The African National Congress (ANC) has expressed disquiet at rumours reflected in a documentary on President Thabo Mbeki linking him to the 1993 assassination of South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani.
”The suggestions, made without any reference to any evidence in any form, are deeply hurtful and patently irresponsible,” the ANC said in a statement on Thursday.
”The ANC will resist any attempts to create suspicion among its leaders or doubt within its ranks.”
Rumours about a link between Mbeki and Hani’s murder are reflected in a documentary on the president by Broad Daylight Films.
The film was screened in Johannesburg on Wednesday night. This followed after the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) decided not to broadcast the documentary on public television.
ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama told the South African Press Association (Sapa) that the ANC had not seen the documentary. The party was reacting to media reports about the film, he said.
Earlier in the day, the producers denied being the source of the suggestion of a link between Mbeki and Hani’s murder.
Broad Daylight Films said the film merely reported that fact that there had been a formal investigation into an alleged plot against Mbeki in 2001.
”The alleged plotters, [senior ANC figures] Tokyo Sexwale, Mathews Phosa and Cyril Ramaphosa were said to have spread a rumour linking Mbeki to the Hani assassination.”
The suggestion about a link did not come from Broad Daylight Films, the producers said.
”In fact, film maker Redi Direko appears in the film debunking the rumour, saying: ‘I don’t believe it’,” said the producers.
They added: ”Two other commentators in the film state that the whole thing was unbelievable and was merely a sign of paranoia.”
The screening of the documentary on Wednesday, titled Unauthorised: Thabo Mbeki, was attended by about 200 invited guests at the Mail & Guardian’s Critical Thinking Forum in Johannesburg.
In a panel discussion afterwards opinions were divided as to whether or not it was possible to defame a sitting president.
The fact that the 24-minute documentary reflected the rumours about Hani’s assassination prompted the SABC not to screen the film, SABC content enterprise executive Mvuso Mbebe said at the event.
Lawyers had noted there were ”serious issues” of defamation, and the SABC editorial team had expressed reservations about the film, Mbebe said.
Presidential spokesperson Mukoni Ratshitanga told Sapa earlier on Thursday the Presidency could not comment on the issue.
However, it would ask for a copy of the film so it could be studied.
”These are reports based on people who have watched the documentary … Until we ourselves have watched it, we cannot make a comment,” he said.
For the same reason, Ratshitanga also declined to comment on whether it was possible the film defamed the president.
The Presidency would ”assess” the matter on Thursday, and request a copy of the film, he said. — Sapa