The South African Cabinet has strongly criticised the ”distasteful” media coverage around Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
Briefing the media on Thursday, the day after Cabinet’s fortnightly meeting, government spokesperson Themba Maseko said the Cabinet took a dim view of the distasteful coverage of the minister, particularly the unlawful publication and theft of her medical records from a hospital.
”While the Cabinet fully endorses free speech as articulated in our Constitution, there is a need to maintain a balance that respects and protects all rights, including the right to privacy and free speech,” he said.
”These rights must be respected and observed by all, including the media.”
The sacrosanct principle of doctor-patient confidentiality should be respected at all times, and its application could not be dependent on a person’s class, position, gender or race.
”The sensationalism that characterised these media reports was patently motivated by a highly personalised desire to demean the person of the minister of health,” Maseko said.
In this regard, Tshabalala-Msimang’s decision to take the Sunday Times newspaper to court was a legitimate way of ensuring a balance between the rights to privacy and dignity, especially their application to public figures, and the right to free speech.
Asked if the Cabinet had discussed the allegations against the health minister, Maseko replied: ”What we know about the allegations at this stage is what’s covered in the media, and the Cabinet felt it was inappropriate to discuss [such] allegations that have not been investigated properly by … government.”
Asked if such an investigation was on the cards, he referred to President Thabo Mbeki’s recent statement that as and when information was brought to his attention, he would consider it and take a decision at an ”appropriate” time.
Maseko said it was not up to the Cabinet to discuss specific allegations against a minister.
‘Not discussed’
On the allegations of theft levelled against Tshabalala-Msimang, he said: ”The story reported about the conduct of the minister in Botswana was not discussed specifically in the Cabinet meeting.”
Asked if Mbeki was aware of these allegations, he said: ”Whether the president was aware of these allegations when the minister was appointed to the post, unfortunately I can’t answer that question.”
He again stressed it was ”not the job of the Cabinet” to discuss ministerial appointments or dismissals.
”It’s a matter that would ordinarily be dealt with by the president with a particular minister, and it would not be a matter for the Cabinet as a collective to sit and discuss allegations against an individual minister.”
Maseko said the conduct of some political parties, especially the Democratic Alliance (DA), had also left much to be desired.
It was deplorable that the new parliamentary leader of the DA, Sandra Botha, had chosen media headlines over responsible leadership.
She had ”elevated rumour and gossip to fact”, and further insinuated that Mbeki had manipulated hospital staff and other professional clinicians to allow the minister to have a liver transplant.
”The allegation against the president of the country is spurious, irresponsible and the Cabinet accordingly rejects it unreservedly.”
Caution had to be exercised when criticising the head of state, he said.
”We think it is absolutely essential for South Africans to show a level of respect for the office of the head of state … If you look at the statement [by the DA], it says the Public Protector must investigate this allegation and the integrity of the office of the president was being called into question …
”There needs to be some element of caution when dealing with the office of the president. This does not suggest the president’s office is above the Constitution, but … when an allegation is made against a head of state, some caution needs to be exercised.”
Maseko said the Cabinet had also noted the misleading assertion that the government’s HIV/Aids programme was under threat and ”was driven by a single member of government”.
”We repeat, the programme will not collapse following the departure of the deputy minister of health [Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge].”
The entire government was committed to implementing the national strategic plan on HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases.
The plan was being implemented rigorously in partnership with civil society, as coordinated by the South African National Aids Council and the inter-ministerial committee under Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Maseko said.
Asked who would pay for the court case Tshabalala-Msimang is launching against the Sunday Times, he said it was being carried out in her capacity as minister and ”the state will foot the bill”.
‘Misleading and sensationalist’
Meanwhile, the Cabinet has also lamented ”misleading and sensationalist” media reports on Zimbabwe, saying it is confident agreement will be reached between the government and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
President Thabo Mbeki’s report on facilitating the Zimbabwe talks was well received at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state summit in Lusaka last week, Maseko said on Thursday.
”Contrary to misleading and sensationalist media reports, the report indicated that the facilitated talks between the government of Zimbabwe and the opposition were on track and was confident these talks will deliver an agreement that will lay the foundation for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Maseko again rejected allegations that Mbeki had blamed Zimbabwe’s problems on the British government.
”This is simply not true,” he said.
The Cabinet reaffirmed South Africa’s position that the solution to Zimbabwe’s woes would come from Zimbabweans themselves agreeing on the steps to find a lasting solution for their country.
”In this regard, the Cabinet took a dim view of the misleading and fictitious reports in some South African media, which claimed that the SADC heads of state were divided on the way forward on Zimbabwe.
”If anything, the heads of state are united in their resolve to do what is necessary to help Zimbabweans to find a lasting solution to the socio-economic and political problems,” he said. — Sapa