Times Media rejects claims made by reporter Pearlie Joubert
Johannesburg, 1 December 2015: We reject the claims by reporter Pearlie Joubert that the former husband of the former Sunday Times editor influenced our reporting on the SARS rogue unit. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Joubert claimed in an affidavit that her friend of 26 years, Rudolf Mastenbroek, who had also previously been a source of hers, had tried to plant information about alleged improprieties committed by former SARS commissioner Ivan Pillay and SARS investigator Johan van Loggerenberg.
Mastenbroek was previously married to former editor Phylicia Oppelt.
Not only was Mastenbroek not a source for any of our stories about SARS, but the central point of our reporting - the existence of a rogue unit within SARS - has been backed up by a number of independent investigations, most recently a KPMG report.
Previously an investigation by advocate Muzi Sikhakhane also confirmed the existence of the unit. Sikhakhane's report was endorsed by Judge Kroon. Self-evidently we were not in a position to influence the outcome of these investigations.