The Media

AUGUST 2011 R35 (INCL. VAT)

PHYLICIA OPPELT

takes the lead

THERE IS NO STOPPING THEMDevi Sankaree GovenderJodi BieberMichelle MeyjesMichélle van Breda

Rising Star: Mandy WienerLifetime Achiever: Ethel Hazelhurst

Bang Bang Clubno romance in conflict photography

HELEN ZILLE - a critical look at the industry

THE REAL FACE of women in the media - Paula Fray

Media agencies:STOP undervaluing yourselves

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Get your brands in the righthands, advertise with us,

call: 011-877 6016.

* 42% of our LSM 4-6 readers are females. AMPS 2010 AB.

We reach more than three quarters of a millionwomen readers every Sunday... We certainlyknow a thing or two about Women and Media.

August 2011 | themedia | 3www.themediaonline.co.za

COVER STORIES14 Helen Zille speaks out about

the media

The opposition party leader – a

former journalist – takes a critical look

at the media and its relationship with

the country’s top politicians.

17 So what if a woman is leading? When Paula Fray was appointed

editor of the Saturday Star, she was

one of the first woman editors of

a mainstream newspaper. She

looks back at what has changed

and what hasn’t.

19 “Boss Woman” not trying to fill anyone else’s shoes

And the winner of this year’s 1st for

Women Insurance Brokers Women

in The Media Awards is The Times’

Phylicia Oppelt.

41 Photojournalism in conflict Many photographers aspire to be

like those in the Bang Bang Club, but

the inner turmoil actually experienced

by photographers covering conflict

is seldom told. Photographer Kim

Ludbrook gives insight.

44 What a client wants…

Media agencies devaluing themselves

to gain a client is sadly not unusual.

But that is not what clients want.

Beth Shirley finds out more.

REGULARS4 Editor’s letter6 Contributors 8 Bits56 20 questions

Nikiwe Bikitsha, eNews anchor and

Mail & Guardian columnist

CONTENTS AUGUST 2011

COLUMNISTS 12 The virtual world…

unstoppable?

Harry Herber shares his realisation

that the Internet has changed our lives

forever and will keep changing them.

51 Investigative journo meets private eye

Sam Sole unpacks the interesting

relationship between forensic

professionals and investigative journalists.

54 Paying homage to media buyers

Media buyers are an essential part of

the industry. Debbie Ihlenfeldt explains

how they are underrated and why they

shouldn’t be.

55 Here we go again

Howard Thomas ponders the bizarre

way media works – according to

economics and irrational decision.

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What would you giveto reach 5 million*readers every weekday? * AMPS 2010 AB

PAY UP...

WOMEN IN THE MEDIA 21 Ethel Hazelhurst: Doyenne of financial

journalism

26 Mandy Wiener: Smell of napalm in

the morning

28 Devi Sankaree Govender: A

‘rottweiler’ with a passion

29 Jodi Bieber: A rebel with a cause

36 Michelle Meyjes: A “hard bloody slog”

37 Michélle van Breda: A passion for

print media

FEATURES32 The ultimate juggling act

People in this industry need to put their

heart and soul into their work but life gets

interesting when they introduce children

into the equation. Sharlene Sharim finds

out how women manage.

46 Dealing with a crisis in the media

Companies and public people pay

a fortune for a good spin doctor.

But what does it take to do the job

well? Glenda Nevill finds out.

48 Video on demand challenges

You are now able to watch the

latest movies on the box at the

click of a button. But how will

this impact on the video rental

industry?

50 Reaching people on the move

Media agency experts explain what

it takes to reach that massive LSM

4 to 6 group.

52 Reconstructing the past Mandla Langa speaks of the

essential role investigative

journalists play in piecing together

the unknown but vital parts of our

history.

41 5456


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call: 011-877 6016.

* 42% of our LSM 4-6 readers are females. AMPS 2010 AB.

We reach more than three quarters of a millionwomen readers every Sunday... We certainlyknow a thing or two about Women and Media.

IWomen supporting womenEDITOR’S LETTER

JHB: 011 259 1700, Cape Town: 021 406 2449, Durban: 031 533 7600, www.ads24.co.za

Target the biggest economically active audience in the Cape Region with 1,039,000 readers and climbing.

With 89% of our readers in LSM 6-9 and a collective buying power of R34.8 billion*, you can’t afford not to.

If you are serious about business in the Cape, speak to the people who reach the market.

* Source: AMPS 2010AB. Total household income of Son Readers.

Untitled-1 1 2011/06/20 10:49 AM

IT IS THAT INCREDIBLE TIME OF YEAR WHERE WE GET TO LAUD successful women in our industry and, because it is women’s month, we also get to honour South African women in general for what we have all achieved. But, sometimes, while we all pay homage to destroying the glass ceiling and doing what we can to improve the lot of women in our industry, it is not necessarily happening at the coalface.

I recently heard a group of young reporters talking about their superiors. They were saying they had a better chance of getting help from their male bosses because they didn’t feel threatened by their youth and their women bosses were trying too hard to impress their authority than actually being real leaders.

I have worked for women who were more ruthless than the worst kind of male leader, with not an ounce of nurturing in their blood. They would cut others down at the first opportunity because they showed passion and the determination to do well in their career.

I have also worked for a woman editor – in fact the first mainstream newspaper editor in the country – who sat me down after a few months as my boss to discuss my future. I was a reporter and had been for many years. She asked me what I wanted to be doing in five years time. I had no idea. So, she suggested I consider becoming a news editor and gave me the opportunity to spend three months in that position while another news editor took leave. I loved the experience, the challenge and I realised what I wanted to be doing in five years – and being a reporter wasn’t it.

This woman leader was tough. She expected her pound of flesh. She expected us all to work extremely hard. But she did what we don’t ever expect bosses to do. She helped my career and I am sure she did the same for many other reporters – male and female.

So, having chatted to each of these incredible women at the pinnacle of their careers who are finalists (or winners) in the 1st for Women Insurance Brokers Women in The Media Awards, I never heard one of them speak of being nurtured or given guidance. They all achieved success against hard odds. They have all made big sacrifices and had really tough times, often simply because they are women.

Are they nurturing those below them and giving them a gentle nudge in the right direction? Are they inspiring other women in their particular brand of leadership? I hope so. I might still be a reporter on a weekly newspaper if not for a truly inspiring woman boss.

I am not saying that women leaders must be nurturing younger women and not men. I am also not saying that women leaders must be nannies, mommies or anything like that in their positions. I am simply saying that as women, we often have a nurturing streak that works wonders in developing those we manage so they can realise their full potential.

In this issue, other than paying tribute to our winners, we find out how mothers in the media industry manage. Also, Helen Zille insists that the speaking of truth to power is a two-way process and that the media must deal with its shortcomings.

