The Presidency has announced that it will investigate what it believes are false reports about Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in the Sunday Times.
Weekend reports claim that the Hawks are ready to prosecute Gordhan for his alleged involvement in the South African Revenue Service (Sars) so-called rogue spy unit saga.
The Presidency has warned the public about dangerous information peddlers who are feeding false stories to the media.
Political analyst Sipho Seepe says that the media have the duty to responsibly report stories, particularly those that impact South Africa's economy and business relations.
We expect that there will be more evidence that will show that such a story is one that can be printed.
— Prof Sipho Seepe, political analyst
According to Seepe, the arrest claims have not been sufficiently substantiated, and the Sunday Times has a track record of retracting its stories around the rogue unit.
Seepe says that the overuse of anonymous sources makes it difficult for the Sunday Times to maintain its credibility.
Listen to the full conversation from The Midday Report:
This article first appeared on 702 : Sunday Times must provide more evidence to be seen as credible - analyst