Apology to Prof Adam Habib

The Citizen unconditionally apologises to Prof Adam Habib for a story run in the newspaper (and online) on June 26, 2018.

The article unfairly reported as fact that there was evidence that Prof Habib had instructed his colleagues to financially support a friend of his son; and stated, again as fact, that he had been at the centre of the funding scandal.

Press ombud Johan Retief said the newspaper had transgressed in relation to a number of sections of the Press Code, including a “serious breach” of the Code in the headline (which was not carried online, however) and “serious misconduct” because the journalist who wrote the story incorrectly reported that she had seen an e-mail “instruction” by Habib to other Wits Unversity officials to secure funds for a friend of his son.

This, said Retief, was “deliberately misleading”. However, he added: “Given the public interest in this matter, I have no doubt that The Citizen was justified to publish the allegations [as allegations] – they were made by an accused, in an affidavit, and who had [rightly or wrongly] implicated Habib in this process.”

He continued that the newspaper “did not make the news”.

“The newspaper merely reported the matter, for which it is not to blame.”

Retief said his office had “no investigative powers”, adding that it was not, therefore, “in any position to pronounce on Habib’s complaint that the allegations against him were false. My mandate starts and finishes with the question if a publication has breached the Press Code – and not if a complainant is guilty or innocent.

“If the vice-chancellor wants to establish his innocence, he should explore other avenues to do so.”

Visit www.presscouncil.org.za for the full finding.