ActionSA has demanded a retraction and apology from journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh for his deliberate misrepresentation of our statement released yesterday regarding allegations of impropriety levelled against Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, whose suspension we called for pending the outcome of investigations into serious allegations of criminal and unethical conduct.
During an interview on Radio 702 this afternoon, at approximately 12:30, Myburgh falsely claimed that ActionSA had definitively alleged bribery as a fact with respect to the allegations that Minister Macpherson orchestrated a smear campaign against the CEO of the Independent Development Trust (IDT) and allegedly bribed a journalist to assist in the scheme.
Myburgh’s explicit assertion that “ActionSA has now jumped on the bandwagon, claiming that a journalist was bribed…” is a blatant falsehood and creates the misleading impression that ActionSA has definitively alleged bribery as fact when in reality our statement explicitly avoids such.
In fact, ActionSA’s statement goes as far as explicitly qualifying that the allegations are “if proven true” and referring to them as “explosive claims” and using the phrase “it is alleged”. These deliberate references make it abundantly clear to anyone who has actually read the statement that these are not claims originating from ActionSA, nor are we ascribing any validity to them.
Furthermore, paragraph 4 of our statement unambiguously argues that we believe it is the responsibility of the competent authorities, with whom the relevant complaints have been filed, to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation. It is therefore evident that ActionSA has not passed judgment on the validity of the claims but has instead emphasised the need for due process.
Furthermore, at 10:19 last night, Myburgh requested to discuss the statement. We responded courteously, inviting him to reach out via text. However, in the morning, he rather bullyingly indicated that he would be discussing this matter on radio, falsely claiming ActionSA was allegedly “sowing misinformation”. Despite this, he was met with a polite response reiterating that he has a direct line and is more than welcome to reach out to communicate on the matter.
It is particularly troubling that Myburgh further asked for the similar opportunity to engage ActionSA President Herman Mashaba, who then correctly and politely suggested that he should engage the actual author of the statement, who was not President Mashaba but ActionSA MP, Malebo Kobe.
In a similarly distasteful and bullish manner, he responded to President Mashaba in the exact same fashion, revealing himself to actually be unwilling to follow through on his own request and engage with ActionSA as we invited him to do.
Shockingly, Myburgh later went on his scheduled interview to not only misrepresent our communications but also direct unfair and disingenuous commentary about President Mashaba, who had not authored the statement as it was a Parliamentary communication.
ActionSA is proud of our record in holding the government to account. We have consistently held every Minister in the GNU to the same standard and treated them no differently, responding to and addressing public disclosures of allegations of impropriety in a consistent manner, as demonstrated in the cases of Ministers Simelane, Ntshavheni, and now Macpherson.
ActionSA has further gone to great lengths to ensure that we are always accessible, honest, and transparent when engaging with the media. It is a principle central to our commitment to always respecting the role of the media and playing our part, and we will continue to do so.
We have always ensured that our communications are clearly communicated and that we are available to any media who wish to seek further clarification from us. As such, we take exception to any instance of misrepresentation against our position, especially in a manner as deliberate and false as was done by Myburgh, who had the opportunity to clarify whatever was unclear to him upon reading our statement.
Our call for Minister Macpherson’s suspension pending an investigation into serious allegations mirrors the calls for accountability that opposition parties, including the ANC’s partner, the DA, have always made. But it is now deeply troubling to witness the hypocrisy and selective outrage in this situation.
ActionSA is committed to holding the government accountable and will continue to do so to ensure that every cabinet minister is held to the same ethical standard, where they are beyond reproach and held accountable for their actions.
ActionSA Denounces False Misrepresentation of Our Communications
ActionSA has demanded a retraction and apology from journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh for his deliberate misrepresentation of our statement released yesterday regarding allegations of impropriety levelled against Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, whose suspension we called for pending the outcome of investigations into serious allegations of criminal and unethical conduct.
During an interview on Radio 702 this afternoon, at approximately 12:30, Myburgh falsely claimed that ActionSA had definitively alleged bribery as a fact with respect to the allegations that Minister Macpherson orchestrated a smear campaign against the CEO of the Independent Development Trust (IDT) and allegedly bribed a journalist to assist in the scheme.
Myburgh’s explicit assertion that “ActionSA has now jumped on the bandwagon, claiming that a journalist was bribed…” is a blatant falsehood and creates the misleading impression that ActionSA has definitively alleged bribery as fact when in reality our statement explicitly avoids such.
In fact, ActionSA’s statement goes as far as explicitly qualifying that the allegations are “if proven true” and referring to them as “explosive claims” and using the phrase “it is alleged”. These deliberate references make it abundantly clear to anyone who has actually read the statement that these are not claims originating from ActionSA, nor are we ascribing any validity to them.
Furthermore, paragraph 4 of our statement unambiguously argues that we believe it is the responsibility of the competent authorities, with whom the relevant complaints have been filed, to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation. It is therefore evident that ActionSA has not passed judgment on the validity of the claims but has instead emphasised the need for due process.
Furthermore, at 10:19 last night, Myburgh requested to discuss the statement. We responded courteously, inviting him to reach out via text. However, in the morning, he rather bullyingly indicated that he would be discussing this matter on radio, falsely claiming ActionSA was allegedly “sowing misinformation”. Despite this, he was met with a polite response reiterating that he has a direct line and is more than welcome to reach out to communicate on the matter.
It is particularly troubling that Myburgh further asked for the similar opportunity to engage ActionSA President Herman Mashaba, who then correctly and politely suggested that he should engage the actual author of the statement, who was not President Mashaba but ActionSA MP, Malebo Kobe.
In a similarly distasteful and bullish manner, he responded to President Mashaba in the exact same fashion, revealing himself to actually be unwilling to follow through on his own request and engage with ActionSA as we invited him to do.
Shockingly, Myburgh later went on his scheduled interview to not only misrepresent our communications but also direct unfair and disingenuous commentary about President Mashaba, who had not authored the statement as it was a Parliamentary communication.
ActionSA is proud of our record in holding the government to account. We have consistently held every Minister in the GNU to the same standard and treated them no differently, responding to and addressing public disclosures of allegations of impropriety in a consistent manner, as demonstrated in the cases of Ministers Simelane, Ntshavheni, and now Macpherson.
ActionSA has further gone to great lengths to ensure that we are always accessible, honest, and transparent when engaging with the media. It is a principle central to our commitment to always respecting the role of the media and playing our part, and we will continue to do so.
We have always ensured that our communications are clearly communicated and that we are available to any media who wish to seek further clarification from us. As such, we take exception to any instance of misrepresentation against our position, especially in a manner as deliberate and false as was done by Myburgh, who had the opportunity to clarify whatever was unclear to him upon reading our statement.
Our call for Minister Macpherson’s suspension pending an investigation into serious allegations mirrors the calls for accountability that opposition parties, including the ANC’s partner, the DA, have always made. But it is now deeply troubling to witness the hypocrisy and selective outrage in this situation.
ActionSA is committed to holding the government accountable and will continue to do so to ensure that every cabinet minister is held to the same ethical standard, where they are beyond reproach and held accountable for their actions.