15 September 2007
Today, the Independent Newspapers ran a news report headlined "Mbeki link to
toxic 'cure'". The report claims that the Presidency handed money amounting to
R40 million in cash to researchers of the drug, Virodene during the years 2000
and 2001.
Among other things, the news report says: "Presidency spokesperson Mukoni
Ratshitanga confirmed yesterday: "There was some kind of contact back then
between the president and the researcher of Virodene [Olga Visser]," but he
added: "As far as I have been able to establish, it is not true that
substantial amounts of cash were collected from The Presidency during the years
in question."
I contend that the quotations attributed to me are false. I will demonstrate
this shortly below.
The author of the news report sent the following questions to The Presidency
yesterday.
1. Did the Presidency provide any financial support to the developers of the
Virodene drug throughout 2001 and during the early days of 2001?
2. Did the Presidency and/officials of The Presidency have any contact or
ongoing relationship with the developers of the Virodene drug during 2000 and
during the early days of 2001?
3. Our sources allege that substantial amounts of cash were collected from
the Presidency at the Union Buildings in 2000, and delivered to the developers
of the Virodene drug. Can you please confirm?
4. Did the President authorise the incumbent South African Health Minister,
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, to carry out an inspection of Virodene trials on
human subjects at a Military site in Tanzania in 2001?
My reply to the first question was a simple: "No." To the second question, I
answered "There was some kind of contact between the Presidency and the
researchers of the drug." With regard to the third question, I replied that "As
far as I have been able to establish, that is not true." I confirmed that the
President had approved a trip by the Minister of Health to Tanzania during the
period in question, but referred her to the Ministry of Health for details of
the trip.
My problem with the news report is as follows: "Whereas in reply to the
second question, i.e. whether the Presidency and/officials of the Presidency
had any contact with the researchers/developers of the Virodene drug I said:
"There was some kind of contact between the Presidency and the researchers of
the drug," the journalist attributes the following quote to: "There was some
kind of contact back then between the president and the researcher of Virodene
[Olga Visser],"
I did not and could not have specified a single individual as having had
contact with the researchers as this was not the question that was asked of me.
Nevertheless, this singling out of the President seems intended to lend
credence to the overall thrust of the story, which insinuates impropriety on
the part of the President. It is also worth noting, that this story is based on
innuendo and is devoid of concrete facts, which can either be refuted or
substantiated.
Consequently, the story is tantamount to an attempt to discredit the public
policy positions taken by the government.
"Whereas in reply to allegations of cash that is supposed to have been
collected from the Union Buildings I said: "As far as I have been able to
establish, that is not true," the journalist attributes the following quote to
me: "As far as I have been able to establish, it is not true that substantial
amounts of cash were collected from The Presidency during the years in
question."
Without being pedantic, this false addition to my words seems intended to
suggest that there may indeed have been some exchange of cash, albeit not
"substantial". It is surely not pedantic to be concerned about honesty and
accuracy in reportage/commentary on this and other matters.
Enquiries:
Mukoni Ratshitanga
Tel: 012 300 5436
Cell: 082 300 3447
Issued by: The Presidency
15 September 2007
Source: SAPA
