Communications minister Dina Pule has for the first time publicly addressed the series of allegations that have been made against her in the media over the past 10 months, saying she is part of a "simple, yet highly sophisticated" blackmail plot.
The "blackmailers", alleges Pule, are business people after the multibillion-rand tender for set-top boxes in SA's migration to digital television. She alleges they have close ties to the Sunday Times newspaper journalists responsible for the almost weekly stories claiming corruption, mismanagement and cronyism on her part.
Pule calls the stories, which started about a week after the ICT Indaba concluded in June last year, "fabricated" and says she can no longer keep quiet - as she has "since the onslaught started".
"After careful consideration, I have now decided to reveal the real reasons behind this persistent smear campaign against me. This campaign is not and was never a genuine journalist endeavour. It was a highly sophisticated plot to blackmail me. It is all about business and political interests related to the set-top box tender and related issues."
Pule says the Sunday Times "handlers" are high profile business people and politicians who thought they could force her into a corner "by threatening to make injurious revelations or accusations against me".
Ongoing allegations
The allegations are largely centred on her relationship with businessman Phosane Mngqibisa. Pule has previously refuted claims she has been romantically involved with Mngqibisa and this morning told media he is merely a "comrade" to her.
Pule is awaiting the outcome of the public protector's probe into these allegations, while Parliament's ethics committee will soon begin an investigation into Pule's involvement with Mngqibisa, and allegations that their romantic relationship resulted in a conflict of interest with Pule's involvement in last year's ICT Indaba, leading to financial irregularities involving sponsors' money for the event.
Pule was set to face Parliament's ethics committee today, and five days were set aside to probe her involvement with Mngqibisa. Pule says she will go before the committee on 2 and 3 May. The committee is set to advocate the steps to be taken after a post-hearing report is finalised.
The Democratic Alliance has also called on the police to investigate the issue, having laid criminal charges against Pule earlier this month.
A step too far
Pule, who has held the position of communications minister for 16 months, says she decided to finally speak out, which she did at a media conference in Rosebank this morning - following a last straw article in the Sunday Times yesterday.
"They have crossed the line. The newspaper and editor have charged me and found me guilty in the court of public opinion."
She says she is shocked at how far the newspaper representatives have been willing to go. Laughing to herself, Pule summarised the Sunday Times' latest report: "Their latest article, on page five yesterday, details how my 'lover's cronies' got jobs.
"They boldly claim to have seen a paper trail to show how I bypassed treasury rules. They then go even further to put as a matter of fact that I blew R2.6 million on a recruitment deal that led to recruitment of my alleged boyfriend's agency."
The Sunday Times said Pule authorised the spending on a recruitment deal that led to the appointment of her alleged boyfriend Mngqibisa's friends to the boards of key parastatals.
The paper alleged there was a paper trail between recruitment company Mindworx, which allegedly has links to Mngqibisa, and her office's project manager, Andiswa Booysen, and was awarded a R2.6 million deal without a bidding process.
Pule called the allegations an insult of the highest kind and said, considering how damaging and serious they are, "anyone who makes them must do so with due care and show they can back them up, especially if their intention, as they have shown, is to get me fired".
Named and shamed
The minister spent over half an hour "naming and shaming" three journalists, levelling a number of allegations against them and their associates - including their family members.
While she said she had no qualms in mentioning the journalists' names due to the fact that they had been using their own platform to do the same to her, she suggested the names of the "business people" or companies involved in the plot be sought from the Sunday Times.
She says she respects the processes that are under way and does not want to taint any legal or governmental processes by mentioning names at this stage.
Pule spoke of intricate conspiracies by the Sunday Times journalists and their alleged business connections, which she says have been spun to intimidate her into swaying the tender process - something she states is not in her control to begin with.
No more questions
Pule says, at the end of the day, the "smear campaign" has failed to achieve its objectives and the "handlers of the Sunday Times are becoming even more desperate because they realise none of the spurious allegations against me will stick".
She says she continues to cooperate with the investigations of both the Parliamentary Ethics Committee and the public protector, noting that she has not failed or declined to answer any of the questions posed by them.
"I have not sought to frustrate these processes in any way. I will readily avail myself so that we can bring finality to these processes. I remain confident that I will be vindicated by these formal processes."
She says, after today, the department will no longer be taking questions on this issue - to allow for due processes to be finalised.
"I remain unshaken," concluded Pule. She says she will continue to make decisions for the Department of Communications, and that she has no intention of resigning. The Sunday Times has previously stood by its allegations.
Sunday Times editor Phylicia Oppelt is expected to issue a statement on this issue momentarily.
Seeking sympathy?
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance, in a statement issued by shadow communications minister Marian Shinn, says Pule must desist from trying to create the impression that she is a victim of blackmailers who are concocting allegations of misconduct and corruption against her and her alleged romantic partner Mngqibisa.
The official opposition asks, if her statements are true, why has Pule not asked the police to root out these "blackmailers"? Shinn says Pule is trying to get sympathy before next week's ethics committee meeting.
"Minister Pule's pathetic shots across their bows to appeal for public sympathy are unlikely to sway their considered findings," said Shinn.
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