Vusi Thembekwayo Takes Sunday World to Press Council Over ‘Misleading’ Fraud Report
Entrepreneur Vusi Thembekwayo has filed a formal complaint against Sunday World at the Press Council of South Africa, alleging ethical violations over a fraud story based on unserved court papers.
Prominent South African entrepreneur and motivational speaker Vusi Thembekwayo has filed a complaint with the Press Council of South Africa against newspaper Sunday World and its acting editor, Ngwako Malatji, over what he calls a “misleading and incomplete narrative” in a fraud story published last month.
The article, titled “Fraud allegations rock Vusi Thembekwayo and his entity,” centres around a legal dispute between Thembekwayo and his former business partner Justin Rovian Naidoo, but Thembekwayo contends that the reporting breached journalistic ethics and failed to offer proper context or his right of reply.
Press Code Violations Alleged
Through a formal complaint submitted on behalf of Thembekwayo and MyGrowthFund Venture Partners, spokesperson Vanessa Sangar outlined multiple breaches of the Press Code of Ethics and Conduct. She revealed that the newspaper based its article on court documents that had not yet been officially served to either Thembekwayo or his company at the time of publication.
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“This occurred despite the journalist being explicitly informed of this fact,” Sangar stated. “It made a meaningful response impossible before the story went live.”
The complaint accuses Sunday World of irresponsible journalism, citing a lack of fairness, failure to provide the right of reply, and omission of critical context—such as the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) previously reviewing and dismissing core issues raised in the article.
Ethical and Legal Concerns
Further raising the stakes, Sangar said there were serious concerns over how Sunday World accessed the legal documents. She claims the newspaper might have retrieved them through the court’s online system prior to legal service, potentially breaching both ethical and legal boundaries.
“The Press Council is being asked to investigate the methods used to obtain this information,” Sangar added.
Thembekwayo believes the article has caused significant reputational harm, amplified by the publication’s social media platforms. He described the situation as secondary victimisation and an abuse of the media’s role in commercial disputes.
“Integrity, fairness, and ethical conduct are not optional extras in journalism; they are foundational,” Thembekwayo said. “We trust the Press Council will address these breaches thoroughly. Accountability is essential.”
The complaint seeks a formal ruling from the Press Council, demanding:
A full retraction of the article’s “unbalanced” elements,
A public apology, and
A finding on multiple alleged breaches of ethical conduct.
Sunday World Defends Its Reporting
In response, acting editor Ngwako Malatji pushed back strongly against the complaint. He told IOL that the publication stands by its reporting and views the complaint as “a waste of time.”
“Anybody who understands how the media operates, media law and ethics would know that there is no Press Council that can adjudicate and find adversely against a newspaper for reporting a story based on court documents,” Malatji said.
He further argued that the allegations against Thembekwayo were made by Naidoo in official court papers, not invented by the newspaper.
“It is up to Vusi to go to the court of law and file responding affidavits and refute the allegations,” said Malatji. “We were not obliged to solicit comment from him for a court-based story, but we did send him the documents. He declined to comment.”
Malatji confirmed that, as of publication, Sunday World had not yet received the official complaint from the Press Council but would defend its reporting when required.
