Episode 166 - IS PRINCE MASHELE'S INTEGRITY IN TATTERS? MY UNAUTHORISED OPINION

In this edition of In The Ring, I analyse Prince Mashele's
responses in interviews granted to eNCA, 702 and the SABC, in
light of media reports that he had, ok the face of it, been
dishonest about the nature of his biography of Herman
Mashaba. 

Herman Mashaba is leader of politica  part  ActionSA,
and prior to that was always known as a very successful
businessman in an against-all-odds tale at the height of
apartheid; in recent years he a new career pivot that had also
seen him becoming mayor of Johannesburg.

Mashele, a well-known South African political analyst, had
claimed that he had "self-funded" his book on Mashaba, and the
subtitle of the book declared it to be "unauthorised".

It has emerged that Mashaba had provided funding for the book,
and had engaged the author on drafts of the chapter. 

This raises sharp ethical questions: was the work unauthorised or
authtoised ? Did Mashele lie on eNCA? Did Mashele WRONGLY
withheld the information from Jonathan Ball ? What, most
importantly, are the consequences for the professional integrity
of the author? And what are we to make of the other actors in
this drama: the subject; the publisher; the researcher/former
best friend Brutus Malada who 'blew the whistle'?

Have a listen to my uhm unauthorised take.