Kevin Wakeford says in Maduna, Ngcuka should resign (September 18) that the Scorpions have "selectively and successfully destroyed careers of leading politicians and business leaders".

Among leaders targeted by Bulelani Ngcuka's investigators, "Terror (sic) Lekota was investigated by the Scorpions for nondeclared business interests instead of allowing the parliamentary ethics committee to deal with the issue at hand", he says.

The parliamentary committee has no autonomous verification procedure; it relies on information from members of the body politic. In the Lekota case, that was the Mail and Guardian, and the committee did "deal with the issue at hand".

It appears Wakeford may have gleaned his information from a City Press article in which it was alleged the Mail and Guardian exposé on Lekota's business interests was the result of a Scorpions leak. This is not accurate, and City Press has been similarly informed.

No opaque source was involved. Our reporter Wisani wa ka Ngobeni initiated his investigation, obtained information through public company records and burned the midnight oil nailing the story down. The Mail and Guardian is not and will never be anybody's propaganda vehicle.

With acknowledgements to Mondli Makhanya and the Business Day.