The African National Congress (ANC) has rejected media reports that it has plans to establish its own daily newspaper and possibly purchase the Sowetan.
”This report is incorrect,” ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said on Friday.
The party had noted the report in Friday’s edition of the Times, but had made no decisions about modalities for an ANC newspaper — nor had any ANC structure discussed the proposals referred to in the report, Duarte said.
The documents leaked to the newspaper had no standing within the organisation.
However, the ANC affirmed its right and reiterated its determination to establish its own newspaper, as agreed at the party’s Polokwane conference in December.
”The process of identifying the ANC’s approach to this matter is still under discussion within the appropriate structures of the organisation,” Duarte said.
The Times reported on Friday it had documents in its possession showing the ANC intended to get financing for its newspaper project — expected to cost about R250-million — and have the publication on the streets before next year’s elections.
It said Duarte had sent the documents to members of the communications subcommittee of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC).
In one of these, it was argued that an ”alternative voice” that ”would cover the elections from the perspective” of resolutions taken at the ANC national conference in December was needed.
Though arguing that there was a market for a new daily newspaper that would target ”the 80%-plus” of South Africans who did not read daily newspapers, the documents said the alternative would be to buy the Sowetan.
It argued that this would be made possible because the Mvelaphanda group, owned by NEC member Tokyo Sexwale, controlled 30% of Avusa — the Sowetan‘s parent company. — Sapa