Sorry Cassel

IN YESTERDAY'S edition, we carried a story with the headline "Knives out for 'corrupt' Mathale". The story was about a group of ANC politicians who are seeking to oust Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale from his position as ANC provincial chairman at the party's conference in December. It makes no mention of Mathale being corrupt.

In the last paragraph the story states: "As their campaign strategy the (anti-Mathale) group has been 'exposing' Mathale's alleged underhand business dealings". The claim that Mathale is corrupt and involved in "underhand dealings" is not substantiated.

Mathale's responses to the on-going campaign against him, of which he is aware as pointed out in a previous interview with us, were mistakenly omitted in yesterday story.

For the record, Mathale had told the Sowetan: "I am not a Mafia. People whose ultimately ultimate goal is victory in the conference are sponsoring that negative coverage of the ANC in the province."

- Yesterday, we also carried a story under the headline: "Shock move as Pakati quits board - unable to work with immoral govt". There is no evidence to suggest that SA Council of Churches secretary Mautji Pataki had directly stated that the Limpopo government was ''immoral".

However, he was critical of the slow pace of service delivery. He also said: "a society without a lack of moral fibre is a lost one".

We retract the incorrect statements and apologise to Mathale.