The SA National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has called on minerals and energy minister Gwede Mantashe to verify under oath whether he bribed journalists to bury a story.
This after Mantashe on Tuesday denied bribing Sunday World journalists to destroy a story about an alleged extra-marital affair.
In a story published by the newspaper at the weekend, Mantashe was quoted as saying he paid two journalists a total of R70,000.
“It is unacceptable to us that any South African, and especially a sitting cabinet minister, would bribe journalists to quash a story about them.
“We eagerly await the truth to emerge and Sanef believes that it is imperative that you verify — under oath — which version of events is, in fact, correct and why you have made two contradictory statements,” Sanef’s executive director, Kate Skinner, said in an open letter to Mantashe on Tuesday.