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Carika Middelburg’s letter was high on opinion but short on facts, including the startling allegation that the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) “has been accused of various corruption scandals and tender fraud” (“Anti-graft guarantees”, November 6). This is at best malicious, at worst a manufactured allegation born out of mendacious propaganda.
One of the key principles when providing analysis, especially in the specialised field of risk analysis, is a reliance on verifiable information that will enhance the trustworthiness and quality of the analysis.
Middelburg refers to Sanral CEO Reginald Demana remarking that the agency “was going to need higher levels of private sector investment to prevent the further disintegration of the country’s crumbling road infrastructure”. Business Day’s article did not contain such remarks.
Further in the letter Middelburg made a glaring error, one so blatant that it rendered her observations irrelevant and bordering on fake news. She stateds that “a Chinese company, Mecsa JV” received the tender for the construction of the EB Cloete Interchange and the widening of the N2/N3 national roads.
In fact, the construction at the EB Cloete Interchange and the upgrades to the N2 and N3 Ashburton Interchange was awarded to a joint venture, Base Major-China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC).
Mecsa Construction is not a Chinese company but is wholly owned and controlled by a 100% black-owned diversified company, CN Holdings Company. It was awarded the tender along with the China Communications Construction Company for the building of the Mtentu Bridge in the Eastern Cape.
Dependence on poor intelligence risks making a fool of an organisation purporting to be a serious player in the field of political and economic analysis.
Vusi Mona GM: communications & marketing, Sanral
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Sanral letter short on facts
Reader’s observations border on fake news
Carika Middelburg’s letter was high on opinion but short on facts, including the startling allegation that the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) “has been accused of various corruption scandals and tender fraud” (“Anti-graft guarantees”, November 6). This is at best malicious, at worst a manufactured allegation born out of mendacious propaganda.
One of the key principles when providing analysis, especially in the specialised field of risk analysis, is a reliance on verifiable information that will enhance the trustworthiness and quality of the analysis.
Middelburg refers to Sanral CEO Reginald Demana remarking that the agency “was going to need higher levels of private sector investment to prevent the further disintegration of the country’s crumbling road infrastructure”. Business Day’s article did not contain such remarks.
Further in the letter Middelburg made a glaring error, one so blatant that it rendered her observations irrelevant and bordering on fake news. She stateds that “a Chinese company, Mecsa JV” received the tender for the construction of the EB Cloete Interchange and the widening of the N2/N3 national roads.
In fact, the construction at the EB Cloete Interchange and the upgrades to the N2 and N3 Ashburton Interchange was awarded to a joint venture, Base Major-China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC).
Mecsa Construction is not a Chinese company but is wholly owned and controlled by a 100% black-owned diversified company, CN Holdings Company. It was awarded the tender along with the China Communications Construction Company for the building of the Mtentu Bridge in the Eastern Cape.
Dependence on poor intelligence risks making a fool of an organisation purporting to be a serious player in the field of political and economic analysis.
Vusi Mona
GM: communications & marketing, Sanral
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
LETTER: Anti-graft guarantees
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LETTER: Anti-graft guarantees
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.