Kim Ludbrook gives insight into the inner struggles of those photographers who cover conflict. We look at how best to deal with crisis, according to the country’s best spin doctors.

We also bring you an extract from a speech Mandla Langa made about the investigative reporter as a storyteller. Enjoy!

Here’s to being mad about the media! Peta

THIS WOMAN LEADER WAS TOUGH. SHE EXPECTED HER POUND OF FLESH. SHE EXPECTED US ALL TO WORK EXTREMELY HARD.

6 | themedia | August 2011 www.themediaonline.co.za

SELECTED CONTRIBUTORS

HELEN ZILLE is the premier of the Western Cape, the leader of South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance party and former Cape Town mayor. She was a political journalist and anti-apartheid activist. She exposed the truth behind the death of Steve Biko while working on the Rand Daily Mail.Read ‘Helen Zille speaks out about the media’ on page 14

KIM LUDBROOK is a photojournalist and the regional photo editor Africa for EPA, an international news agency. He has covered the war in Libya, the 2009 coup in Madagascar, the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Charles Taylor in Liberia and many other newsworthy events.

Read ‘Photojournalism in conflict’ on page 41

GLENDA NEVILL is the editor of themediaonline.co.za, a journalist, media strategist and communicator. She has had Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Department of Defence as clients and has spent 20 years in journalism, including 10 at the Sunday Times.

Read ‘Dealing with a crisis in the media’ on page 46

MANDLA LANGA is a writer, novelist and journalist who is the former chairperson of MultiChoice South Africa, as well as Icasa. He was Leadership’s editor-at-large and programme director for television at SABC. He has also been director at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism and the Rhodes University School of Economic Journalism.

Read ‘Reconstructing the past’ on page 52

DEBBIE IHLENFELDT is MD at The MediaShop Cape Town and has worked on every aspect of the advertising industry, starting in account management, through-the-line, CRM, sponsorship and CSI. Her brand experience includes just about every sector from FMCG brands, retail, services, telecommunications and tourism.

Read ‘Paying homage to media buyers’ on page 54

PAULA FRAY, former editor of the Saturday Star is regional director for Inter Press Service (Africa). As a trainer for frayintermedia, she provides skills training for the WAN-Ifra Women in News Leadership Programme.

Read ‘So what if a woman is leading?’ on page 17

August 2011EDITORPeta Krost Maunder l [email protected]

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTSharlene Sharim

PROOFREADERBeth Shirley

SUB-EDITORDallace Jolly

EDITORIAL BOARD Matthew Buckland, Dr Melanie Chait, Max du Preez, Ryland Fisher, Ferial Haffajee, Professor Nixon Kariithi, Jos Kuper, Libby Lloyd, Gordon Muller, Clare O’Neil and Professor Govin Reddy

CONTRIBUTORSYusuf Abramjee, Paula Fray, Erica Gunning, Harry Herber, Martin HillerDebbie Ihlenfeldt, Mandla Langa, Kim Ludbrook, Andrew MalulekaGlenda Nevill, Chris Roper, Wadim Schreiner, Tanya SchreuderBeth Shirley, Sam Sole, Howard Thomas and Helen Zille

LAYOUT Ideaology Advertising and DesignArt Director: Martin Hiller

ADVERTISING SALESLance Petersen (National Sales Manager) [email protected] l 076 166 0830

[email protected] l (011) 447-7740

ONLINE Glenda Nevill l [email protected]

PUBLISHED BYWag the Dog Publishers (Pty) Ltd. (011) 447-7740/1PO Box 1574, Parklands, 2121243 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown North, Johannesburg

PUBLISHER Sandra Gordon l [email protected]

MANAGING DIRECTORRonéll Buitenbos l [email protected]

THE MEDIA is published monthly and distributed to executives within the southern African media sector. The mailing list has been established in collaboration with Brewers Marketing Intelligence and is updated daily. Any enquiries relating to the list should be addressed to the publisher. Copyright© The Media is a registered trademark. Should you wish to lift any material from the publication, please liaise with the editor beforehand.

BETH SHIRLEY is the writer-at-large for the Iconic Group (which includesStone Soup PR, Wag the Dog Publishers and Ideaology). She has written forBusiness Day, Sunday Independent, the Weekender, Big Issue, Financial Mail’s Ad Focus and The Times. She is a self-declared book maniac.

Read ‘What a client wants...’ on page 44


IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN MEDIA, THE share of quotations and references attributed to women increased from 17.3% to 18.9% between 2010 and 2011. Initially, this seemed encouraging although 19% is unacceptable. Despite over 50% of the population being female, just 10 years ago, women’s share of voice hovered around 11%.

News has always been male-dominated, with women usually playing the gender-conforming role of the partner, perhaps muse, but mostly victim. The statistics seem to point to progress with women playing a more significant role in media coverage in South Africa. Wrong. The increase in reporting has been on the back of the recently held local elections and is largely attributed to the Democratic Alliance (DA), which sent three women, Helen Zille, Patricia de Lille and Lindiwe Mazibuko to fight for votes and media space. Hence the number one spot of most quoted women in politics (where share of women has increased to 22%) is clearly led by DA leader Zille, followed by Patricia de Lille in second (albeit with a quarter of the mentions), then Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, in turn followed by Mazibuko.

In previous years, the political rankings were dominated by Zuma’s women in cabinet. These figures have been considerably less focused on by the media in 2011. So while perhaps we can embrace the rise of women in political coverage, Julius Malema has reminded us that Mazibuko is considered by many as nothing but a glorified ‘tea lady for the madam’. Of course his utterances are not a reflection of ANC policy (similar to nationalisation of mines), but the lack of condemnation of that statement from the ranks of the party are nevertheless a concern.

In business coverage, the share of women has dropped from 14.2% to 13.5%. Absa CEO, Maria Ramos, has always been the shining

example of gender representation in the media, but only during her tenure at Transnet. Since she joined Absa, her profile has been far less prominent. Instead, Reserve Bank governor, Gill Marcus and Anglo American CEO, Cynthia Carroll, are leading the ranks of women in business coverage. Yet despite the limited number of women newsmakers, those who are contributing to the process of ‘making the news’ provide critical commentary about South African society and the direction we should be taking. Women such as Ferial Haffajee, the editor of City Press, is turning the weekly into a formidable paper and visibly influencing policy debate and Mandy Wiener shows us that radio journalism can provide analytical and in-depth information. Then there is Katy Katopodis, Eyewitness News editor-in-chief, who seldom misses a story. Ingi Salgado, the sole voice of sustainability and environment in news continues to be a voice in this wilderness through her commentary in Independent Newspapers. Not to be overlooked is Ann Crotty, the much-feared defender of corporate governance or Phylicia Oppelt, who made such an impact at the Daily Dispatch and is doing the same at The Times. There are many more women that shape our thinking on a daily basis, without making the news themselves.

