THERE was confusion yesterday about a statement supposedly written by Mpumalanga MEC for finance Pinky Phosa, allegedly withdrawing a bursary awarded to one Bruno Vilane, who is romantically linked to her daughter.

An official in the communications section of the provincial economic development, environment and tourism department, Comfort Ngobe, sent the statement to most media houses in Nelspruit yesterday.

Asked why the statement was sent by him instead of communications officials in the provincial finance department, Ngobe dismissed the question as irrelevant.

He offered the same response to questions on why the statement was not written on an official letterhead and that Phosa had not signed it.

In a surprise twist of events, Phosa's personal assistant, Sizwe Motha, said he was not aware of the statement and did not believe it came from Phosa.

Sowetan first published the story on February 9, implicating Phosa in giving a R30000 bursary a year to Vilane. - Riot Hlatshwayo