Vodacom said in a statement on Friday that Corruption Watch chairperson Mavuso Msimang was invited to give the keynote address at the awards ceremony where he spoke about the “importance of media freedom and why it should be preserved”.
“Msimang’s views are his own and are not those held by Vodacom. Vodacom believes in freedom of expression and would not censor Msimang’s views or those of other opinion makers.
“Vodacom is against discrimination and bigotry in all their manifestations, including race, age, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation and political thought.”