Now, if business could follow the lead of the media and appoint more women at an influential, executive level, South Africa’s voice on critical issues would be that much more formidable.

media by the mouthful

Scarce, yet formidable women newsmakerswomen in the news

WADIM SCHREINER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, MEDIA TENOR SOUTH AFRICA

TOP FIVE* READS OF THE MONTH

1 About: No crisis at The New Age. South Africa’s controversial new newspaper has rolled from one drama to the next. The latest was that Henry Jeffreys – the editor who stepped up to the plate when Vuyo Mvoko and his team walked out just before the launch – was leaving after six months in the saddle. Member of The Media and themediaonline.co.za’s editorial board, Ryland Fisher, has taken over.

2 About: Joost vs Huisgenoot. Our exclusive story on how Joost van der Westhuizen’s story was reported in YOU/Huisgenoot is still one of the most popular stories on the site. The former rugby star’s illness has made headlines around the world, but the way in which it was reported by South Africa’s two most popular weekly magazines had the former Springbok fuming.

3 About: Media24 takes the gap in news magazine market. NewsNow will be South Africa’s first aggregated news magazine, edited by Waldimar Pelser. The story about how the magazine will be run in terms of aggregated content struck a chord with themediaonline.co.za’s readers.

4 About: Maverick DNA spawns Africa’s first iPad daily. Our interview with The Daily Maverick editor Branko Brkic, about how Africa’s first iPad daily is being created, plus the news that you can get a subscription WITH the iPad, got readers going.

5 About: Beyond the facts and figures: the real meaning of mobile advertising in Africa. Managing director for Africa, Isis Ngony’o, unpacked the latest research by inMobi in a fascinating look at the future of the mobile market in Africa.

*Based on the number of hits

For the full articles, log on to www.themediaonline.co.za.

media hit 9 media miss 9

turf war 10 media rant and media rave 11

8 | themedia | August 2011

Maria Ramos Ferial Haffajee


media hit

This cover is simple, beautiful, and above all, damn clever. There’s none of the hysteria of many local magazine covers, with their 95 cover lines desperately trying to attract as many different readers as possible to compensate for dropping circulation.

The Fantastic Man cover speaks impeccably to where magazine, and indeed online, publishing has to go: a clearly niched audience, targeted specifically and precisely.

And making David Beckham look nothing like himself is brilliant.

It seduces the reader into complicity with the magazine’s editorial pillars, and also makes the reader identify with Beckham as a fellow Fantastic Man.

Identifying with the fantastic man

chris roper is the editor of the mail & guardian online, and blogs on chrisroper.co.za. he works agnostically across several media platforms.

he was founding portal manager of vodacom world online, portal manager for mweb, and editor in chief at 24.com

media miss

Like Kylie Minogue, the July 2011 cover of marie claire is stuck in the 90s. A great shame, considering their covers are mostly a breath of fresh air among the other female magazines.

I am usually a fan of the black and gold combination, but the black background is too harsh for the chosen picture of Kylie (which has not been deep-etched properly) and this cheapens the overall appearance of the cover. The use of cover lines are overpowering and instead of being another visual element on the cover, they end up looking like a cut-and-paste job. For a magazine that wants you to think smart and look amazing, this cover clearly misses the mark. I cannot get this cover out of my head!

All that is gold doesn’t always sparkle

martin hiller is is a senior designer at ideaology advertsing, design and digital. he is responsible for the design of the media,

strategic marketing and easydiy. he has previously worked as a magazine designer in the travel and freight sector.


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call: 011-877 6016.

Courageous

Dedicated leaders

Respected

Influencial

Indomitable

Spirited

Classy

City Press salutesWomen in Media.


“In our usual fashion of giving just over 1.9-million listeners the greatest chart-toppers, unsurpassed content and the very best in on-air talent, East Coast Radio’s (ECR) Damon Beard takes the afternoon airwaves to new heights. Quick on his feet with great conversational style and reparteé, Beard’s boyish charm eases you through the traffic on your daily trip home. If he is not making you laugh with ‘The Wacky Fun Story’, he’s tugging at your heart strings as he makes dreams come true with ‘The Big Favour’. During his show, Beard will also throw you a ‘Moral Dilemma’ where your integrity is questioned. He relays a scenario on air, often a very sensitive one, and gives you the chance to call in and explain how you would react to the situation. He will play the ‘Name Game’ with you – just to see what you’re really made of. How well do you know names and surnames of the rich and famous? Beard will give you the name, and for a really cool prize, you have to give him the surname. When not making waves on air, he’s riding them on the surf. This passionate surfer, marathon swimmer, paddler and animal lover, is also a qualified journalist, trauma counsellor and pilot!” – Finola Quarsingh, ECR PRO

Show: The Drive with Damon, weekdays from 3pm – 6pmHost: Damon Beard (pictured)Target Market: LSM 6 – 10; Age 25 - 49Station adspend: R321.5-million (May 2010 – April 2011; Nielsen AIS)Programme listenership: 186 000 weekdays average quarter hour listeners from 4pm - 7pm (June 2011 RAMS)

turf war

Drive-time show offEast Coast Radio in KwaZulu-Natal has become an institution but Gagasi 99.5FM, which is from the same stable, is hot on its heels. Afternoon drivetime is particularly popular…

Show: Afternoon Show Off, weekdays from 3pm – 6pmHosts: Trevor ‘TP’ Phillips and Thandolwethu Ngidi (pictured)Target Market: LSM 5 – 10; Age 16 – 35Station Adspend: R 65.9-million (May 2010 – April 2011; Nielsen AIS) Programme Listenership: 156 000 weekdays average quarter hour listeners from 4pm - 7pm (June 2011 RAMS)

“This is a fun-filled and fast-paced show that aims to entertain, inform and inspire. Hosted by the craziest pair, TP Phillips and Thandolwethu Ngidi, who always look at the lighter side of issues. Their talk feature takes listeners to the next level in terms of the way they view life by engaging them in real life stories, both heart-breaking and heart-warming. The discussions are interactive, connected and sometimes they are controversial yet humorous at the same time.With the outspoken and often eccentric Ngidi and a touch of the humble, but sometimes crazy Phillips, listeners are constantly drawn into a web of seriously loud fun! The show has features like ‘I’m man, I’m woman,’ which profiles prominent people who are an inspiration to everyone and are seen as a symbol of success. The show is definitely about showing off your best qualities and the music playlist complements the whole package, ultimately ensuring the best radio experience in KwaZulu- Natal.” – Khulekani Shandu, Gagasi 99.5 FM media liaison & PRO

vs

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011 447 7241

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Happy birthday 702media rave

I HAVE TO RAVE ABOUT MY OWN company, Primedia Broadcasting, owners of Talk Radio 702, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, 567 Cape Talk and 94.5 Kfm.

