THE Mail & Guardian newspaper is considering legal action against the African National Congress in response to the ANC’s submission to the Human Rights Commission on racism in the media. Minister of Public Enterprises, Jeff Radebe, delivering the ANC’s submission on Wednesday, said that M&G editor Phillip van Niekerk himself wrote an article critical of Thabo Mbeki, then-Deputy President, and caused it to be published in the M&G edition of March 27 to April 2 1998 under the name of Lizeka Mda, at the time a full-time employee of the newspaper. Moreover, Radebe alleged that Van Niekerk’s motivation for doing so was to attempt to disguise anti-black racist sentiments by having them published under a black person’s byline. ”This is, in every respect, a gross, defamatory lie…it also carries the implication that Lizeka Mda – as a black woman journalist and now a senior editor on The Star – was not capable of expressing her own opinions and was prepared to be crudely manipulated by her editor,” the M&G said in a statement. The M&G said, furthermore, that the ANC and Radebe should withdraw the allegation and issue an unconditional retraction and full apology to Van Niekerk.