Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa

Journalists have come to the defense of investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh following a threat from former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) boss Lucky Montana.

Montana threatened violence against Myburgh after a report revealed how third parties linked to a Prasa contractor bought a property for him.

Myburgh reported that the property was partly funded with money that can be traced back to a beneficiary of dodgy contracts worth R4bn from Prasa.

I’ve been writing a lot to respond to this idiot. I asked him the questions to demonstrate there’s no substance to what he writes other than a personal vendetta. I will no longer entertain him. The next step is to search for this guy around JHB and beat the hell out of him. https://t.co/65LaqGOwhe

— Lucky Montana (@MontanaLucky) May 3, 2018

Threatening a journalist with violence because he won’t back down and you can’t back up your various versions?
Deplorable, @MontanaLucky.
Also: You decimated your own credibility, right there. If there was anything left. https://t.co/BQEHcV8feT

— Pauli Van Wyk (@PaulivW) May 3, 2018

.@MontanaLucky threatening violence against journalist @PLMyburgh . Grossly unacceptable. Amazing how innocent people can get violently angry.

Shame on you Lucky. @SAEditorsForum https://t.co/k4a5cR7lnZ

— Eusebius McKaiser (@Eusebius) May 3, 2018

Giving details on the story, Myburgh says Montana was given an opportunity to respond.

As per the normal course of events that precede us publishing an investigative report, I got hold of Mr Montana on his cellphone and through SMS. You will then find in my original report his response to me following those attempts to get his input.

— Pieter-Louis Myburgh, investigative reporter at News24

He basically said that he is not interested in discussing the matter, News 24 has some sort of agenda and he will not go into detail about it.

— Pieter-Louis Myburgh, investigative reporter at News24

I certainly think the fact that it has been aired in such a public way, it definitely probably necessitates some sort of complaint to be laid with the authorities.

— Pieter-Louis Myburgh, investigative reporter at News24

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