A headline in conflict with the story

Today's Times newspaper article headlined, "Mbeki turns up the heat on Tsvangirai," supposedly based on the proceedings of this weekend''s SADC Summit held in Sandton, Johannesburg, obscures more than it illuminates.

Readers are left with the impression that President Thabo Mbeki is personally guilty of giving MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, an "ultimatum: sign deal or let parliament decide."

Yet, President Mbeki is guilty of handing out no such ultimatum nor is the SADC. In fact, the relevant paragraph of the Extraordinary Summit of SADC Organ on Politics Defence and Security reads:

"The ...Organ considered the political developments in ... Zimbabwe and recognised that while negotiations are continuing, it may be necessary to convene Parliament to give effect to the will of the people as expressed in the Parliamentary elections held on 29 March 2008."

Vigilant readers will note that its misleading headline notwithstanding, the body of the Times'' article does not - as the facts would not have permitted it - refer to President Mbeki as either sponsor or owner of the resolution.

This raises a number of questions, amongst them, professional and ethical literacy, newsroom power relations between journalists who write the articles and sub-editors who provide the headlines and, above all, the political assumptions that congeal to produce such an obviously misleading headline!

Statement issued by The Presidency, Union Buildings , Tshwane, August 18 2008