Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Statement on NDPP media briefing
STATEMENT BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA
I have been greatly shocked and disturbed by the articles in the media reporting on the secret media briefing that the National Director for Public Prosecutions is said to have had with black editors on 24 July 2003.
According to reports of the secret meeting, the National Director allegedly discussed cases he was investigating and imparted to the editors and senior journalists, in a very malicious and despicable manner, untruthful information about me. He is also reported to have spoken about other individuals, the African National Congress and its Youth League.
The briefing was clearly designed to entrench rumours and prejudice and to influence reporting and commentary on the cases. This conduct was in contravention of the confidentiality that is required in all investigations, in terms of the laws of the land. It also contravened the fundamental principle that individuals are innocent until or unless found guilty.
Some media have compared the meeting to briefings that government at various levels would have had in the past. However those briefings would have been called to provide insight into government policies and programmes and not to assassinate characters of individuals.
I have said over the last few months that the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions had treated me grossly unfairly and that I had been a victim of a well-orchestrated smear campaign through the media. I have previously raised my very serious concerns and objections to methods used to conduct the investigation and questioned the real motives of the investigation.
Therefore the question still remains as to what was and still is the real motive of the campaign against me, which now seems to be including the ANC.
If the reported discussions are accurate then we are dealing with a very serious matter because the National Director does not need to persuade the media as to the strength of his case, nor does he need to ask the media for support. He needs to convince the courts of law as our democracy subscribes to the rule of law.
This clearly cannot be allowed to continue.
Issued by: The Presidency
29 September 2003
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