{"id":76112,"date":"2013-04-22T10:53:39","date_gmt":"2013-04-22T08:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=76112"},"modified":"2013-04-22T11:19:37","modified_gmt":"2013-04-22T09:19:37","slug":"pule-reveals-blackmail-plot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/government\/76112-pule-reveals-blackmail-plot.html","title":{"rendered":"Pule reveals blackmail plot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minister of Communications, Dina Pule<\/a>, said at a last-minute press briefing on Monday (22 April 2013), that the damaging reports published in the Sunday Times over the last 10 months are part of a “sophisticated plot” to blackmail her.<\/p>\n

The reason for the blackmail is the multi-billion Rand tender “and related issues” for the set-top boxes needed for South Africa’s migration from analogue to digital television.<\/p>\n

According to Pule, the intention was to force her to make decisions that favour the interests of certain powerful people and organisations.<\/p>\n

“We have witnessed an extraordinary call by a newspaper that is supposed to be objective to get the president to fire me,” Pule said.<\/p>\n

Allegations of mismanagement, cronyism and corruption<\/h3>\n

Over the last years numerous media reports fingered Pule and her alleged boyfriend Phosane Mngqibisa<\/a> in cronyism, self-enrichment and mismanagement. These reports include:<\/p>\n