DA hits out at ANC over corruption

Johannesburg - The ANC in Gauteng was trying to prevent the exposure of corrupt officials, the provincial DA said on Monday.

"I am not surprised that the Gauteng ANC's provincial general council this weekend condemned party members who blow the whistle on corruption in government," said the Democratic Alliance's Gauteng corruption spokesperson Jack Bloom.

"This is because there is much to expose in the Gauteng provincial government," he said.

Bloom believed this was why the ANC in Gauteng supported a media watchdog to regulate the print media.

"It's a deplorable assault on press freedom and on courageous whistle-blowers who need to be commended rather than attacked.

"The ANC provincial government should spend more energy in rooting out corruption rather than attacking those who expose it," said Bloom.

The African National Congress hosted its provincial general council meeting in Centurion at the weekend.

It suggested, among other things, that a consultation process be undertaken to prove the viability of a statutory body to regulate the print media.

It also called for a print media charter to ensure the diversity of ownership and control.