The two talk stations continue to provide up-to-the-minute news and information and riveting talkback. The music stations have a reputation for outstanding entertainment. The Eyewitness News brand runs across all four stations and on www.ewn.co.za, Facebook and Twitter. We pride ourselves for being first with breaking news – “as it happens, when it happens.”

Talk Radio 702 continues to remain close to my heart. This is where I began my career as a radio journalist – some 17 years ago. 702 is credible, has a very influential audience and constantly puts back into the community. Its listeners are most generous and never stop giving.

702 is part of the Lead SA initiative and it continues to drive the key messages. The Crime Line, 32211 SMS service, is also punted extensively on 702. If you want to know what’s happening in your suburb, your city, your province, the country and the world, 702 is the place to be.

702 is my source of information - and it’s a source to hundreds of thousands of other people. It is addictive. The station is not only informative, but also very educational.

702 was named MTN Radio Station of the Year for the second consecutive year. It also scooped scores of other awards. This radio station is professional and world-class.

With 702 having turned 31 in June, I have to rave about my favourite station…Happy birthday 702!

www.kayafm.co.za

Government vs Media

GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION has been in the spotlight over recent months, following Jimmy Manyi’s appointment as CEO. His racist comments about Coloureds and Indians some time ago continue to haunt him.

Unlike his predecessor, Themba Maseko, Manyi is not popular with the media and hostility towards the press has increased. Rather than driving the government and media apart, Manyi’s function is to bring them closer. We don’t always have to agree with each other, but we need to find common ground.

Many editors believe government communication is deteriorating. Communication officers get paid to communicate. They need to have their phones on at all times, answer queries quickly, make their principals available and constantly network with the media.

While some departments are good at this, others are useless. While the South African Police Service communcations has improved, journalists continue to complain about poor incoming information, the media being harassed by cops and unreturned calls and ignored queries. They and others can learn from International Relations and Co-operation, Home Affairs, National Treasury, Health and SARS . Manyi must improve his relationship with the media. He must sit down with editors, talk and find common ground. Otherwise, the hostility between the two groups is going to increase.

media rant

Over the last 12 years Kaya FM’s 60/40 split of music and talk has proved

a winning combination for advertisers. We have an audience

of mature and sophisticated listeners who are aspirational, ambitious

and success-driven.

Call our Business Development team on011 634 9500, e-mail [email protected] visit our website at www.kayafm.co.za.

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Fire

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yusuf abramjee is head of news and current affairs at primedia broadcasting and is also chairperson of the national press club. he writes this column in his personal capacity.


WThe virtual world...unstoppable?

THE MEDIA SPECIALISTharry herber is the former group managing director of the mediashop

HARRY HERBER gets stuck online, realising that the world has changed from the one we knew and is now on a crazy path towards…more change.

WHEN THE LAST DECADE OF THE 20TH CENTURY dawned, who would have predicted just how far the digital world would have moved? And what a massive all-encompassing presence it would have generated just 20 years on. The virtual/digital domain absolutely rules our total existence today, and it’s scary! It really gives perspective to the faux pas that are today legendary.

Remember the president of IBM Thomas Watson’s famous statement: “I think there’s a world market for maybe five computers”? Of course IBM today deny this was ever said. And what about the icon of them all – Bill Gates: “I think 640k is more memory than anyone will ever need.”

Again, Gates in response to this alleged quote has responded, “I’ve said some stupid things and some wrong things. But not that.” So who knows? But one thing is for certain: very, very few people could have predicted the world of communication, model 2011.

I think the incredibility has everything to do with scale. It’s the sheer size and numbers that are so hard to comprehend and get any perspective on. Let me give you a couple of examples, all out of a single issue (21 April) of USA Today’s Money Section:• Let’s talk Apple. In the first quarter of 2011 guess

how many iPhones Apple sold? 18.65-million. By my calculations that around 207 000 iPhones a

day. There was a 95 percent profit jump. Revenue was US$24.6-billion. Again by my dodgy calculations that would equate to around US$27m a day! And, by the way, the numbers could have been a lot higher had the iPad 2 been released earlier!• Google: Well they’re doing pretty okay. When the rest of the US is going jobless, they’re hiring 6 000 people in 2011. It’s no wonder the CEO Eric Schmidt, who took a salary of US$1 a year (yeah, right) was given a new package in his changed

role as executive chairman. Now he’ll have to get by on the US$1.25m raise, a bonus of up to US$6m annually, and the stock package the board awarded him. Oh, did I mention the stock package was worth US$100m?

And I chose a career in advertising.OK, now let’s look at perhaps the biggest

phenomenon of the 21st Century: Facebook. It replaced, in one fell swoop, phone calls, SMS, email, letters and conversation.

It swept through the world at an incredible pace. And the numbers are just mind boggling. There are over 500-million active users. These users have an average of 130 friends each. (I don’t know the names of 130 people, and I include in that, a rather large extended family).

They manage to sit and stare at the screen for 700-billion minutes per month, while creating 90 pieces of content each (all 500m of them) in any 30-day period. And half of them access Facebook (that’s 250m) via their mobile phone. Lastly, it is available in 70 languages, with 300 000 users acting as translators! By the way, I tested myself. I can name 20 of the languages – 50 to go.

Unstoppable. Irreplaceable. Part of the new fabric of society. For sure. Definitely. Well, just hold it a second. This is the digital realm, where the only certainty is change. Where services and products get superceded, absorbed and unfashionable. Where new is better. And is this now starting to affect Facebook? Sure it’s still growing –by ‘only’ 11.8m people in May 2011 – down a whack when compared to the 20m monthly increase in the last year. In the United States, Facebook lost six million users, in Canada 1.5-million and in early-adopter countries like the UK, Norway and Russia, over 100 000 each.

It’s an interesting dilemma facing all big Internet-based companies – how do you change your entire focus from a growth-focused mentality to a sustainability-focused mentality? Obviously infinite growth doesn’t work in finite markets.

I, for one, believe that there will be incredible innovation in this ‘virtual’ world still. At the same time, while there will be the zero to hero stories, it will always come down to cash and intellectual resource.

And those best set to exploit new avenues and products, will be the companies with the biggest footprints already. So Apple, Microsoft, Google, eBay and Twitter are here to stay. For at least the next ...? n



I

Helen Zille speaks out about media

IN RECENT MONTHS, ACRES OF NEWSPRINT have been devoted to the government’s attempts to curb media freedom through proposals such as a media tribunal and the Protection of Information Bill. Government communications head, Jimmy Manyi, has been roundly (and rightly) condemned for suggesting that the government could withdraw advertising revenue from newspapers that don’t toe the line.

