No plan by Independent to topple president – Survé

INDEPENDENT Media has refuted allegations made in a News24 article that its editors and senior political staff have hatched a plan to topple President Cyril Ramaphosa, come the ANC’S elective conference set for later this year.

On Thursday, News24 reported that the Independent group’s editors and political staff had met earlier in the week to discuss “Operation Hlanza”, an apparent media strategy for the group to cover the elections.

“Hlanza” means “to clean” or “cleanse”.

News24 alleged that the plan was authored by The Star editor Sifiso Mahlangu and is anti-ramaphosa in its stance, giving preference of coverage to Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. Dlamini Zuma is expected to run against Ramaphosa for the position of ANC president.

Independent Media editor-inchief Aziz Hartley said the facts contained in the leaked plan had been ignored in favour of assumptions.

“We refute it (the article) in its entirety. News24’s so-called exclusive report on a leaked document detailing Independent Media’s plan on how the organisation is going to cover the upcoming ANC elections, is a sensational piece of misdirection and clearly shows your political bent,” he said.

“Knowing which side your bread is buttered, News24 has presented to the public and to the country’s executive, a piece of mischievous fiction,” Hartley added.

He said the leaked document does not state or infer that Independent Media is looking to “topple President Ramaphosa”, as News24 reported.

“To suggest otherwise, as you have done with this headline and article, is gross misrepresentation.

“Further, this is not a ‘secret’ plan, since it has been shared widely within the Independent Media

Group as a proposal inviting input,” Hartley said.

He added that Independent Media would not be a delegate at the conference, has no voting rights and that the assertion that a proposed media coverage plan could be used to depose Ramaphosa was absurd.

Independent Media and Sekunjalo owner Dr Iqbal Survé said the alleged “secret” document was simply a detailed election coverage plan for the ANC conference.

“The document deals with the upcoming ANC elective conference. Just as every other media house in this country should also have a plan as to how they are going to cover this seminal event, given the importance of the future for all of us, that is riding on the outcome.”

Survé said while the document references Ramaphosa’s presidency over the past five years as a disaster, he did not think anyone who has lived through this period could argue with that comment.

“As Independent Media, we do not, however, have a view about any ANC candidate in the forthcoming election. What we do know is that the past five years have been a complete catastrophe for South Africa and the media.”

He pointed out that it was Independent Media which had exposed the Phala Phala saga, and the PPE corruption scandal in the office of the Presidency.