Mkhari let down by withdrawal
Ramaphosa pulls plug on show
Power FM chairman Given Mkhari has expressed disappointment that a much-publicised “conversation” with President Cyril Ramaphosa was cancelled despite Mkhari having agreed to no longer conduct the interview himself.
Mkhari was last night scheduled to interview Ramaphosa on the Chairman’s Conversation: Zooming Into the Economy, however, the show had to be cancelled after genderbased violence allegations were levelled against Mkhari.
Mkhari and Ipeleng were last year arrested after they opened assault cases against each other after the muchpublicised incident.
But they later withdrew the cases and the National Prosecuting Authority declined.
The show’s future became doubtful after NGOs Soul City Institute and Wise4Afrika wrote open letters to
Ramaphosa, objecting to his appearance due to allegations of GBV levelled against Mkhari. Last night, Mkhari took to the podium to explain what led to the cancellation of the show.
When the NGOs raised the concerns this week, Mkhari said he requested the presidency to organise a meeting with the NGOs.
At the meeting, attended by Mkhari and his wife, presidency staff, Soul City and Wise4Afrika, the family told the NGOs they have a right to privacy.
The NGOs responded by requesting that Mkhari should not be the one interviewing the president.
The request was also made by presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko, said Mkhari.
“I consulted madam [wife]. I consulted a few colleagues and we came to the conclusion to say Power, South Africa, the nation, is more important than our dogmatic views on what the platform is about. For as long as the president honours a promise to come to talk to the nation via this platform… le’s us do that,” Mkhari said.
He said a plan was put out which sought to find Mkhari’s replacement. He was, however, once again called by Diko, notifying him about the cancellation. “At about past 4, we got a call that it is not happening,” he said.
In a media statement, the presidency said: “The presidency emphasises that the non-participation of president Ramaphosa should not be read as an endorsement of the untested allegations raised by the civil society organisations but a carefully weighed-up decision taken in the public interest.
“The president calls upon all social partners to work together to develop concrete principles to give guidance in instances where gender-based violence is alleged outside of legal processes and the need for objective assessment of desirable action that should be taken.
“The presidency sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused to the listeners of Power FM, other media partners and the sponsors of the event.”