We are facing an assault on the free press not seen since the darkest days of apartheid. The truth is the ANC is not interested in building an open society. On the contrary, it wants to shut down every institution and person willing to speak truth to power.

There can be no more chilling example of this than reports of pending charges against Public Protector Thuli Madonsela. Time will tell what fate befalls her for daring to rule against Police Commissioner Bheki Cele and other high-ranking members of government for corruption and maladministration. The selective application of justice is just as great a threat to the future of our country, as the curbs on freedom of expression.

The growing public outcry against these moves is encouraging because it signals a commitment across the spectrum to protect those who hold the government to account. The only downside is that, as ever, when the stakes are high, there is little room for nuance: “You are either with us or against us”, as a former US President once said.

So, just as Jimmy Manyi interprets every criticism of government as all-out hostility, every criticism of the media – no matter how valid it may be – is seen as an attack on the free press. As a result, people who deeply value press freedom, but have legitimate

concerns over the performance of our media – including many working in the media themselves – tend to keep quiet. This is a great pity because the media has a great deal to be introspective about.

The DA has always supported ‘self-regulation’ as a means of ensuring that the media can be measured against the core principles it has set itself, and which mirror the values of our constitution. But if the media wants ‘self regulation’ to continue, it must work effectively.

In many instances it does not. A clear example of failed ‘self-regulation’ is our recent experience with the Sowetan over repeated incidents of inaccurate reporting about the DA and its administration in the Western Cape. Correspondence and voice mail messages remained unanswered and the Sowetan’s blatant bias continued. Eventually, after months of failed attempts at communication with the newspaper, we removed the errant reporter’s name from our voluntary media circulation list. This elicited an extraordinary ‘pack-hunt’ of misdirected media outrage, and was misinterpreted as ‘blacklisting’ and an attack on media freedom in general.

Firstly, the DA is under no obligation to send emails to anyone, let alone everyone. Secondly, the core problem was the failure of the self-regulatory mechanism to address legitimate concerns about continuous journalistic lapses at the Sowetan.

When we met a South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) delegation in order to discuss the collective media outrage at the removal of a journalist’s name from our circulation list, we produced our file to demonstrate our repeated and fruitless attempts to get ‘self-regulation’ to work at the

Sowetan. The SANEF delegation then openly acknowledged that there had been a “complete meltdown” at the Sowetan. Instead of focusing on the real issue, which is a “complete meltdown” at a newspaper that influences tens of thousands of people every day, the media themselves sought a political scapegoat. An irony worth pondering.

The second was the Sunday Times’ refusal to release the full 2008 report into the meltdown at that newspaper which gave rise to a series of dubious front-page stories. It took dogged pressure from a Rhodes journalism student (including a failed Promotion of Access to Information Act application) for the full report to see the light of day – despite many rival newspapers having the report in their possession. Few were willing (at least initially) to break the unwritten code of honour that stops newspapers from publishing stories that are unfavourable to other newspapers, even when it is in the public interest to do so.

Looking critically at the media, DA leader HELEN ZILLE insists that to speak truth to power, the media must look at its own shortcomings too.

media freedom

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I believe that, if our media are to successfully speak truth to power, three things must happen.

Firstly, the government must desist with its assault on press freedom. The amendments of crucial sections of the Protection of Information Bill are a step in the right direction. We must continue to use every legislative and legal means at our disposal to protect the free press.

Secondly, media outlets need to invest more in training journalists. There are some excellent journalists out there. While I may have had disagreements with some of them over the years, I have never been in any doubt about their commitment to fair and accurate reporting. But, for every journalist who understands his or her craft implicitly, there is another yet to grasp the basic tenets of journalism, such as marshalling the facts and checking them with more than one source, or giving the right of reply. Most alarming is that very few journalists these days have the ability to accurately record a statement verbatim. This is why I tend to give written comment over email or SMS – otherwise the risk of being misquoted is simply too high.

Thirdly, we need to find ways to make self-regulation and peer-review work. The Press Ombudsman needs to be better-resourced to do his job optimally and be given more teeth to impose greater sanctions when newspapers get it wrong or overstep the mark. More than that, there needs to be a culture of honest and open peer-review between media outlets. If a publication gets a story wrong, then let other publications say so and interrogate what happened. The unwritten code that prevents journalists from writing critical pieces about their peers and rival publications needs to be broken.

I hope these points will be taken in the constructive spirit in which I offer them. Nobody is more committed to protecting press freedom than the party I represent, but the point needs to be made that speaking truth to power is a two-way process. The media does not have a monopoly on the ‘truth’. It is even harder in our society for a politician to speak ‘truth’ to an editor.

Getting to the ‘truth’ depends on a press corps capable of fair, accurate, incisive reporting and an industry willing to be honest and open about its own shortcomings. And, if the media can get its house in order, there will be even less justification for the government to interfere. n

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women in the media

So what if a woman is leading?When PAULA FRAY was appointed editor of the Saturday Star, she was one of the first woman editors of a South African mainstream newspaper. She explains that while a lot has changed, a lot hasn’t.

TWELVE YEARS AGO, WOMEN EDITORS were somewhat of a novelty. So much so, that when it became known that Lakela Kaunda (Evening Post) and I (Saturday Star) were joining these hallowed ranks, gender activists made note of it in Parliament.

When the South African National Editors Forum met then President Thabo Mbeki in 2005, you could still count the number of women editors on your fingers.

Twelve years later. It should be long enough for the novelty to wear off but I found myself in an interview recently where I was asked: “Why is it important to have women editors?”

“Why?” Just the question indicates that there is, indeed, a need. We don’t ask why it’s important to have editors of different races, or who speak different languages or who have differing political views…but women?

We shouldn’t be surprised. A two-year study by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) – that secured interviews with 500 companies in 59 countries – shows that women are still under-represented in the majority of newsrooms across the globe. And we’re talking in all sectors: news media ownership, publishing, governance, reporting, editing, photojournalism, and broadcast production.

The IWMF research shows that globally men hold nearly two-thirds of reporting jobs. Women hold 41 percent of senior professional positions such as news-gathering, editing and writing roles. And men still dominate at executive level positions. Globally, men occupy 73% of the top media jobs. And women are as under-represented in the news agenda as they are on the newsroom floor. The 2010 Global Media Monitoring Project project showed only 22% of sources were female.

On the face of it, particularly because women media leaders tend to be high profile, we assume that the change is greater than it actually is. South Africa has made significant strides. Not only are there more women editors than ever before, but they are also editing high-

profile publications. But is it enough? The South African media are often accused of holding other people to account for transformation yet failing to transform itself. The question is whether we currently have at least 30% representation of women in senior leadership in the newsroom and whether we can achieve a 50% representation by 2015 – as we expect our political institutions to do.

