A thorough and independent internal inquiry into the Tembisa 10 story will take place, chairperson of Independent Media, Iqbal Survé said on Friday.
The owner of Independent Media was responding to the outcry over an ‘exclusive’ published by the Pretoria News and written by its editor, Piet Rampedi. The newspaper claimed a South African woman, Gosiame Sithole, had given birth to decuplets and broken a Guinness World Record.
But the health department, medical practitioners and hospitals (private and public) reported having no record of the birth. They cited “journalistic error” as being behind the story. The Pretoria News alleged the decuplets were born prematurely, at 29 weeks, which would require intense medical care and incubators. Sithole was admitted to hospital where medical professionals confirmed she had not given birth recently.
Still, Rampedi and Independent Media maintained the story was not fake news, instead accusing the health department of a cover up on a grand scale. In a story published on his IOL news site, Surve also wrote: “Independent Media is duty-bound to ask government to investigate the possibility of criminal syndicates that include health-care professionals and social workers involved in the trafficking of babies, which may have bearing on this matter.”
Now Survé says Independent Media will conduct its own inquiry, which will be led by its internal investigations editor, Sizwe Dlamini. “His task is to independently verify the facts pertaining to the decuplets story. Piet Rampedi will not be involved in any manner with this investigation,” Survé said. He also confirmed the group’s own ombud would probe the story after complaints from readers.
Meanwhile, the South African National Editors’ Forum has welcomed Independent Media’s internal inquiry. “We are disappointed by the continued defence of a clear case of a lapse of ethical journalism by Survé and Rampedi. But we believe that an independent investigation into the story is the correct approach,” Sanef said in a statement.
Sanef called on Survé to ensure the “independent panel is independent in every sense of the word and will consist of recognised experts on media ethics and media law”.
But the editors’ body is concerned over the Gauteng government’s intention to sue Independent Media and Rampedi, who responded with yet another missive standing by his story. “Rampedi continues to claim he has evidence that she was pregnant and had given birth to the 10 babies. Strangely he refuses to release this ‘evidence’,” Sanef said.
And while it sympathised with the provincial government’s frustration over Independent Media’s failure to admit its glaring errors in all the articles published concerning the so-called ‘Tembisa 10’, Sanef was nevertheless concerned litigation would set an unfortunate precedent.
“If replicated elsewhere it could have dire consequences for small media companies and publishers who would – unlike Independent Media – not have deep pockets to defend themselves. It could also be abused to force smaller media outlets into silence or to self-sensor,” Sanef said.
And added: “Instituting legal action against a media house should always be the last avenue for an aggrieved complainant. We would again encourage Independent Media to rejoin the Press Council of SA and abide by the Press Code of SA and not be a law unto themselves.”
