INDEPENDENT Media has dismissed as drivel a string of allegations Premier Helen Zille has levelled at the Cape Times, including that the paper had violated a Press Council ruling.
In a statement released on Monday, Zille claimed the newspaper had repeatedly violated the Press Code.
According to Independent Media’s chief of staff, Zenariah Barends, this was untrue since the Press Ombudsman had dismissed the overall majority of complaints against the paper.
While Zille also alleged the paper had run a smear campaign against her, Barends said it was in fact Zille who wanted to see the paper fail and it was she who had levelled a campaign against the Cape Times and Independent Media.
In her statement, Zille alleged the paper had violated a Press Council ruling as it failed to publish an apology in accordance with a Press Council Appeals Panel decision in her favour at the end of June.
But in a Press Council of South Africa statement, director Joe Thloloe said it was still handling the matter and that the Cape Times had not violated the ruling.
“We are, however, concerned that this serious matter is now being used for dubious political mileage,” Thloloe said on Monday.
Yesterday, Zille attacked Thloloe and accused him of breaching the rules governing the Press Council’s mandate “in an unauthorised and unlawful manner.”
Barends said: “This is yet again proof of how Zille responds when confronted with the facts.”
Zille’s campaign has included an attack on Cape Times editor Aneez Salie as well as a directive in March 2015 that provincial government departments cease their subscription of the paper.
This was followed by an outcry from various quarters, including the Right2Know Campaign and the SA National Editors Forum, who had slammed her instruction as appalling.
“Her campaign against the Cape Times had been mainly due to her unhappiness that the paper no longer gave the DA preferential coverage.
“In addition, we are aware that there was active opposition to the sale of Independent Media from within the DA prior to it being finalised as they feared they would lose the Cape Times as a key platform for their political objectives.
“This campaign, in fact, has never ceased,” said Barends.