It’s not enough to say that we reflect our society; the media should lead societal transformation.

I am sometimes asked to identify acts of discrimination against me because I am a woman. I wish explicit discrimination was the issue because it would be easy to identify and take action to eliminate. But it’s the acts of omission that weigh far more heavily on the

shoulders of young women media leaders: who gets the financial training; who is selected for the career-making story/beat/reporting opportunity; who makes the shortlist for the editor’s position? These are the burning questions which should be asked.

And then, having made that shortlist, ask whether there is room for women to acknowledge and embrace all facets of their beings – including their role as mothers? These are issues which our male counterparts have never had to face.

An editor’s worldview plays a large role in the publication’s perspectives, its story choices, its community leadership. Too many editors – male and female – see their role as maintaining the status quo and, in so doing, reinforcing a consensus worldview that dulls debate and fails to inspire.

Women editors are – or should be – as diverse as the men with whom they compete. We don’t all think alike; we’re not all mothers nor do we want to be; we do not speak for half of the population – only for those people who share our views.

When I see the tough assignments some women do take, I wonder if their appointments – rather than shatter the glass ceiling – reinforce the ‘glass cliff’ theory: that women in leadership are more likely to be offered the precarious positions than men. Eager to prove ourselves, we accept these positions that set us up for failure with little additional reward for success.

But it’s a tough world out there for both male and female editors with most challenges not unique to either of them. These days I spend a lot of time coaching women in media leadership. And my message is clear: “Stand for something. Make your voice count.”

We have to speak up for ourselves because no-one else will. The recent appointment of Esmaré Weideman as Media24 CEO underscores how far women media leaders in South Africa have moved since 1994.

But we still have a long way to go. n

WOMEN EDITORS ARE – OR SHOULD BE – AS DIVERSE AS THE MEN WITH WHOM THEY COMPETE. WE DON’T ALL THINK ALIKE; WE’RE NOT ALL MOTHERS NOR DO WE WANT TO BE; WE DO NOT SPEAK FOR HALF OF THE POPULATION – ONLY FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO SHARE OUR VIEWS.


“Boss Woman” not trying to fill anyone else’s shoes1st for Women Insurance Brokers Women in The Media Award winner Phylicia Oppelt has had a serious impact on newspapers in South Africa and she is certainly not done yet. She speaks to PETA KROST MAUNDER.

women in the media: winner

TTHE TIMES EDITOR PHYLICIA OPPELT ONCE told her boss, Mike Robertson, that she was one of the most fortunate people in the whole world because she gets to do what she loves and she is paid for it. (In response, he did offer to stop paying her.)

So, is it any surprise that The Times is showing record sales figures and while it is said to take a South African daily 10 years to turn a profit, it took this newspaper just three?

Nicknamed ‘Boss Lady’ by her staff, Oppelt is a no-nonsense, clear-headed editor who seems to cut through crap with a rapier-sharp knife. She might not take up a whole lot of space but she is known to pack a mean punch if she needs to.

She has learnt that the best way to survive at the top in what she says is still clearly a “boys’ club” is to be tough and that straight-talking and not shying away from confrontation also helps.

As one of the first women editors (at the Daily Dispatch) in a very male-environment, she says: “I went on a stiletto shopping spree so I could be taller. Seriously, it was a challenge. It was not only about the company’s internal dynamics but also the outside environment.”

However, she says, “I’ve learnt to ask for help even though instinct demands that you get there on your own and ‘show’ the boys. But asking negates many stupid and vanity-driven mistakes.”

Oppelt was raised as one of seven siblings in Grassy Park on the Cape Flats. She says: “As a child, you don’t really realise how much worse or better off you are in comparison to others – you just know that you have to wait your turn for school shoes and that you inevitably get your older sister’s hand-me downs.” But, she says, she had a strict and protected childhood where the expectation was that she would become a teacher (like her father) while building up her trousseau until the right ‘Coloured guy’ arrived to take her off her parents’ hands. She did train as a teacher but that is where things changed.

In her mid-20s, she was inspired by Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro), Max du Preez and others to become a journalist and she moved up to Johannesburg to do the Weekly Mail’s cadet programme in 1994. Her first job was at the Sunday Times where she started out as a cadet reporter. “It was awful,” she says. “Ken Owen was the editor – a truly fearsome man. For a while after starting there, I waited for someone to tap me on the shoulder and tell me that they made a mistake hiring me,” she says, providing evidence of the level of her confidence in her abilities at the time. But

she was determined and would stay behind at the Diagonal Street office in Johannesburg until late at night, reworking her stories until she was too tired to continue. While she says she had hard taskmasters, she was single-minded in proving she was worth having at the Sunday Times, long seen as the pinnacle in English newspaper journalism. She was also spurred on to prove that those who viewed her as one of the post-1994 ‘affirmative action candidates’ were wrong. “Gradually, it became a case of showing myself that I could last in this difficult and demanding industry.” And that she certainly has.

She became known for her independent political views in her Sunday Times column that ran from 2000 to the end of 2004 when she was appointed editor of the Daily Dispatch.

C M Y K

WINNING STREAK: Vodacom Journalist of the Year convener of judges Phil Molefe, left, who awarded the

overall winners’ prize to the Daily Dispatch for its investigation into baby deaths at East London’s Frere

Hospital. With him are Dispatch journalist Ntando Makhubu, former editor Phylicia Oppelt, journalist

Chandré Prince, Vodacom’s chief communications officer Dot Field, and Dispatch deputy news editor

Brett Horner.

Picture: LETTIE FERREIRA

By ROUX VAN ZYL

THE Daily Dispatch investigation into baby

deaths at East London’s Frere Hospital

made a clean sweep of South Africa’s top

journalism accolades – after clinching the

overall Vodacom Journalist of the Year title

on Friday night.

The series of stories which sparked a

national debate on the state of the health

system and neo-natal care had already won

Dispatch journalists Brett Horner, Ntando

Makhubu and Chandré Prince the 2007

Mondi Shanduka award for investigative

journalism, as well as the prestigious 2007

Taco Kuiper award for investigative jour-

nalism.In their glowing citation, the judges said

the story was remarkable because “it held

those in power accountable, led to the

downfall of the most powerful, saw an

injustice and pursued it without fear or

favour, and dragged the audience to the

scene of the story”.

“Not only that, but the reader could

touch, smell and hear the cries and feel the

pain of human suffering in South Africa

today. It is one which cannot be forgotten. It

is a story that had others following the

news scent. It is a story deserving of the

Vodacom Journalist of the Year.”

The DispatchOnline team also won the

award for best online journalism, the first

time the category has been made as part of

the Vodacom competition.

