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ZIWAPHI • VOL 4 NO 10 • 14 - 20 May 2010

Premier David “DD” Mabuza chose his first year anniversary as the head of Mpumalanga Provincial Government to break his silence about the negative media publicity that has been dogging the province since he took over the province’s highest post last year.

Mabuza’s silence over the assassination of leading personalities and politicians had recently become a subject of public perturbation and the opposition parties also expressed their outrage at the Premier’s right to remain speechless attitude.

On Tuesday, however, Mabuza decided that enough was enough. He came face-to-face with what was probably the strongest media contingent that the province had ever witnessed.

The press conference was started by his spokesperson, Mabutho Sithole, who acknowledged the presence of some of the media institutions that were present, and given the large number of media that were attended, I cannot blame him for leaving Ziwaphi out of his acknowledgements.

While this was the biggest media contingent ever seen in a press conference in the province, with the exception of general elections, on the day, the media was outnumbered by the Premier’s entourage which included the MECs for Culture, Sports and Recreation Co-operative and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Vusi Shongwe and Norman Mokoena, respectively.

But then there was another bigger contingent of Mabuza’s loyalists, which included his most vocal supporter, SANCO’s Raymond Makamu, business people, members of the ANC’s Ehlanzeni Regional Committee, who recently called for the removal of Mbombela Executive Mayor, Lassy Chiwayo and a host of other people who were making freakish remarks against journalists.

This was clearly not just another rent-a-crowd, but everyone who was there had a purpose. Some of the business people came there just to see the Premier, others have probably intercepted the media invitation from their journalists friends.

But one young man caught my attention. At first I thought he was a journalist because he had a camera, but later I discovered that he had no note-pad or any recording device. He did not even once take a single picture of the Premier – the newsmaker, but his was taking photographs of journalists instead.

When he was not busy taking photographs of black journalists, he was cheering or laughing loudly each time the Premier made fun of the journalists.

If you were a journalist and claim that you were not intimidated, you’d be lying, or at least, you knew that Mabuza was still going deliver his killer punch!

“People were waiting for me to speak one day and respond to all the damning media articles about me as the leader of government and the ANC [African National Congress]. In the main all the reports sought to undermine me. I kept cool and exercised leadership patience,” Mabuza said.

He was clearly in control of the media conference, but he also made it a point that the media people were aware that he also was still in charge of government.

“I am in government, fully in command. I know what is happening in government and out, right or wrong. People of the province are content with the leadership of the ANC. They are aware who is the Premier. No one can explain me! I was born and bred in this province. In all spheres – in all walks of the province I am known,” he said.

After a long preamble, Mabuza moved to the main subject of the media conference, namely, why negative media articles about him.

“The problem, why me? I have contested for a chairpersonship and I have won. Probably that may have hurt people. There is this effort to paint and assassinate my person (sic),” he said without mentioning any name.

“There is quite a handful of us in the province who have positioned themselves. I am aware of those individuals. I followed them (sic). I understand what is at play. I followed the articles and the trend is that they are meant to assassinate my person as a leader. We tried to communicate the truth, but were denied the space. I have finally decided to approach the court to adjudicate so that they can finally take responsibility of what they write,” Mabuza said.

By this time the hotel room, where the media conference was held, was as silent as the grave, except for few whispers that were coming from some of Mabuza’s contingent. Some of them were flaunting half-baked smiles.

Mabuza’s bombshell, undoubtedly immobilized the journalists that were at the media conference. It became clear that some of the journalists were asking questions merely because they had attended the media conference, and this time their questions were carefully chosen to avoid further lawsuits.

One journalist asked, “Will you be suing any of the people that have been saying things about you, like the opposition?”

“No,” was his answer.

At the time, he declined to name the newspapers that would be sued, but mentioned some of the articles that were published recently by the Mail and Guardian among those he’ll be focussing on.

Almost every statement that Mabuza made was greeted with applause and giggles from his supporters, which at times drowned some of his responses.

Those who have been waiting for Mabuza to break his months and months of silence finally heard him speak, and his message? I am going to sue the media.

Mabuza was inaugurated at a ceremony that was held last year at KaNyamazane Township near Nelspruit on the 11th May 2009, after the ANC won the country’s general elections for the fourth consecutive term.

A year earlier, Mabuza had emerged as the winner to claim the position of the ANC’s Provincial Chairperson in a fiercely contested election against Mbombela Local Municipality Executive Mayor, Lassy Chiwayo. This, the Premier believes, is the reason why he is targeted in all the negative media articles against him. Chiwayo was not available for comment.

Sithole could not confirm the amount that the Premier will be suing for, or who whether he will be using state money to wage pay for the lawsuit. He did, however, give a hint that the lawsuit may be paid from government coffers.

“These things were said against him in his official capacity as the Premier,” he said.

If he wins, who will take the money? I asked.

“I guess he will sit down, and as you know that there are many poor students that he helping with their education, I guess the money will go towards their education,” said Sithole.

Mabuza’s lawyer, known as Davis Mchulu of Mchulu Inc. Attorneys, told Ziwaphi that they will be suing the Sunday Times and Sunday World for R1,2 million each for the story about the alleged disappearance of R14 million from the Premier’s farm house.

“He [Premier] is suing the Sunday Times for R10 million for the story on Josh, [an alleged Mozambican assassin who claim to be responsible for the killing of prominent politicians and business people].

The Sunday times will also be sued for R1 million for the article that alleges that the Premier’s firearm had been used in a robbery.

“The Mail and Guardian and the local newspaper, Lowvelder will receive their letters of demand soon,” Mchulu said.

Mchulu said that the Premier is suing the media in his private capacity.

Sithole distanced the Office of the Premier from the activities of the people who were making remarks against the media and said that they were not invited to the media conference, but had merely come because they may have heard that the Premier would be addressing a media conference