Sowetan Live
10 May 2023
Businessman Zunaid Moti has refuted amaBhungane’s claims that he had laid a criminal complaint against three of its journalists, Micah Reddy and Dewald van Rensburg, and its managing partner, Sam Sole.
In a statement this week, amaBhungane, the centre for investigative journalism, has issued a “Selebi letter” to the police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to forestall the arrests of two of its journalists and a managing partner over the publishing of the “Moti Files”.
In a statement, amaBhungane said it was made aware businessman Moti or the Moti Group planned to lay criminal charges against its staff members over the articles on Moti’s business dealings in Zimbabwe.
“AmaBhungane’s latest allegations are completely false, and the entire story is disingenuous, to say the least. AmaBhungane is clearly using cheap media tactics in an attempt to gain sympathy among other journalists and the public for its unprofessional and unethical behaviour in using stolen information,” said Moti in a statement.
“I have the greatest respect for the media in general, but amaBhungane’s latest statement about warrants of arrest exemplifies, once again, the false narrative that is being perpetuated against myself and my former company.”
He also said though he had since left the Moti Group, the company did lay criminal charges in Zimbabwe and South Africa against an ex-employee, attorney Clinton van Niekerk, after a digital forensic investigation confirmed that he was responsible for the theft of more than 4,000 confidential company documents.
Moti said the investigative media platform has a vendetta against him.