ANCWL STATEMENT ON ALLEGATIONS OF PLOTS TO OUTS PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA
9 September 2018
The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is not surprised by the false story in Sunday Times by Qaanitah Hunter and Jeff Wicks, claiming that there are plans to outs the African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The ANC lists conferences and 2019 elections are approaching and journalists like Qaanitah and Jeff who have abandoned their code of ethics in journalism will intensify their malicious false stories aimed at dividing and discrediting the ANC. It is also not surprising that Qaanitah is part of such lies. It seems she always believes figment of her imagination and she is becoming an embodiment of gutter journalism. She once lied about the interview she conducted with both President of ANCWL Cde Bathabile and Secretary General of ANCWL Cde Meokgo during the ANC National Policy Conference.
We support freedom of media and believes that journalists must be independent voices, however we will not be silent when Qaanitah and Jeff peddles lies that there are plans to outs President Ramaphosa and portrays former President Jacob Zuma as an enemy that should be alienated by members of the organization. It might not be far from the truth that Qaanitah and Jeff are advancing interests of local or international forces that seeks to projects the ANC as unstable organization and by extension the government being unstable.
One of the core principles of journalism is truth. Qaanitah and Jeff must also embrace and adhere to ethics of journalism that are based on professional conduct, morality and the truth. The ANCWL will defend the unity and intergrity of the ANC and will not be apologetic in condeming lies by journalists likes Qaanitah and Jeff who are hell bent in peddling false narrative aimed at dividing the ANC.
No amount of false reporting by Qaanitah and Jeff or any journalist will succeed in diverting the ANCWL from ensuring that the ANC leadership collective under President Ramaphosa tackles challenges within and outside that movement and makes the ANC an even more effective instrument of liberation in the hands of the people.
We will always be in the forefront of ensuring that there is unity of purpose in the movement and no malicious divisive reports by Qaanitah and Jeff will deter us. The President of the ANC cde Cyril Ramaphosa and the elected ANC national leadership remains united and busy implementing the resolutions of the 54th national conference. The ANCWL will ensure that there is speedy implementation of radical socio-economic transformation to address the inequalities, unemployment and poverty in the country.
The ANCWL under the leadership of President Cde Bathabile Dlamini and her collective unreservedly supports the ANC leadership collective under President Cyril Ramaphosa elected at the 54th national conference held in December 2017 at Nasrec. There is no truth in the story of Qaanitah and Jeff that there are plans to outs President Ramaphosa.
Statement issued by Meokgo Matuba, ANCWL Secretary General, 9 September 2018
