Ruling by the Press Ombudsman
November 30, 2013
This ruling is based on the written submissions of Ms Savita Mbuli and Prince Chauke, editor of the Sunday Sun newspaper.
Complaint
Mbuli complains about a front page story of Sunday Sun on 17 November 2013, headlined Vuyo left me with nothing! – Sad widow Savita faces R1,8 million tax bill! Posters read Vuyo left me broke!
She complains that the headline and the posters were factually incorrect and misleading; she specifically does not complain about the story itself.
Analysis
The story, written by Theo Nyhaba, said that Mbuli (the widow of TV presenter Vuyo Mbuli) was facing a demand from SARS for more than R1,8 million – and that she did not have the money to pay this debt.
These are my considerations:
The same goes for the posters.
In short: Both the headline and the posters put words in her mouth that, according to the story itself, she had never uttered. This may have caused her some unnecessary embarrassment.
Finding
While the gist of both the headline and the posters were justified, it was wrong to attribute the content thereof to Ms Mbuli (the use of the word “me” in both the headline and the poster). That is in breach of Sect. 10.1 and 10.2 of the Press Code that states that headlines and posters “shall give a reasonable reflection of the contents of the report in question”.
Sanction
Sunday Sun is:
(The last sanction is necessary due to the huge prominence the story enjoyed, both on the front page and on posters.)
Beginning of text
Sunday Sun published on 17 November 2013 a front page story, headlined Vuyo left me with nothing! – Sad widow Savita faces R1,8 million tax bill! Posters read Vuyo left me broke!
Savita Mbuli lodged a complaint with Press Ombudsman Johan Retief about this headline and the posters. He said that while we were justified to have stated that she was left with nothing (based on an attorney’s letter that stated her late husband’s estate may have been insolvent), he cautioned us for erring in attributing the words to her.
He said: “Both the headline and the posters put words in her mouth that, according to the story itself, she had never uttered. This may have caused her some unnecessary embarrassment.”
Retief asked us to correct this mistake, which we hereby do.
Visit www.presscouncil.org.za for the full finding.
End of text
Appeal
Our Complaints Procedures lay down that within seven working days of receipt of this decision, either party may apply for leave to appeal to the Chairperson of the SA Press Adjudication Panel, Judge Bernard Ngoepe, fully setting out the grounds of appeal. He can be contacted at Khanyim@ombudsman.org.za.
Johan Retief
Press Ombudsman