BY Obakeng Maje
North West Police would like to dismiss the malicious allegations on the article of City Press, Sunday, 08 July 2012, Page 11 titled “Another death in Phakoe saga”.
The Police in the province including the investigating team, we would like to condemn the impartial, one sided, imaginary tale reporting.
“The article is an imaginary tale because no consultation was done by the journalist with the leading organisation in the investigation of the Phakoe murder. The only body that could give authentic information on any investigation relating to Moss, is the South African Police Service” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.
“It is unfortunate that the journalist relied so much on faceless sources who unfortunately gave wrong information while ignoring legitimate sources. It must be noted with the contempt that it deserves that the article has a potential of disrupting, while bringing unnecessary confusion and uncertainty to the ongoing sensitive trial of the late trade unionist Moss Phakoe”He continue.
The Police investigators worked very hard to ensure that suspects are brought to book, so that justice is the winner at the end of the day. The motive behind this kind of weak reporting can only be clarified by the journalist concerned.
“The facts as we know them on the Moss Phakoe murder case are that Phineas Ngale was never a suspect, nor interviewed by the South African Police Service nor a witness in the Phakoe murder case.
This person is unknown to the team members who are investigating the case. The Police that attended the crime scene where Mr Ngale committed suicide, did get a suicide note from the deceased, unfortunately the note in our possession as the South African Police Service has no reference to the Moss Phakoe murder case. It remains unknown to us how the journalist links the suicide of Mr Ngale to the gruesome murder of Phakoe” Brigadier Thulani Ngubane.
“Some fundamental basics of journalism were flawed in this article and this makes the story to be unfair, lacks objectivity and unbalanced. We also find it strange that a close friend of Ngale decided to inform the Journalist that the deceased had a fallout with Wolmarans but failed to inform the police about information which could assist in the investigation of the inquest.
It is against this background that we request the retraction because this story may create a wrong impression and mislead the families who are relying on the police to give them accurate information regarding the case. We are confident and we remain resolute that as the South African Police Service we did our investigation and brought the suspects to book. It is all now in the hands of the court to finalise the matter on the 16 July 2012″ Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said.
The Guardian 