Embattled author William Mervin Gumede is under attack on charges that his award-winning book, Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC, contains widespread passages of work plagiarised from other authors. He told the Mail & Guardian in an interview from London this week that the allegations against him were all made anonymously, delivered in plain brown envelopes to a number of South African newspapers, and represent part of a continued campaign of ad hominem attacks against him since the publication of his book.
He again denied any allegation of plagiarism, a denial that was unequivocally echoed by his publisher, Marlene Fryer of Zebra Books, who said: “We absolutely condemn plagiarism as well as copyright violation, and do not regard William as guilty of either.”
Gumede said he acknowledged the use of an “indirect referencing” system in his book, often, for instance, referring the reader to other sources and documents of his own that contained the relevant references, rather than to the primary sources.
Mark Gevisser, one of the authors whose work is alleged to have been plagiarised by Gumede said: “Gumede’s book is an important book but, based on the evidence I have seen, it is clear that his sources have not always been properly acknowledged. I was glad to read in the Sunday Times article that his publishers are planning to correct the problems in the new edition of the book.”
The argument in respect of referencing is a specialist one, but the more pertinent case against Gumede, argue authors named as original sources of some of his material, is represented by passages in Gumede’s book that are, in localised instances, verbatim or near verbatim mirror images of their own work and, in other instances, in longer stretches that reveal a visible integration of his own work with that of others’.
Some commentators in South Africa don’t regard this as an important breach of copyright, arguing that nobody’s formulations are ever entirely original and that, even when copied directly in small chunks, the practice is insignificant. Others, such as the University of Cape Town’s Professor Stephen Watson and Nigel Penn, take a radically different view.
The issue of editorial capacity and professional standards was raised by a number of authors and journalists. In previous national literary awards, judges have been scathing of editorial standards in South Africa.
Journalist Charlene Smith attributes declining ethical standards of attribution in part to the effects of the Internet. “I think plagiarism is rampant in newsrooms across the country … the people who consistently escape criticism are the news editors, subeditors, book editors and editors. If they did their jobs more thoroughly, if they questioned more closely and if they were better read and more knowledgeable in the subjects they edited, we would not have this endless list of plagiarists emerging.”
But Fryer hits back: “While editors will always be on the lookout for stylistic inconsistencies that might suggest unreferenced use of the work of others, it is very difficult for an editor to be 100% sure that every single sentence is totally different from every single other newspaper, magazine or Internet article ever written on the subject. We see our editorial function primarily as a support to the author rather than a policing process.”
But there has now been a string of high-profile plagiarism allegations involving such authors as Pamela Jooste, Darrel Bristow-Bovey, Antjie Krog, Cynthia Vongai and now William Gumede. Some would say it is time for the publishing industry to do some navel-gazing in respect of this unhappy situation — especially because there are just weeks to go before the International Cape Town Book Fair, which is intended to be a showcase for the quality of books published in South Africa.
Charlene Smith vs William Gumede
“A reading of Mandela’s speeches and interviews shows he has consistently upbraided white SA. But because he has a ponderous speaking style, his warnings are often missed, or are softened because of his smiles and hugs.” — Charlene Smith, Saturday Star, June 20 1998
“Mandela often upbraided white South Africans, but his rebukes were softened with broad smiles and warm hugs.” — William Gumede, Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC
Mark Gevisser vs William Gumede
“Govan Mbeki’s family were Mfengu people (‘Fingos’), early converts to Christianity who benefited through their alliances with the British in the Eastern Cape. They were the avatars of Cape liberal capitalism, known by white traders as ‘The Jews of Kaffirland’, for they were educated, aggressive and unhampered by the feudal restrictions imposed by traditional hierarchies. They thrived — and soon became the enfranchised elite of the region: the first Africans there to ride horses, to farm commercially, to build four-walled houses; teachers, preachers and clerks.
“Epainette’s family, the Moeranes, are Basotho members of the elite Bafokeng clan and come from a similar background.” — Mark Gevisser, Sunday Times, May 16 1999
“Govan’s people were Mfengu, or Fingoes, early converts to Christianity, well educated and affluent. White traders called them ‘the Jews of Kaffirland’, and they produced many of the region’s elite — teachers, preachers, shopkeepers and public servants.
“Epainettes’s family, the Moeranes, are from the equally elite Bafokeng clan and of similar background.” — William Gumede, Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC