2 September 2006
Ms Zanele Mbeki wishes to express her profound displeasure at the behaviour
of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the media in violating her privacy as a
citizen.
Ms Mbeki was astounded on Friday evening to see on television news, a leader
of the DA with journalists in tow, inspecting her personal property in a
childish but deeply hurtful spectacle. They sought to find out from the
constructors details about the number of bedrooms and other particulars
pertaining to the house. No permission was sought from her to visit the
property, nor was there any request made as to whether the property and the
construction work under way could be splashed in the media and to what
purpose!
In the event, the DA and the media they had brought along established that
the rumours and innuendos they had been spreading were not only wide off the
mark, but also clearly malicious. While the state is responsible as required by
its own regulations for security matters pertaining to the family of President
Thabo Mbeki, the house is a private residence and its value is a private
matter. The value and cost of the security work is determined by the South
African Police Service (SAPS) and the Public Works Department.
Ms Mbeki believes that this experience raises some questions about her
constitutional rights as a citizen, regarding:
* the security and privacy of her home
* the dignity with which political parties and the media need to handle private
family matters even if they involve individuals related to leaders in the
public eye. Ms Mbeki is neither an elected representative nor employed by
government
* the respect that political parties need to accord those they perceive as
their opponents.
In this regard, Ms Mbeki will be seeking legal advice to establish whether
the Constitution and our laws do not provide her with any recourse in
circumstances such as these when in her view her rights as a private citizen
are violated by the media and a political party seeking cheap publicity.
Issued by: The Presidency
2 September 2006