The team of Jan Hennop, Shadley Haupt,

Tegan Bedser, Rudi Louw and Andrew

Trench won for the website’s online cov-

erage of the Ukhahlamba contaminated

water scandal, in which dozens of children

died in the Barkly East area.

The judges said the piece integrated all

online prerequisites to complement a hard-

hitting print exposé on a matter of extreme

public importance.

“It resulted in a multi-media special re-

port package that contained exclusive doc-

uments, audio and video, graphics, as well

as blog reports. The information was filed

in real time from the district where it was

investigated to the website, keeping the

audience informed on every development

of the story.”

Dispatch incoming editor Andrew

Trench said: “We are thrilled to have been

acknowledged in this prestigious journ-

alism competition in South Africa and are

even happier that a local charity will ben-

efit as a result of our award. The Frere

investigation has set a benchmark in our

industry and, as a paper, we are now

focused on producing more of the same.

“And to win this first online journalism

category is a great feather in our cap as we

continue to develop this new medium at the

D i sp at c h . ”

Clean sweep of journalism awards for Dispatch

RESOURCEFUL: James Mfazwe, 88, from Lady Frere, used a wheelbarrow – and a little help from a friend – to see the President. See page 5 Picture: THEO JEPTHA

ISRAELI police rushed into one

of Christianity’s holiest church-

es in Jerusalem yesterday and

arrested two clergymen after

an argument between monks

turned into a brawl next to the

site of Jesus’s tomb.

The clash broke out between Armenian

and Greek Orthodox monks in the Church

of the Holy Sepulchre, revered as the site

of Jesus’s crucifixion, burial and res-

urrection. It began as Armenian clergy-

men marched in an annual procession

commemorating the 4th century discov-

ery of the cross believed to have been

used to crucify Jesus.

And it ended with the arrival of dozens

of riot policemen who separated the sides,

seizing a bearded Armenian monk in a

red-and-pink robe and a black-clad Greek

Orthodox monk with a bloody gash on his

fo r e h e a d .

Both men were taken away in

h a n d c u ff s .

Six Christian sects divide con-

trol of the ancient church. They

regularly fight over turf and in-

fluence, and Israeli police are oc-

casionally forced to intervene.

The feud revolves around a demand by

the Greek Orthodox Church to post a

monk inside the Edicule – the ancient

structure built on what is believed to be

the tomb of Jesus – during the Armenian

procession. The Armenians refused, and

when they tried to march, the Greek

Orthodox monks blocked their way.

Father Pakrat, of the Armenian Pa-

triarchate, said the the Greeks attacked

f i r st .But Archbishop Aristarchos, the chief

secretary of the Greek Orthodox Patri-

archate, denied that his monks had ini-

tiated the violence. — Sapa-AP

By BONGANI FUZILE

Crime Reporter

TWO people are presumed to

have drowned along the East

Coast over the weekend.

At East London’s Eastern

Beach on Saturday, a man dis-

appeared under the waves while

swimming with a group of

friends.

The man, Eugene Ngobeni, 28,

from Kempton Park, was in East

London for a work project, ac-

cording to police spokesperson,

Superintendent Mtati Tana,

“On the same night, police

and the rescue unit tried to

search the area, but it was too

dark,” Tana said.

They continued the search

ye st e r d ay.

The National Sea Rescue In-

stitute assisted yesterday by

combing the beachfront.

The second drowning was at

Kei Mouth in the early hours of

ye st e r d ay.

Cambridge police spokesper-

son Captain Stephen Marais

said an East London man was

with his two friends on a fishing

trip in Kei Mouth when he fell

from the boat into the river.

The police said they could not

release the man’s name.

“The police were called … but

they couldn’t find the body as it

was dark.

“Yesterday they were called

back by members of the com-

munity who informed them that

they had seen a body floating in

the sea behind the waves.

“Police started to search the

area by foot and the police

divers were summoned, but

there were no positive results,”

said Marais.

The search was conducted by

a joint team of Kei Mouth police,

the East London Search and

Rescue team and police divers.

By last night neither of the

missing people had been found.

Police search for bodies after two men drown

By BONGANI FUZILE

Crime Reporter

A ZWELITSHA matriculant who

promised his mother good Grade

12 results was shot dead at point-

blank range at the weekend –

allegedly by a trainee police con-

st ab l e .And police yesterday con-

firmed they were also investi-

gating community claims t h at

the female trainee was not ar-

rested because other o ff i c e r s

were “drunk” when they arrived

at the scene.

Lazola Mzuzu, 19, was walking

in Zwelitsha’s Zone 3 on Sat-

urday night when an uniden-

tified person apparently ran into

the trainee constable’s house

and claimed someone was chas-

ing him.Without asking questions, the

constable left her house, still

dressed in her pyjamas, and al-

legedly pulled out a State-issued

firearm and shot Lazola in the

head.“She shot Lazola in the fore-

head and he died on the scene,”

claimed the deceased’s aunt,

Nosiphelo Mzinda. “There was

nothing that was stolen from her

yard and the person who claimed

that he was chased there has no

evidence that something was

taken from him.”

Lazola’s family was called at

around 8pm to identify his b o dy,

not far from the constable’s

house. The family claim the body

stayed uncovered on the street

for hours.

Mzinda said police arrived and

went to the trainee constable

who was standing outside her

house, ignoring the family.

“They were never worried

about us; instead, they were wor-

ried about their colleague – t h ey

hugged and comforted her. They

were rowdy towards other peo-

ple at the scene who were fu-

rious. They smelled of liquor.

“The officer who shot Lazola

never even had the heart to come

to us and say sorry. Instead, her

male friend came out of their

house and boasted that he will

shoot anyone who comes into his

ya r d , ” said Mzinda.

King William’s Town police

spokesperson Captain Thozama

Solani confirmed the trainee po-

lice constable was not arrested.

She said the police would in-

vestigate allegations that police

officers were drunk at the

scene.“There are allegations that the

police were drunk and it took

them a long time to clear the

area as people were crowding to

see the deceased. When I arrived

there, I noticed the angry com-

munity who were furious about

alleged poor service from the

police.”When the Daily Dispatch vis-

ited the family’s house yester-

day, everyone was in sombre

mood.Lazola’s father, Zamile, said it

was “d i ff i c u l t ” for them to accept

his son’s death.

“It’s too early for us to say

anything; he is gone,” said the

sobbing father.

Lazola’s mother, Thobeka, still

could not believe that the

youngest of her five children was

dead.“The only promise he gave me

was that he will pass his matric

with flying colours so that he can

go to the university,” she said.

“I am not well, and this boy

was going to be this home’s

breadwinner one day, but he was

taken away brutally.”

