Cape Town - The Sekunjalo Group reacted to disparaging remarks in a media report about the way it supports its businesses and its support of the South African fiscus, calling the media report "laughable".
Sekunjalo released a statement earlier on Wednesday evening, in response to the report.
"Sekunjalo notes that the Daily Maverick continues with its propaganda against Sekunjalo, Dr Survé and Independent Media. The Daily Maverick, amaBhungane as well as Naspers’s Media 24, which has also regularly carried amaBhungane articles verbatim, clearly work closely with each other although they try to create the impression that they are separate media entities.
“Together, they have been running a publicity campaign based on misinformation in a deliberate attempt to smear Dr Survé and the Sekunjalo Group, with the sole purpose of terminating the Group’s ability to trade. Per example, they use the name and photograph of Dr Survé in relation to articles where Dr Survé is not involved, they also use the name of Sekunjalo where Sekunjalo is not involved," the Group said in a statement.
“The Sekunjalo Group (Sekunjalo) is a group comprising more than 200 investments, thousands of employees throughout the investee companies, a truly non-racial company strongly committed to change and is one of the most transformed companies in terms of black management and placing women in key positions.
“Revenues exceed R8,5 billion, the salary bill exceeds R2,5 billion per annum, and its record on impact investing, corporate social investment and philanthropy speaks for itself. The group has invested more than R2 billion over the last decade in the above, philanthropy and other worthy causes that speak to South Africa’s democracy, Sekunjalo said.
Sekunjalo said it finds the latest attempt by the media league of Daily Maverick, and amaBhungane to discredit it by publishing articles about 30 employees in the Sekunjalo Group, laughable.
The Group notes that the Daily Maverick continues with its propaganda against Sekunjalo, Dr Survé and Independent Media.
“The Daily Maverick, amaBhungane as well as Naspers’s Media 24, which has also regularly carried amaBhungane articles verbatim, clearly work closely with each other although they try to create the impression that they are separate media entities. Together, they have been running a publicity campaign based on misinformation in a deliberate attempt to smear Dr Survé and the Sekunjalo Group, with the sole purpose of terminating the Group’s ability to trade.
“Per example, they use the name and photograph of Dr Survé in relation to articles where Dr Survé is not involved, they also use the name of Sekunjalo where Sekunjalo is not involved.
“These news houses have the sheer arrogance to drill Sekunjalo on how it should support its investee companies or not, and what it should do with its own portfolio. It is unheard of for a media house to direct how a company should spend its monies or question how its employees contribute to shared services, and more, to single out just one person out of thousands employed across the Group investee companies.
“For the record, no-one will tell the Sekunjalo Group companies whom they must not employ, or where they must employ them.
Also recently, the Daily Maverick tried to rehash an old story about Independent Media and a trade union, which has been in the public domain for some time. The strategy of using old news by rehashing and creating the impression of something new and important, are all the hallmarks of propaganda.“
“A recent article examining bots on social media showed how the Daily Maverick and its associates are being used in a propaganda campaign against Dr Survé and Sekunjalo.
“The impudence of what is shaping up to be South Africa’s evil media axis, is not all that surprising, as this is the character of kragdadigheid and baasskaap, which was prevalent during the apartheid era. During that time, black companies were denied the rights to exist or trade and were instructed on who to support, and a single narrative was conveyed by media.
“We are not surprised, because Media24 (then Nasionale Pers) emerged, according to all official records, as an appendage of the National Party and fully engaged with them. Records in the national archives show the relationship between Naspers and PW Botha, as well as between Naspers and the apartheid state. We should not therefore be surprised that a media organization founded on the value of apartheid, continues with its apartheid-like propaganda campaign.
“Another common link between The Daily Maverick and Naspers is that their leadership structure is not representative of the country. Hypocritically, The Daily Maverick publishes propaganda about the Sekunjalo Group and how its investee companies retain their employees, when it has itself repeatedly failed to disclose who its funders are, how much executives, freelancers and journalists are paid and more importantly, who pays them.
“Until the Daily Maverick comes clean as to who their funders are, aside from their public supporters, we must accept the widely held view that they are funded by those companies that made their billions during apartheid. Many of whom are in Stellenbosch. Further, they are funded by companies who exploited mine workers and who were responsible for the migrant labour system and, who made tens of millions on the backs of these people. It is also widely believed that a particular ANC faction contributes to the Daily Maverick’s coffers, which pays off certain journalists.
“If this is not the case, then it should be a simple matter to disclose just who the major bank rollers are for this publishing platform. We are happy to disclose the source of our funds, so it seems only fair the Daily Maverick should disclose theirs. He who pays the piper calls the tune.
“For the record, the Sekunjalo Group unlike others, did not embark on large scale retrenchments during the Covid-19 period. Instead, it worked on a solution to keep as many people employed as possible. This involved efforts by group companies to support other group companies, especially now when unemployment has increased, and the ANC has failed to care for its people,“ Sekunjalo said.
“We do not apologise for our group companies who will continue to fund other group companies. We will continue to do so within the boundaries of the law and corporate governance.
“We will not allow the beneficiaries of apartheid (apartheid trust fund babies), from telling a black company in a liberated country, who they may support, or how to do it.
“We are not accountable to the Daily Maverick, Media24 or amaBhungane, we are only accountable to our stakeholders. Now leave us alone to do what we do best, contribute much needed millions to the South African fiscus.“