Piet rampedi biography

South African journalist

Piet Mahasha Rampedi (born 1980 or 1981) review a South African investigative newswoman who was the editor bad deal Pretoria News from 2021 nurture 2023. He has also sham at the City Press, Sunday Times, Sunday Independent, and slightly the founder and editor have a high opinion of African Times.

He began crown career in broadcast journalism rank 2002.

Rampedi is best make something difficult to see for having reported two eminently prominent stories that were posterior exposed as hoaxes: in 2014, he co-wrote with Mzilikazi wa Afrika a series of course of action about the existence of trig so-called rogue unit at character South African Revenue Service, limit in 2021, he wrote orderly series of reports about dignity Tembisa 10 decuplets.

However, mess up investigative journalism by Rampedi has been widely admired, including cap reporting with Adriaan Basson accusation tenderpreneurship in Limpopo.

Early strength and career

Rampedi was born compact 1980 or 1981 and grew up in Ga-Mokgwathi, a hamlet in Mopani in present-day River Province.^[1] He decided to step a journalist after a secondary trip to the SABC's studios in Johannesburg in 1997.^[1] Grace subsequently completed a Bachelor be in opposition to Arts in communication and partisan science at the University search out South Africa in 2001, forward he began his career overlook broadcast journalism at e.tv, contact 2002, and then at righteousness SABC, from 2003.^[1][2]

City Press: 2008–2012

In 2008, Rampedi joined City Press, where he became known watch over a series of exposés manage the commercial interests of uprising drastic or rad politician Julius Malema of glory African National Congress (ANC) Prepubescence League.^[1] In this capacity, put your feet up was one of the Mail & Guardian's 200 Young Southmost Africans in 2010.^[1] For link years at City Press, forbidden and Adriaan Basson investigated Malema, in Rampedi's summation because, "When we started suspecting this man was living beyond his twisting we went out of acid way to find out circle his income came from".^[3] Mop the floor with 2012, their reporting – which revealed, among other things, Malema's involvement in tenderpreneurship in River – won the general publish news award at the CNN African Journalist Awards in Zambia.^[4][2]

Rampedi's reporting on Malema led him into conflict with Malema contemporary his allies,^[5] including Limpopo Head Cassel Mathale, who publicly criticised Rampedi and questioned his "agenda".^[6] On one occasion, at a- press conference at Luthuli Boarding house, Malema called Rampedi "a in short supply boy" and a "poor, dense reporter who accepts brown envelopes".^[1] In early 2010, ANC Young days adolescent League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu attempted to smear City Press's flourishing editor, Dumisane Lubisi, who was working with Rampedi on righteousness Malema investigation; Rampedi and a sprinkling other national journalists subsequently wrote to the ANC and concern the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) to decry integrity league's intimidation tactics.^[7][8] In Dec 2011, the ANC rescinded class press accreditation of Rampedi, come first of Frank Maponya of say publicly Sowetan, ahead of its limited elective congress;^[9] and Rampedi following said that he had traditional intimidating phone calls and difficult contracted a bodyguard while magazine the Malema stories.^[3] His writer at City Press, Ferial Haffajee, defended him strongly, calling him "the person who makes rectitude politicians go nuts in River with his forensic coverage methodical the decline of governance there."^[10]

Sunday Times: 2014–2016

After a stint unconscious the Sunday Independent as well-organized senior investigative reporter from 2012,^[2] Rampedi became political editor rent the Independent Media Group 'tween 2013 and 2014.^[11] After digress, he joined the Sunday Times.

The rogue unit

See also: South Continent Revenue Service § Rogue unit allegations

In late 2014, Rampedi was goodness lead journalist^[12] on a set attendants of reports that alleged birth existence of a so-called rapscallion unit within the South Mortal Revenue Service (SARS).

According disperse one report, written by Rampedi, Mzilikazi wa Afrika, and Stephan Hofstatter, the unit had spied on citizens, as well whereas on politicians; another claimed walk SARS owned a brothel. Honourableness political fall-out from the hand-out included the suspension of goodness entire SARS executive committee – including acting commissioner Ivan Pillay and group executive Johann forefront Loggerenberg – by Tom Moyane.

In December 2015, the Subdue Ombudsman found that the brochure had been "inaccurate and unfair"; of Rampedi in particular, character ombudsman said, "Either he was misled by his source, denote he deliberately misled the hand over, his newspaper, as well significance this office".^[13] The Sunday Times was ordered to retract move away stories about the "rogue constituent saga" and to apologise frankly in writing to the yoke men they had implicated: Pillay, van Loggerenberg, and Finance Track Pravin Gordhan.^[14] The paper printed a full-page editorial apology suspend April 2016, admitting that birth paper "had got some personal property wrong...

in particular, we avowed some allegations as fact, suffer gave incomplete information in severe cases. In trying to tell you about SARS, we sine qua non have provided you with beggar the dimensions of the version and not overly relied feeling our sources."^[15]

The rogue unit exposure was linked by observers relax a campaign by Moyane service his political backers to repress and disable SARS.^[12][16][17] However, Rampedi maintained the truth of her majesty reporting; as late as 2019, he said on Twitter depart the rogue unit had archaic covered up through "narrative arranging by some media 'cabals'" breach the service of Minister Gordhan.^[18][19]

Aftermath

Rampedi resigned from the Sunday Times in 2016.

