Dr Anushka Reddy
As an avid supporter of the AmaBhungane philosophy which was set up to develop best practice in the field of investigative journalism, by producing investigative stories that were accurate and fair, and to expose wrongdoing and empower people to hold power to account, I am utterly disgusted by the opinion piece penned by the founder Sam Sole and associates.
Investigative journalism needs concrete proof and evidence and the article written by Sole lacks all of it. The absence of credible evidence casts a dodgy light on the exact intentions of Sole’s opinion piece.
I am not a politician. I am a business woman in the field of medical tourism and I had the pleasure of having the Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu inaugurate the opening of a 5-star hotel facility with a hospital which is the first of its kind in SA.
I had followed due processes and emailed the minister’s office. I received a response from her aide, Mpumzi who was intrigued with the concept and presented it to the minister who accepted my invitation.
My encounter with the minister and Mpumzi was nothing short of professional. The minister’s duty was to launch the hotel. There were no strings attached. There was no expectation to receive funding and there was no political agenda at my event, which was quite refreshing. In fact, the Sunday Times journalist in attendance commented on this.
I’m particularly aggrieved by the article because it not only attacks Sisulu in her personal capacity, it also attacks all women as being weak and incapable to stand up against men. The narrative is nauseating because in essence it is saying that women are not capable of holding high office such as the presidency because they will always be under the scrutiny and direction of a man. Whatever Sisulu’s shortcomings are, I have yet to see fingers being pointed at her for corruption which is currently the bane of South African politics.
Sam Sole, despite him trying to expose corruption and wrongdoing in society, has produced a rubbish piece of writing based on hearsay and astounding sensationalism. There was no need for him to create hype because he is a well-respected journalist.
So the question needs to be asked: why is he shining a negative spotlight on Sisulu and her team just before the upcoming election where there is a possibility for South Africa to have its very first female president?
He is a white man coming out of an apartheid era. You can take people out of apartheid, but can you really take apartheid out of people? Apartheid was a deeply entrenched patriarchal society where woman had no role in decision-making positions. Perhaps Sole is still stuck in that era and he would rather support a competitor like Dr (Zweli) Mkhize (who has brought the medical profession into disrepute with his Digital Vibes scandal!) and who is under investigation, to be a presidential candidate just because he is a man!
This form of writing where it portrays women as being weak and incapable should be viewed as a form of sexism and abuse and must not be tolerated on any level.
Sam, you made a mistake this time and you owe Lindiwe and her team, as well as all women, an apology for your gross indiscretion.
Your job is to tell the truth based on facts, not to sell your soul because you (are) trying to create headlines.
* Dr Reddy is a GP with a special interest in cosmetic dermatology and advanced aesthetics.
The Star