Press Council orders apology to Limpopo Premier by City Press

© Maksim Kabakou – 123RF.com

In a report, the newspaper had alleged that Premier Stanley Mathabatha had been sitting with a report that could have led to criminal charges against some senior government officials.

The article said Mathabatha spent the past two years “sitting on recommendations by provincial Treasury to act against officials fingered in a multimillion rand corruption tender awarded by the Department of Health under his close ally, MEC Phophi Ramathuba”.

The Limpopo Provincial Government took the matter to the Press Ombudsman. A ruling was made on 25 September 2018 ordering City Press to write an apology and a retraction.

“The media must report objectively and in a balanced manner. Public servants are parents and members of the community. Mistakes may happen during execution of their responsibilities.

“As a government of the people, we expect the media to report unbiased, accurate and factual [reports] about the work carried out by public servants, including political leadership.

“We knew that the article was malevolent and tainted the image of Premier Mathabatha as well as his administration.

“Claiming that Mathabatha’s administration is corrupt without facts was out of order. Our stand on corruption is well-known and documented. As the provincial government, we feel vindicated because the story was reckless and unfounded,” the Limpopo Provincial Government said in a statement.