/ 19 February 2010

Corrections and clarifications: 2010

November 19
We reported last week (Premiers in firing line) that ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe wrote to the secretary of the provincial legislature revising the North West province electoral list, and that Thandi Modise, Magome Masike and Patrick Chauke top the new list. We did not make it clear that the three top the list of changes Mantashe sent to the legislature, rather than topping the full provincial list. As our story suggested, this means that those named in Mantashe’s letter are first in line to fill vacancies that may emerge in the provincial legislature or cabinet following resignations or a reshuffle, which indeed took place on Thursday.

Last week we reported on proposals aimed at preventing public officials from serving on the board of the SABC (SABC control: row rages on). The report described board member Desmond Golding as economic adviser to Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu Nkabinde. In fact he was an adviser to her predecessor, Geoff Doidge, who was removed as public works minister by President Jacob Zuma on October 30. Golding has not held a government job since then.

June 7
In his article, Homosexuality and the Battle for African Souls, Mark Gevisser describes Joseph Massad as a “gay Arab-American.” Prof Massad is not gay, and is Palestinian.

February 19
In last week’s newspaper article “Fisheries in a flap” (February 12 to 18), it was incorrectly reported that the transfer of part of South Africa’s fisheries to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Department did not include fishing permits. The transfer included fishing permits, but excluded the Coastal Management Act as well as the operation of conservation vessels.

February 26
In an article headed The truth about Mossad, the Guardian said that Sylvia Raphael, a Mossad agent, spent five years in prison in Norway, when actually that was roughly her sentence; she served about a year. We also misspelled the education correspondent of the newspaper Haaretz as Ofer Kasti. That should have been Or Kashti.

March 23
In our article The New Nepad, published on March 19 2010, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki stated in response to a question about criticisms about Nepad that “these criticisms were true, but they were due to two main reasons”. Dr Mayaki has requested that this statement be clarified to read that “I think these criticisms could be understood in the light of the following reasons”.