ANC attack on Beeld Editor won't make Nkandlagate questions disappear
19 August 2014
The ANC's attack on Beeld Editor, Adriaan Basson, is the latest instalment in a series of desperate attempts to duck accountability on the Nkandlagate saga. It is an equally sad bid to deflect attention from the President's hopelessly inadequate response to Parliament and the intended re-establishment of a toothless ad hoc Committee on the matter.
ANC Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa's response to Basson's editorial, titled "How to get rid of Zuma", betrays the governing party's discomfort with an editorial opinion that does not mirror the opinions of Luthuli House.
The hysterical response to Basson's opinion piece highlights the ANC's insecurity and inability to rationally explain the lavish upgrades to the President's private home. The free and independent media is a watchdog against government abuse, not a lapdog that protects to from scrutiny.
After exhausting all other delay-tactics and having run out of scapegoats and straw men, the ANC seems to think attacking freedom of expression and the media will divert the public's attention from the real questions about the R400 million Nkandla bill.