RESPONSE BY NJM AND ITS DIRECTORS

1. The Sunday World, in particular Bongani Mdakane and in a series of 9 articles over the past months, deliberately peddled a false narrative to its readers about the dispute between NJM and Baleseng Zinyana. The false narrative has been designed to mislead the very readers the Sunday World rely on to buy its publication and to circulate a narrative that Mr. Mdakane knows to be false.

 

2. The following misleading and false statements have been knowingly made by Mr. Mdakane:

 

2. 1. That NJM submitted as part of a tender at Eskom a shareholders agreement. Mr. Mdakane knows that this shareholders agreement was not submitted to Eskom and Mr. Mdakane knows that this shareholders agreement was not part of the pack of tender documents that NJM submitted to Eskom.
   2. That NJM was the successful bidder in the Eskom tender and made millions of rands in the process. Mr. Mdakane knows that NJM was unsuccessful in the tender process and never made a cent in this Eskom bid.
   3. That Justice Dippenaar instructed after the hearing of the civil matter that the directors of NJM had to hand themselves over to the DPCI (The Hawks) to be arrested. This Mr. Mdakane claims, is contained in the Judgment of Justice Dippenaar, which Mr. Mdakane claims to have studied. This again is disappointing and dishonest journalism. No such order was made by the Judge. The Judge instructed that the directors of NJM assure that a Section 34 report be submitted to the authorities. The report was submitted. No order to surrender themselves to be arrested by the police was made. Mr. Mdakane’s pushing of the false narrative that the Judge ordered the arrest of the directors will be ventilated in proceedings that will soon follow. 
   4. The reason why Mr. Mdakane would make such false statements is simply to mislead his readers into believing that his narrative is true and to prejudice NJM and its directors as much as possible since he holds the pen and causes the publication of the peddled lies.
   5. The readers of the Sunday World deserve to know the truth and read fair, balanced and true stories.

Sunday World