In a front page editorial yesterday, editor Mathatha Tsedu said that when a newspaper was given information, it had to ask itself whether publication was in the public interest.
In almost all instances the giver had a cause to fight for.
Sometimes the motive was sincere public interest, but sometimes there was a personal agenda.
"I remain convinced that publication of the story with the information we had at the time would have served interests other than those of the public and exposed our newspaper to litigation," he said.
The newspaper's political reporter, Ranjeni Munusamy, was suspended two weeks ago after admitting that she passed the story on to rival City Press when the Sunday Times refused to run it.
She resigned from the Sunday Times on Friday.
Ngcuka, who has denied he was a spy, has threatened to sue City Press.
The story was based on an alleged probe into Ngcuka's activities by an African National Congress intelligence unit. On Friday, President Thabo Mbeki appointed former Supreme Court of Appeal president Joos Hefer to chair an official commission of inquiry into the claims. – Sapa.
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