LAST Sunday, an emissary from Communications Minister Dina Pule approached three Sunday Times journalists, me included, apparently looking to apologise for her press conference the previous week.
That press conference, billed as important, was essentially to attack the three journalists me, Stephan Hofstatter and Mzilikazi wa Afrika -who had written articles on how her alleged boyfriend, Mr Phosane Mngqibisa, had scored R6m from the ICT Indaba. Ms Pule herself had leaned on companies to sponsor this event.
So Ms Pule accused Mr Wa Afrika of having a secret cellphone company, Mr Hofstatter of planting spies in her office and me of having close friends at telecoms companies all part of our agenda to benefit unrelated handlers whose fortunes, it turned out, had gloriously converged.
It was a preposterous conspiracy theory. Many people saw through it pretty quickly. Ms Pule also obviously realised her gamble had backfired, which is why she sent her dove of peace, lawyer Ronnie Bokwa, to us last Sunday.
The first meeting was scheduled for Sunday night, between the hacks, the minister and the editor of this newspaper. Ms Pule would meet us, apologise for wronging the newspaper, and reveal all. On Sunday, we waited, drank coffee and stared at our watches. At about 6pm, we were told Ms Pule wouldnt make it because she had been driving from Mpumalanga all day.
No matter: Monday was a new day. The emissary of peace met us again, explained the terms of the meeting and assured us that at 6pm at the Intercontinental Hotel in Sandton wed meet the minister so she could apologise.
At the agreed time, we journalists congregated at the agreed place. It was to take place on the 27th floor of the Intercontinental, where only the privileged few are entitled to breathe the rarified air. The lawyer was there though, and he told us that Dina was nearby as there had been some conference.
We made small talk, we drank coffee, we ate Ferrero Roche chocolates (though the receptionist on the 27th floor wasnt sure she should hand them over when she discovered we hadnt paid for a room). The lawyer checked his watch: Shell be here now, he assured us.
It didnt ring any alarm bells particularly. For months, Ms Pule had promised to meet the Sunday Times, then cancelled, preferring to place rebuttals in more malleable media.
Besides, shes not known for particularly diligent timekeeping. After all, even at the press conference last week, called specifically to defend her personal honour, she was half-an-hour late.
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LAST WORD: Waiting for Dina...