ANCYL MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE STANCE AGAINST SANEF's ACCUSATIONS AGAINST JIMMY MANYI

The ANCYL remains resolute in its stance that SANEF has consistently committed itself to rejecting and denouncing anything positive about the ANC and Government. This has been continuously exposed by the negative reports, allegations and doomsayer approach with which the media commits itself to reporting about the ANC.

It should not be that in a country that allows one the priveledge of freedom of speech through the Constitution that an expression of truth against the media is equated to treason and should be a punishable offence. This, especially when the media is committed to false reporting and spreading of lies.

There have been numerous incidents of such attacks against the leadership of the ANC and the ANCYL. Even after having engaged with journalists and editors the desperation to sell newspapers and false news remain at the core of their agenda to advance a raw, disrespectful, inconsiderate and selfish capitalist agenda.

The ANCYL is not perturbed by the vicious attacks on Cde Jimmy, as he speaks of an untransformed media that is indebted to an apartheid regime and can never appreciate the full effect of the democracy brought by the African National Congress.

We support Cde Jimmy Manyi in his efforts to engage on a balance of truths as opposed to being a subject of the Fourth Estate, one which should forever be committed to unbiased reporting, objective truth based on fact and not personal hatred against the Government led by the ANC.

These notorious tendencies are unwelcomed and we will never allow ourselves to be slaves of media prejudice, discrimination and victimisation that remains an extension of attempted reemergence of apartheid.

We will support Cde Jimmy as we have no valued faith in SANEF and its puppets. We will strive for the hasty installation of the Media Appeals Tribunal and remain resolute that our people are not naive to the threats made by SANEF. We are aware of their cruel intent and will never become slaves to a media that is failing to attack the ANC with facts and hence relies on lies.

Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, June 22 2011

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