Sunday Times continues to advance 'gutter journalism'

The Sunday Times again continues to advance with remorseless regularity its branch of “gutter journalism”. This newspaper has over the years re-established itself as a Sunday tabloid. The story it ran on August 3 2008 about the bribe of R30-million alleged to have been paid to Thabo Mbeki is important, but the sensationalism of these serious allegations is unacceptable.

The Sunday Times’s investigative reporter failed to address very important questions; perhaps he was pressed for time to break this story prior to Jacob Zuma’s much-anticipated appearance before the courts on August 4. There are serious questions that require answers in order to provide some validity to such damning allegations against a sitting president of the republic.

If indeed Mbeki did receive a R30-million bribe from the Germans and gave Zuma R2-million, then any reasonable person would have expected the president to have protected Zuma from prosecution. It then defies any logic why the president would have dismissed his deputy if both were indeed corrupt.

If indeed the ANC received R28-million, I fail to understand why it would launch its own investigation into the arms deal, which would implicate the party in a corruption scandal. Either the ANC is led by idiots driven only by their absurd desire to see Zuma become president of the country or it wants to remain true to the notion that “injury to one, is injury to all”, which would be laughable.

The Sunday Times report reads as though it is based on corridor intelligence and testimony of faceless individuals, and does nothing but entrench the absurd perceptions and belief that the case against Zuma is political. There is nothing of substance in the report, nor does it provide any damning evidence against Mbeki.

It is important that those who allege wrongdoing on part of the president provide the authorities with evidence in order for him to face the full wrath of the law. Unsubstantiated allegations and insinuations against the sitting president of the republic are reckless and dangerous!