“Is that smoke coming from your pants?”

MINISTER in the Presidency Essop Pahad is no shrinking violet when it comes to accusing the media of telling lies, especially when the disputed facts reflect negatively on his boss and long-time chum, President Thabo Mbeki. It is therefore no surprise that he is at the forefront of a government bid to “regulate” the media through the establishment of a state-controlled tribunal that would assess complaints of unfair reporting.

But those who live in glass houses have to be particularly careful to avoid playing fast and loose with the truth — chickens can make an awful mess when they come home to roost, and Pahad seems likely to be busy with his squeegee for some time.

First there was the obfuscation and alarming forgetfulness when he was asked in Parliament about Mbeki’s alleged meetings with arms dealers in France; then that disingenuous denial when asked if the Presidency arranged sponsorship for Ronald Suresh Roberts’s Mbeki biography (he did it in his personal capacity, you see).

And now, Andrew Feinstein states boldly in his new book that Pahad was telling a big pork pie when he repeatedly and emphatically denied trying to block the investigation into the arms deal. Is that smoke coming from your pants, Essop?

With acknowledgement to Business Day.