In a media statement issued on Sunday, Maimane said that in an era where artificial intelligence (AI) enables “voice cloning, manipulation and deepfake audio fabrication”, it was unethical for the newspaper to publish such claims without independent technical verification.
According to a TimesLIVE report, Maimane was allegedly captured in a 30-minute audio recording speaking to municipal manager Quiet Kgatla and opposition councillors from the African Independent Congress and the Forum for Service Delivery.
The report claims that Maimane told the councillors that he is in his last term and no longer cares what happens to the ANC. It further alleges that he encouraged them to dissuade voters from supporting the party and to tell the media — specifically TimesLIVE — that there is a “circus” in Madibeng caused by ANC infighting and that there is no issue with service delivery.
The report alleges that after discovering the meeting had been recorded, Maimane sent lawyers’ letters to the councillors, threatening them with legal action if they shared the clip.
Maimane has dismissed the report as false and a deliberate attempt at character assassination aimed at advancing factional political interests and undermining public confidence in the municipality. He also raised concerns about the lack of forensic verification of the alleged recording.
“The failure by TimesLIVE to subject the recording to a credible forensic audit raises a reasonable suspicion that the material is unauthentic, manipulated, or entirely fabricated. Despite repeated requests, the publication has failed and/or refused to provide the original, unedited audio recording for independent scrutiny.
This lack of transparency strengthens the inference of malicious intent and reinforces concerns that the report is driven by sensationalism and “clickbait” motives rather than factual accuracy.”
Maimane said that the matter had been referred to legal forums to determine the authenticity and legality of the alleged recording.
