3 February 2026 · Statement · Parliament
Statement: allegations must be treated as allegations
An office press statement dated 3 February 2026 says allegations must be treated as allegations, and that journalists must not be treated as security threats for asking questions.
The office PDF is headed as a media statement by Panduleni Itula, President of the Independent Patriots for Change. It says the debate is not about personal attacks or denying lawful economic activity, and it prints in capitals that allegations must be treated as allegations.
The statement asks for disclosure that would clarify, deny, or confirm potential conflicts of interest, and for safeguards so that legislation and executive action are not captured for private benefit. Claims in the longer PDF about identifiable private interests are not repeated here.
On the press, it says journalists must work with professionalism, and that no concern about journalistic conduct can justify force, intimidation, or coercion by state machinery. It says a President may decline questions, but journalists must never be treated as security threats for asking them. That is the office wording. This page does not decide the underlying dispute.
Read more
- Office extract: Accountability is not hostility (3 February 2026)
Office of the IPC President, supplied PDF. Record date 3 February 2026.