The Sekunjalo Group has on Monday issued a statement condemning what it describes as a sustained propaganda and disinformation campaign orchestrated by the Daily Maverick against its chairman, Dr. Iqbal Survé, and associated businesses.
The group expressed disappointment in a recent article penned by Neesa Moodley for the Daily Maverick, titled "Bad business has not dented Iqbal Survé's 'billions' — or so he says".
According to Sekunjalo, this piece is the latest installment in a protracted series of negative attacks by competitor publications aimed at Dr. Survé and his companies.
The article in question was based on a report published on Independent Online (IOL) regarding Dr. Survé's reinvestment in his businesses. It is believed it was the pretext for the Daily Maverick to perpetuate “unfounded allegations and biased narratives”.
Sekunjalo accused the publication of hijacking the IOL story.
“The Daily Maverick has effectively hijacked an IOL story as a pretext to rehash old, stale, debunked and refuted falsehoods about Dr Survé and the companies, regurgitating one-sided and prejudiced narratives with the sole aim of causing commercial harm to the businesses,” read the statement.
Sekunjalo said the Daily Maverick failed to adhere to basic journalistic standards by neglecting to provide them or Dr. Survé an opportunity to respond prior to publication.
The group asserts that the publication selectively quoted public statements and records to suit its narrative, disregarding contradictory evidence.
Sekunjalo urged members of the public to dismiss the Daily Maverick's article as biased propaganda masquerading as legitimate news reporting.
The group vehemently rejected the publication's ongoing campaign of disinformation and asserts its commitment to defending its reputation against what it perceives as baseless attacks.
The Daily Maverick has yet to respond to Sekunjalo's accusations.
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