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The Democratic Alliance (DA) unreservedly withdraws remarks made in the National Assembly yesterday to the effect that Communications Minister, Siphiwe Nyanda has appointed disgraced former-mayor of Msunduzi Municipality (Pietermaritzburg), Ms Zanele Hlatshwayo, to the new Board of the national signal distributor, Sentech.

We had it on good authority from a number of reputable sources, that the former-mayor, who was fired from the municipality's executive committee by the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, had been redeployed by the governing party as a Director on the Sentech Board. It has now emerged that the Zanele Hlatshwayo who now sits on the Board is not the former-mayor of Msunduzi and only bears the same name.

I was given the information by a number of sources, including a reputable KwaZulu-Natal newspaper and, believing it to be of importance, criticised the decision.

I have written to Ms Hlatshwayo to apologise for the misidentification and any consequent offence or distress which may have been caused by the accusations levelled at her.