A newspaper report that the Director-General of Labour, Jimmy Manyi has been given an ultimatum at the weekend to choose between his job in government and his position as president of the Black Management Forum (BMF) is misleading, distorted and sensational to put it mildly. That’s the view of Labour Minister, Membathisi Mdladlana.
Responding to today’s article of the Business Day newspaper, Mdladlana said he read with disbelief the inaccurate and imbalanced manner in which the story has been written. “It actually is shocking to learn that there still are journalists out there who flout the most basic ethical standards of journalism,” said Mdladlana.
The article claims that Manyi is going to meet with the minister this week to announce his decision, “what decision”, asked the minister. “I meet with Manyi as and when required, and we are meeting today, for example to discuss departmental issues and, therefore, the statement has no substance, it is simply lie,” added Mdladlana.
Again the article argues that Mdladlana told a conference in the Hague in Netherlands last year that Manyi’s occupation of the two positions was “not sustainable” while the conference I attended in Netherlands was only last week and not last year as suggested, which makes me wonder as to where did the journalist who did not even make an attempt to verify the facts with me, got the story from, asked Mdladlana.
He went on to say that no promise was ever made to him by Manyi that he would step aside. Instead, I stated it categorically at the BMF conference on 29 October 2009 in Johannesburg that with regards to claims of conflict of interest, Manyi himself would have to navigate as to how best he managed both his jobs, said Mdladlana.
The article also quotes a Forum MD as having demanded an instruction letter from the minister, when no instruction was ever given to Manyi, said Mdladlana.
The minister said for reasons best known to some, there seem to be concerted efforts by some journalists to sow seeds of division between him and his Director-General. “These will, however, not work as we have a commitment to uphold, to deliver services to our people at this critical moment of our history. We dare not fail as history will judge us harshly,” the Minister said.
“I demand an apology for this recklessly written and baseless story with no substance whatsoever,” concludes Mdladlana
Enquiries:
Mzobanzi Jikazana
Cell: 083 641 2355
Issued by: Department of Labour
18 May 2010
Source: Department of Labour (http://www.labour.gov.za/DOL)
