Editorial
Controversial journalist Jacques Pauw and the Daily Maverick were left with egg on their faces on Tuesday when it turned out that the former had fabricated allegations that he had made in an opinion piece relating to his arrest at a V&A Waterfront restaurant in Cape Town last week.
According to reports, Pauw, the author of the discredited President’s Keepers, wrote a column in the Daily Maverick accusing the restaurant of having refused to allow him alternative means to settle his R1 600 bill after his credit card bounced several times while attempting to pay.
In the report, Pauw alleged that the restaurant had called the police to arrest him while he was walking to an ATM and that they had stolen R1 000 of his cash, before detaining him overnight and charging him with theft.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Pauw changed his original version and noted that he had wrongly created the impression that the restaurant’s management or the waiter who had served him had called the police to have him arrested, while he was the one who had misbehaved and was intoxicated.
He said he had written the column after appearing in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on a charge of theft, which he said he still disputed.
According to media reports, Pauw commented: “I wrote the article because I was emotional, angry, and humiliated by the entire experience. I have since realised that there are errors in the article, after reflection and upon additional evidence. I had too much to drink in the restaurant and my memory was blurred … I misbehaved and I wish to apologise for my behaviour.
“I have also established that the police officers did not take the R1 000 in cash I had with me. I was only provided with evidence on Monday.”
Not only is Pauw a drunkard and a liar, but he has also brought the media industry into disrepute.
The fact is that Pauw, who also has damning allegations of child molestation hanging over his head, lied about his version of events and the Daily Maverick failed to practise due diligence and took his word for it.
However, one must not be surprised as white privilege in South Africa dictates that you can lie with impunity, and apologise and life goes on. If Pauw was black, the proverbial knives would have been out for him by now.