Adv Madonsela - why use the media to communicate with the President of the RSA?
12 October 2016
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has noted the current exchange of words between outgoing Public Protector Adv Thuli Madonsela and the ANC President Comrade Jacob Zuma.
Whilst we acknowledge an open door policy of His Excellency, JG Zuma in his capacity as the President of the Republic, we are disgusted by Adv Madonsela’s overzealousness.
Her term office has been characterized by efforts aimed at manipulating the media using the president as a tool. Unsuspecting journalists and media houses have elevated her into a national drama queen, a status which will come to an end on the 15th October 2016.
As the ANCYL, we are not surprised by Adv Madonsela’s relentless and last attempts to hog media headlines. We are utterly disgusted that, instead of communicating privately with the President, she has brazenly issued media statements and leaked information to journalists. This behaviour cannot go unchallenged.
Whilst we understand that the Presidency has been forced to issue media statements in response to Adv Madonsela, we call for maximum restraint. We say this because, as the ANCYL we understand that the “outgoing” public protector suffers from low self-esteem. Her confidence is only boosted when she sees herself vandalizing the name of the president on tv and in various media platforms.Adv Madonsela, it will cost you nothing to honor the President's reasonable and sound request to allow his legal team to interrogate witnesses who gave evidence on the ill-conceived “State Capture” investigation. What are you hiding?
It is our considered view that the Public Protector has wasted taxpayers money by continuously Twitting and leaking information to the media about her interaction with the President. The conduct of communications officials in the office of the Public Protector requires scrutiny. We believe that these officials have been part of a propaganda machinery aimed at tarnishing the image of the president and ANC led government as part of a regime change agenda.
We will be using Access to Information Act to force the newly appointed Public Protector to immediately make available details of telephone calls of the outgoing public protector. We are convinced that the public at large will be shocked to discover that outgoing public protector has been communicating and meeting with shady characters as part of efforts aimed at toppling the president of the republic.
In addition, we will never forget selective reporting in the media. We wonder why the media has deemed it fit not to report the blunder committed by Adv Madonsela when an innocent person was used by her office during a disciplinary case of Acting COO of the SABC. This person disputed information that was used by the public protector and pointed out in a sworn affidavit that she had never met the public protector or anybody from that office on the matter that she was investigating.
In conclusion, we have been reliable informed that the erratic Adv Madonsela and has instructed her communications officials to develop a media strategy aimed at ensuring “her grand” exit. It is for these reasons that her office is fabricating information to finalize a state capture report.
The ANCYL cannot wait for 15 October 2016, bang or no bang.
Issued by Mlondi Mkhize, National Spokesperson, ANCYL, 12 October 2016
