Independent Media investigations editor Piet Rampedi says the Presidency is not disputing the accuracy of the information that has been leaked to the media but rather whether it was obtained lawfully or not. He says what is reported on in Sunday Independent’s story on how funds were channelled to the CR17 campaign is factual.
In the report, information and names of people who donated money to Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign for African National Congress presidency are laid bare. On Saturday night, just hours before the Sunday newspapers could hit the stands, the Presidency said it had information that the President’s confidential banking information had been leaked to the media. Rampedi says he will use the principle of confidentiality in journalism to justify his decision not to protect his sources.
“If you read that story you’ll see that the second paragraph, it says according to bank statements we’ve seen as the Sunday Independent and other records so that in itself should tell you that we have seen the bank statements, the records, the leaked emails but also what is of particular interest if you read the statement by the presidency nowhere in that statement are they saying that we are fabricating information or what we are writing doesn’t exist. They are just saying that they are concerned about how that information found its way to the media.”
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa’s urgent judicial review application of the Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s Bosasa report will be heard in the High Court in Pretoria on Monday. A suggestion that donors to the CR17 campaign for the African National Congress presidency join the court as friends has come to the fore.
At the same time the ANC which has been in support of Ramaphosa wants the legal process to be concluded speedily. The party’s national spokesperson Pule Mabe says they want the President to focus on turning the economy around.
“We are concerned; we want to make sure that our President places his energy and focus on turning around the economy. We are looking at these developments with concern of course. It is in our interest that these things are addressed with the necessary speed so that we could all return and put our attention where it matters the most which is to lead the people of South Africa.”
