Redi Tlhabi apologies to Floyd Shivambu

Redi Tlhabi apologies to Floyd Shivambu. Journalist Redi Tlhabi found herself having to apologise to EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu for a now-deleted tweet in which she incorrectly claimed that Shivambu was named in the recent report commissioned by the Reserve Bank looking into the alleged looting of VBS Bank. Shivambu accepted the apology while seemingly scolding Tlhabi for not having read the report on the alleged looting of VBS Bank.

It was Shivambu’s brother Brian, not Floyd, who was named as having “gratuitously” received R16 million from the bank. While the EFF deputy president was later accused of being involved in the scandal, this was in a Daily Maverick report that alleged that the EFF second-in-command had himself received as much as R10 million from Brian and that the party had received R1.3 million.

Both Shivambu and EFF leader Julius Malema have denied the claims, and Brian Shivambu has threatened to sue the reserve bank for defamation for the allegations made in the report.

Tlhabi’s “humble apology” acknowledged that she had made an “incorrect claim” and noted that there is a “huge difference between [Shivambu’s] name in [a] forensic report [and] allegation of receipt by association as reported in [the] media”.

This followed Shivambu’s sarcastic response to Tlhabi’s mistake. He said that “all literate” people who read the report never saw his name, and asked if it was “written in invisible ink?” Shivambu accepted Tlhabi’s apology but didn’t miss an opportunity to seemingly scold her for her apparent unfamiliarity with The Great Bank Heist report.

“I thought by now all media practitioners had read the report,” he tweeted.

You didn't see it because it is not there. Humble apology. I am very sorry about that. It was an incorrect claim on my part. Huge difference between your name in forensic report & allegation of receipt by association as reported in media. I apologize https://t.co/EJOwpLUDie

— Redi Tlhabi (@RediTlhabi) October 24, 2018