Press Ombudsman Mr Johan Retief today ruled that the Sunday Times has to retract and correct its report that had alleged that former Eskom Group Chief Executive Brian Molefe had “claimed that he had been visiting a shebeen in Saxonwold.”

The Press Ombudsman found that the Sunday Times had breached the SA Code of Ethics and Conduct which requires the media to report news truthfully, accurately and fairly. The Ombudsman rated the breach as a “Tier 2 offence”, which constitutes a serious breach of the Code of Ethics and Conduct.

“If the Sunday Times said Molefe “implied that he had visited the Saxonwold shebeen,” or even that he had “hinted that he might have gone to the place”, I might have decided that the reportage was justified. What was reported, though, was that Molefe “claimed” that he had been visiting a shebeen – which he never did,” said Mr Retief.

Eskom’s Interim Group Chief Executive Matshela Koko welcomed the Press Ombudsman’s ruling, adding that: “The Press Ombudsman’s ruling is in line with our fervent calls for fair, accurate and truthful reporting. We hope this ruling will be a reminder to all media practitioners to report in a way that does not deviate from these central tenets of journalism.”

The full ruling of the Press Ombudsman is attached for ease of reference.

Issued by Eskom