Sunday Times' response to the ANC Women's League statement

The Sunday Times notes the personalised statement sent out by the ANC Women's League concerning a story published in our pages.

The Sunday Times stands by the story.  We have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the quotes as captured in the story. 

The minister was interviewed in the presence of other people‚ including other journalists who are willing to corroborate our story. 

Here are the facts:

Our journalist received a tip-off from a delegate about the presence of men in the ANC Women's League delegation.

This was confirmed by ANC leaders who were shocked to witness the male delegates.

Our reporter, Qaanitah Hunter, approached Minister Bathabile Dlamini and her delegation. 

Hunter asked to record the interview but was told to only take notes. In her notes, she captured the minister as saying: "Sometimes we lose debates because we become emotional, so now we want experts to argue."

We view the ANC Women's League statement as part of the bullying being meted out against journalists by some political players in the run-up to the ANC elective conference.

We remain committed to fair‚ accurate‚ balanced and professional reporting. No form of intimidation will make us abdicate this role.

If the minister feels aggrieved‚ she is more than welcome to approach the Press Ombudsman.