The Gauteng Economic Development Agency (Geda) has dismissed claims that it gave former chief executive Carl Niehaus a hero’s farewell.
Geda noted with total dismay the continued ”peddling of lies” by the Democratic Alliance’s Jack Bloom and the ”total disregard of basic journalistic tenets” by the Citizen on Monday in claiming that the agency gave Niehaus a ”lavishing and hero’s farewell”, spokesperson Barba Gaoganediwe said in a statement.
Despite a lack of any proof or supporting document to back up Bloom’s claim that the agency used taxpayers’ money to pay for Niehaus’s alleged farewell party and the ”subsequent revelation that the details Bloom is referring to were factually incorrect, the revered newspaper went ahead with the printing of a factually incorrect article giving Bloom’s nonsense credence”.
”As a matter of fact, Geda did not organise nor pay for any farewell function or lunch for Niehaus.
”On the contrary, the lunch Bloom refers to was a welcome and introduction function for then-Geda chief executive Mr Keith Khoza to the top management of the agency, with Mr Niehaus having long gone from Geda,” Gaoganediwe said. — Sapa