The African National Congress is demanding a public apology from the City Press newspaper following what the party calls “false” reporting of its campaigning in Ulundi, KwaZulu-Natal, at the weekend.
In a statement on Monday, the ANC’s communications department in the province said the newspaper had reported that the ANC campaign there had “ended in disarray”.
It further claimed City Press had reported Ulundi residents “were hurling abuse at the ANC leadership”.
“The ANC … condemns a false report which appeared in the City Press (written by Mr Wonder Hlongwa) yesterday [Sunday] about the Ulundi campaign.”
It was clear the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal was under attack from “certain sections of the media”.
“However, these forces — who are hell-bent on discrediting the ANC ahead of the polls — will not subvert the will of the people, who will be voting for the party [the ANC] that has a vision to take this province forward.
“The ANC demands a public apology from City Press and Hlongwa for misleading the public.
“These kinds of reports show that there are people in the media masquerading as journalists whilst pursuing their own agendas,” the statement said. — Sapa
Special Report: Elections 2004