The Presidency rejects a fictitious report in the City Press newspaper of yesterday, 30 August 2015, on a dinner that is supposed to have been addressed by President Jacob Zuma in Port Elizabeth, in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality.

The City Press reported that the President attended a dinner and addressed councillors after the launch of the War on Water Leaks programme, aimed at curbing the leakage of water in communities and to promote water conservation throughout the country. The story even quotes what the President is supposed to have said at the alleged dinner.

President Zuma did not attend any dinner in Port Elizabeth. He was never scheduled to attend and address any dinner and had also not been invited to attend any dinner. The President left Port Elizabeth after the launch of the War on Water Leaks programme. By around 16h30 he was already in Pretoria.

For a newspaper to report on a non-existent event, and even directly quote the President and attribute to him words he never spoke, is a frightening indictment of City Press.
The newspaper’s editorial management must be able to distinguish between fact and fiction.

 

Issued by The Presidency