week about his legal challenge of the book.

Myburgh says he welcomes any legal challenge.

“It’s a well-researched and well-founded piece of investigative journalism, it goes through the normal legal vetting processes that we put in place when we publish; you know certainly in that sense it’s something that would stand against scrutiny in a court of law. So, if there’s an opportunity to take these issues and let them play out in a court of law, I think in terms of the public interest and its terms of further exposing and stemming corruption, it would be a certainly most welcomed development from our side.”

Meanwhile, the civil society coalition Unite Behind says freedom of speech and freedom of expression and the right to read is critical for any democracy.

Unite Behind spokesperson Zackie Achmat has criticised Exclusive Books and the V&A Waterfront for cancelling the Cape Town launch of the book last week, due to safety concerns.

The Johannesburg launch was earlier disrupted by a group of protestors who also tore pages from the book.

Achmat says that is why they will have a people’s launch of the book on Monday afternoon outside the Slave Lodge in Cape Town.

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