The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt, has expressed dismay about the wrongful motive imputed to his trip to South Africa as a member of government delegation. Mr Pratt, on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo programme on Friday, corroborated a report that he was personally invited and persuaded by the Minister of Sports, Rashid Pelpuo, to accompany them to South Africa based on his wealth of experience in sports. The seasoned journalist, and a known politician noted for his socialist traits, recounted his sports-related life, the number of sports committees he has served on, including being a one time public relations officer at the Ministry of Sports. “It is not like I am a stranger when it comes to sports. I was a sports writer for the Ghana News Agency. Go and check.” He downplayed calls by a section of the public, politicians in particular, that he should be charged for causing financial loss to the state. Mr Pratt stated that he was assigned specific roles which did not include participating in the draw for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He was, among other duties, to assess how suitable Cape Town, a place dominated by whites and with an unfavourable altitude, would be for the Black Stars; examine facilities at a university of science and sports that the team will use to prepare for the tournament; and also help write a manual for supporters. “Cape Town has serious altitude problems that if you want to host the Black Stars there you have to take other measures to deal with the effect of the altitude.” He expressed concern about the crime situation in South Africa in general and cautioned that since over 3,000 supporters are expected to travel to that country from Ghana, “it is important that Ghanaian journalism should go beyond the technical reporting of football and begin to discuss social issues and so on… People entering this territory ought to have a certain sense of what to expect.” “I have realized that whatever good I do, I would be paid with evil,” he said rather surprisingly. Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana