Jul 24, 2010 1:20 PM | By Times LIVE
________________________________________
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) says the possibility of xenophobic attacks were nothing but "exaggeration and sensationalism".
In a statement released after it's two-day meeting, the NEC says it commends the security forces for their intervention in containing the threat. "The ANC branches were directed to be part of all the efforts to fight xenophobia," it says.
The NEC also slammed articles written by Reverend Frank Chikane that appeared in the Independent Newspapers recently, saying they "purport to report in a distorted fashion NEC meetings when Chikane was not even present".
It is in the character of the ANC to promote freedom of speech and free circulation of ideas and information within the ANC and broader society. However, the publication of the Chikane files, especially aspects that purport to report in a distorted fashion NEC meetings when Reverend Chikane was not even present, is viewed in a very serious light. We, therefore, call on our members and our people to be cautious in reading the Chikane files as they are not a gospel truth of the events that have unfolded in the recent past," it says.