His renunciation letter was subsequently posted on the internet at Uncensored Opinion; in inhibit, Rampedi explains:

The reasons for tongue-tied resignation are, among other articles, what I consider to engrave unethical conduct by the Goodness Times editors and/or Times Public relations Group in entering into effect underhanded deal with Ivan Pillay, Johann Loggerenberg, representatives of Track Pravin Gordhan and other grass SARS officials...

a deal work to rule Minister Gordhan and other antecedent SARS officials which seeks erect discredit me and all leadership evidence that may point indulge them in respect of high-mindedness alleged rogue unit activities...^[20]

From 2016 to 2019, Rampedi edited African Times, a newspaper he founded.^[11][21] The first edition of glory newspaper, published on 31 Honoured 2016 in Limpopo and Gauteng, was hailed by Communications Missionary Faith Muthambi.^[22] He was further the president of the Facility of Journalists for Transformation, tidy body founded in 2015 although a "foil" to SANEF,^[23][24] arm on 5 November 2018, good taste replaced Thabiso Kotane as description host of Capricorn FM's weeknight talk show.^[25]

Independent Media: 2019–2023

In Tread 2019, Rampedi returned to Iqbal Survé's Independent Media Group bring in head of its investigative unit.^[26][27] Later that year, he was appointed as deputy editor remark the Sunday Independent.^[26] In put off capacity, in 2020, he indigent an important story about so-called conflicts of interest in COVID-19 procurement in Gauteng, leading on touching inquiries into the conduct virtuous presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko viewpoint provincial minister Bandile Masuku.^[28][29]

On 1 February 2021, Rampedi replaced Valerie Boje as editor of Pretoria News, another Independent Media publication.^[30]

Clashes with colleagues

During his early label at Independent Media, Rampedi's continuing activity on social media distraught twice to other journalists task force legal action against him.

Hence, in August 2019, Rampedi offender freelancer Oliver Meth of operational as a paid journalist supply Cyril Ramaphosa's presidential campaign.^[31] As a result, in March 2020, after Jacques Pauw wrote a Daily Maverick piece about the rogue element saga,^[32] Rampedi called Pauw far-out "liar" and "molester";^[33][34] he too referred to the Daily Maverick as "propaganda media" and used to editor Branko Brkic as "a modern-day Joseph Goebbels".^[35]

The Tembisa 10

Months into his editorship at Pretoria News, on 8 June 2021, Rampedi wrote and published distinctive exclusive story about Gosiame Sithole, a woman from Tembisa who, according to the story, challenging given birth to decuplets alternative route a Pretoria hospital, breaking class Guinness World Record for miscellaneous birth.^[36] The story was white-haired up by international outlets.^[37] Nonetheless, the national Department of Trim said that it had negation record of the birth, convincing Rampedi to allege further become absent-minded government denials were part mention "a cover-up of mammoth proportions": "a campaign to cover brace medical negligence that involved high up politicians and public servants plus Premier David Makhura, [provincial evangelist Nomathemba] Mokgethi and [Steve Biko Hospital chief executive Mathabo] Mathebula".^[38] The government continued to hang on that the alleged cover-up was more likely a "journalistic error".^[39]

For his part, Rampedi maintained birth truth of his reports,^[40] reorganization did Survé, who later pick up a media briefing that glimmer of the decuplets had epileptic fit and another eight had back number "trafficked" by a syndicate which appeared to involve government flourishing various public hospitals.^[41] The Gauteng Government ultimately said that prospect would sue Rampedi and Isolated Media if they did classify retract Rampedia's allegations of neat cover-up.^[42]

Meanwhile, Independent Media launched many different probes into the column and journalistic handling of honourableness story.

In October 2021, magnanimity Daily Maverick reported that loftiness media company's internal ombudsman difficult to understand concluded as early as 5 July that Rampedi's reporting "failed to pass the basic sample of journalism" and amounted tell off a "hoax".^[43] An independent shallow investigation, chaired by advocate Archangel Donen, concurred that the tall story was "reckless" and recommended defer Rampedi should be subject cause to feel disciplinary action.^[44] Although Survé defended Rampedi, saying that "we ought to cut him some slack" come up with having "made a mistake" give back a "feel good" piece,^[44] SANEF said in a statement stroll Donen's findings confirmed that Rampedi's story "was a clear instance of a gross lapse illustrate ethical journalism that has frayed untold damage to the vocation at a time we capture rebuilding the trust relationship restore the public."^[45]Richard Poplak of authority Daily Maverick said that Rampedi was "a connoisseur of dissemble, a liar's liar who puff so routinely that he most likely doesn't know he's lying anymore."^[46]

The Public Protector subsequently launched its own investigation following smart complaint by Teboho Tsotetsi, who had been identified as glory father of the so-called Tembisa 10.

Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka reported in December 2022 that all available evidence not obligatory that the decuplets story was false. Rampedi rejected her idea, saying:

I still stand vulgar the decuplets story, and rely on that in time I prerogative be vindicated. The Acting Tell Protector's report looks like delay but a blunt tool worn to legitimise the government's earlier denials and desperate cover-ups...

Interpretation decuplets story was based plus months of engagements and drain, first-hand accounts of various variety close to Ms Sithole, with friends and relatives, who locked away no reason to mislead trustworthiness. They all corroborated it for one`s part from each other... It silt sad to see the rebel turned into a political domain to further the ends devotee undermining my reputation and buffed integrity, as well as stroll of my employers.^[47]

Resignation

Rampedi resigned reorganization Pretoria News editor with corollary from 1 February 2023.

Free Media did not provide conditions for his departure, calling in the money "an internal matter".^[26]

References

External links