Johannesburg - Political analyst Prince Mashele has apologised for lying to the nation about his book, “The Outside: The unauthorised biography of Herman Mashaba”, after it was revealed that the book had the blessings of Mashaba who had paid R12.5 million to make it a reality.
On Wednesday, the embattled political commentator said he would like to offer his "sincere and unreserved apology" for his part in the controversy that has sown seeds of distrust towards him and resulted in the publishers withdrawing the book from the shelves.
Jonathan Ball Publishers, the publishing company responsible for the book, said it had had no prior knowledge of the arrangement between the author and the subject.
On Monday evening, the publishers said: “Jonathan Ball Publishers was unaware of any funding agreement between Mashele and Mashaba when we signed a publishing agreement with Mashele in 2022. We view this as a material non-disclosure on the part of the author and as a breach of trust.”
In his defence, Mashele, who has been accused of committing “literary fraud”, said the book deal was bound by a non-disclosure agreement that barred him from revealing intimate details of its funding.
“While I was bound by an a non-disclosure obligation, I accept that I should not have stated that Mr Herman Mashaba had no role to play in the funding of the book. The correct fact is that the research that led to the production of the book was financed through a funding agreement with Mr Mashaba, to whom I am eternally grateful. I offer my apology to Mashaba, who has since been associated with the controversy due to no fault of his own,” Mashele said.
He also apologised to eNCA host JJ Tabane for having lied to him when he said the book had been funded through his work as a consultant.
“I admit that the answer I gave to Professor JJ Tabane, in which I stated that Mr Mashaba had no role in the funding of the book, was incorrect. I apologise to Professor Tabane and the public in this regard,” he said.
Two weeks ago, Mashele, while promoting the book, described ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, who self-identifies as a liberal, as a leader espousing black-consciousness traits.
This was one of many curious findings Mashele shared with an audience at Wits University’s governance school two weeks ago, during a launch of the book before it was tainted and subsequently cancelled.
The Star