C
‘We are not afraid of Mr Magashule’s threats’ – Penguin Random House statement on Gangster State
More about the book!
Penguin Random House has released another statement in response to controversy surrounding the new book Gangster State.
The book’s full title is Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule’s Web of Capture, and it is described as an ‘unflinching examination of the ANC’s top leadership in the post-Jacob Zuma era’.
In the book, author Pieter-Louis Myburgh links ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule to state capture and looting in the Free State government.
After the book was released on Sunday, the ANC released a strongly-worded statement slamming media coverage of the book, and calling the book ‘fake news’ and a ‘highly personalised and vicious attack’ on Magashule.
Penguin Random House followed up with a statement of its own, saying they stand by Myburgh and will not withdraw the book.
Today, Penguin Random House has released another statement, in response to an interview Magashule gave eNCA, in which he called Myburgh a liar.
Read the statement:
Gangster State: Magashule caught out in a lie
In an interview with ENCA yesterday, Ace Magashule called the author of Gangster State, Pieter-Louis Myburgh, a ‘blatant liar’ and spoke of ‘simple lies’ and ‘false, fabricated stories’.
Ironically, in the same interview, Magashule got caught out in a lie of his own.
Yesterday on ENCA Magashule claimed that the author of Gangster State, Myburgh, didn’t send him questions prior to the publication of the book. Magashule said: ‘When did he send me sixty questions? Where did he send those sixty questions to?’
On Monday, however, in an interview on SAfm, Acting National Spokesperson for the ANC, Dakota Legoete, confirmed that 60 questions were sent to Magashule. ‘These questions were sent to Mr Magashule a long time ago,’ he said. Legoete went on to say that he also received the questions and personally shared them with Magashule.
Penguin Random House can confirm that Myburgh did send 60 questions to Ace Magashule by mid-February 2019, and that he was given 14 days to respond. However, no response was forthcoming.
We are not afraid of Mr Magashule’s threats. We will continue to stand by the author of Gangster State, and we will continue to stand up for the freedom to publish without political pressure.
Ends
Categories Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs
1 Votes
C