Presidency Stands by Statement Despite Sisulu Saying Ramaphosa Meeting was Misrepresented

The Presidency said it stands by its earlier statement despite Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu saying it was a misrepresentation of the meeting she had with President Cyril Ramaphosa and did not commit to any retraction or issue any apology on her controversial comments about the judiciary.

The Presidency had earlier issued a statement which said Ramaphosa has met with Sisulu in Cape Town earlier this week, where he admonished her about her recent article entitled “Hi Mzansi, have we seen justice?”

It quoted Sisulu as saying she accepted that her comments were “unsubstantiated, gratuitous and deeply hurtful”.

However SIsulu said under no circumstances did she commit to any retraction or apology.

“The content of the president’s statement in its current form is unfortunate as it is not what we agreed on. In this regard, I wish to distance myself from such.” 

The Presidency said it had nothing to add to the statement it issued earlier on Thursday night.

“The Presidency stands by its statement earlier this evening, 20 January 2022, on a discussion between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister of Tourism Ms Lindiwe Sisulu.”

Sisulu said she will issue a full statement in 24 hours.