President Thabo Mbeki has accused sections of the South African press of sacrificing the truth in order to "advance particular political agendas".

Writing in the African National Congress' online publication "ANC Today" Mbeki said during the ANC's recent imbizo to the Western Cape it had been reported that the party had been "grilled" over certain issues.

"Perhaps because they do not quite understand the nature of the interaction between the government and the masses of our people, sections of the press reported that we were 'grilled' during these interactions," he said.

He said people who attended the imbizo spoke openly about their concerns and made proposals about what the government should do.

"In all the interactions we had with the population of the Western Cape, the resounding message from the people and the spirit they conveyed, was one of working together with government in a people's contract to push back the frontiers of poverty and build a better life for all".

He accused the media of focusing on a few negative comments and ignoring the mostly positive feedback.

At the imbizo in Worcester, an Aids activist said that while he was happy with the government's HIV programmes he thought there could be some improvements.

"All this was reported by sections of the media as "grilling", to implant the notion in the public mind that the people have a negative attitude towards the government," Mbeki said.

Journalists who attended the various events of the Western Cape imbizo witnessed the great warmth and enthusiasm with which the government representatives were received, he said.

Questions were never raised about controversy surrounding Deputy President Jacob Zuma, but during a radio show the SABC claimed that because "many people" were interested, they would pose a question on the issue.

"This was despite the fact that nobody anywhere had raised this question, as we visited various parts of the province".

The majority of South Africans depended on the media to inform them about events locally and abroad, but the reality was that some sections of the industry were preoccupied with advancing particular political agendas.

"For this reason they are quite happy to sacrifice or corrupt the truth, to create the space for themselves to pursue their partisan objectives". – Sapa.