ANC to probe call to burn press

ANC Nelson Mandela Bay metro chairman Nceba Faku has denied that he called for a local newspaper to be burnt down in a victory speech last week, but the party’s national leadership said it would investigate what he said once it had considered his side of the story.

Faku, who is under pressure from some within the ANC following a massive decline in support for the party in his region, said in an open letter published in Port Elizabeth’s The Herald on Tuesday that “at no time” had he said “burn down The Herald” or “imply such”, as the paper had reported.

“It can never be that I would call for actions of civil disobedience which would be unconstitutional and not in line with ANC policies,” Faku said.

“The skewed reporting of what I said could provoke individuals to commit arson, putting at risk the lives of innocent people,” he said.

However, The Mercury also reported on his speech, quoting Faku as saying: “Mayitshiswe iHerald (burn, Herald, burn); passop (beware), Herald, passop.”

Faku has since charged that The Herald’s reporting was “intentionally mischievous”, saying that it was “an example of irresponsible journalism”.

The ANC in the Eastern Cape has reportedly summoned Faku to a meeting this week to explain what he said.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said

: “We as the ANC said to Nceba, ‘explain yourself so that we can get the facts’ … nobody in the ANC will ever be allowed to announce the destruction of property.” - Political Bureau