Lazola’s family also claimed

the Zwelitsha police had not

bothered to visit them for state-

ments.“We had to go to the police

ourselves yesterday morning

and see what they were doing

about the case,” said Mzinda.

“Only Captain Solani called us

to comfort the family. The officer

was never even arrested, let

alone being detained for a few

hours. Really, her motive was to

kill.”Solani said a case of murder

and robbery had been opened.

“The matter will be taken to

the police Independent Com-

plaints Directorate (ICD) for fur-

ther investigations as it involves

a police member,” said Solani.

Star matric

pupil ‘sh ot

dead bytrainee cop’Family claims police arrived drunk

Monks didn’t turn other cheek

LAZOLA MZUZU

C M Y K

ThursdayApril 10 2008

R3.50 incl VAT

See resultsinside / 3

Crunch-time today onSA’s repo interest rateBy ROBERT LAINGBusiness Correspondent

ECONOMISTS are evenly divided onwhether Reserve Bank governor TitoMboweni will announce an interest rateincrease when he gives the MonetaryPolicy Committee’s verdict at 3pm to-d ay.The Central Bank generally holds itslending rate to commercial banks,called the repurchase agreement or“repo” rate, around four percent abovethe inflation rate. It uses StatisticsSouth Africa’s consumer index exclud-ing mortgages (CPIX) as its gauge.The MPC, at its last meeting in Feb-ruary, decided to hold it at 11 percentdespite the most recent data showingaccelerating inflation.Stats SA recently published Febru-ary’s CPIX as 9.4 percent, meaning thedifference between the repo and CPIXrates was 1.6 percent, less than half theaverage margin the Central Bank triesto maintain. This will have narrowedfurther last month.

The consensus among economistswas inflation would peak last month ataround 9.8 percent and then start to

gradually decline from this month. Butnow many have changed their forecastbecause of Eskom’s request for its reg-ulated price to be substantially in-creased from mid-year.If Eskom’s request for a 60 percenttariff increase gains approval, insteadof inflation sinking back to around eightpercent by July, it will then peak at over10 percent when the electricity hikeappears on bills and its knock-on effectis felt.The MPC uses a poll of economistsdone by Stellenbosch University’s Bu-reau of Economic Research (BER) to getan idea where inflation is headed. TheBER only releases this survey after theReserve Bank governor has started hissp e e c h .

The Bank of England’s Monetary Pol-icy Committee also started its two daydeliberations yesterday, and will an-nounce its decision before Mboweni.The UK’s central bank is expected tofollow the US’ example by cutting int-erest rates, sacrificing its fight againstinflation to shelter commercial banksfrom their sub-prime mortgage crisis.On Monday, at a meeting of his coun-terparts in the Common Monetary Area

of Lesotho, Namibia, SA and Swaziland,Mboweni stressed the importance of“continuing to protect the purchasingpower of the money in your pocketthrough appropriate monetary poli-cies”.Ten of 20 analysts polled by Reuterslast week forecast the repo lending ratewill remain unchanged at 11 percent,while nine predicted a half percentagepoint rise. One said the decision wassimply too close to call.

Other countries’ rate cuts have madeSouth Africa’s treasury notes more at-tractive, helping the Reserve Bankbuild foreign reserves in the face of thecountry’s high current account deficit.So a sharp cut by the UK’s centralbank this morning might save SouthAfrican households another hike inhome and car loan payments from to-m o r r ow.If Mboweni announces the repo ratewill rise to 11.5 percent, commercialbanks will respond by raising the primerate they base their home and otherloans on to 15 percent.

Traffic co pheld overEL mallrobb eryAnother man arrested in raid oncity flat block is released laterBy SIBONGILE MKANICrime Reporter

HEAVILY-ARMED police offi-cers from the organised crimeunit stormed an East Londonblock of flats in a night raid thisweek, said residents, and de-tained two men for questioningabout last week’s Southernwoodr o b b e r y.“They pointed their guns atthe one guy, handcuffed him,drove him into the flat,” said oneresident who asked not to benamed.

“They came out with a BuffaloCity traffic official, who was stilldressed in his uniform, and an-other man. Then they left withthe two of them.”Police also took one su sp e c t ’scar to check whether it had beenstolen, he said.East London police were nottalking about the raid yesterdaybut the Dispatch discoveredfrom sources that one of the menwas still helping them with theirinquiries into the robbery at theMalcomess Park shopping mallwhich left three people injured.The second suspect takenfrom the flats is understood tohave been released after beingq u e st i o n e d .

Their arrests came on Tues-day night at the Belgravia blockof flats owned by the HousingAssociation of East London(HAEL).HAEL flats chairperson

Lawrence Ramashamole con-firmed that a tenant and hisfriend were arrested on Tuesdaynight.“We are informed that therewere police at the flats and atenant was taken by them but wedo not have details of why he wastaken,” said Ramashamole.Another resident who wit-nessed the arrest on Tuesday

shopping mall.The guard had been protectinga security vehicle while his col-league had gone inside the com-plex to fetch the previous day’stakings from the Spar super-m a r ke t .

When he returned, he was con-fronted by the robbers who de-manded he hand over the money,which he did.The robbers made off with thecash – leaving behind three ca-sualties including two womenshoppers. All three were takento hospital.

The security guard, who wasshot in the head, was dischargedon Tuesday after spending aweek at St Dominic’s Hospital.The two women who were shotby ricocheting bullets were re-leased earlier after treatment.Employees at the SuperSparhad been undergoing traumacounselling to help themthrough their ordeal.High-ranking officers at policeheadquarters would neither con-firm nor deny the arrests. Theyalso refused to discuss anythingrelated to the robbery.But a source close to the in-vestigation, who confirmed thearrests, explained that policehad been instructed not to com-ment as the case was at a “verydelicate stage”.Another police source con-firmed that the second man wasallowed to leave after question-ing.

SADC summit ‘toend Zim impasse’

THE Zimbabwe opposition’s bid to build up pressure on RobertMugabe after disputed polls, bore fruit yesterday as plans wereunveiled for a weekend summit to discuss the escalating crisis.

While opposition chief Morgan Tsvangirai toured the region,urging leaders to prevent Zimbabwe from sliding into chaos, thepresident of neighbouring Zambia said he would gather hispeers for talks on Saturday aimed at breaking the deadlock,which has persisted since the March 29 polls.Eleven days on from polling, there has still been no word onthe outcome of the presidential election, with officials main-taining the line that they are still busy collating and verifyingthe votes. But the announcement by Zambia’s President LevyMwanawasa, the current chair of the 14-nation Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC), is set to add to the pressurefor the results to be finally unveiled.Mwanawasa said the aim of the summit would be to try tobreak “the current impasse as well as adopt a co-ordinatedapproach to the situation in that country”.Mwanawasa has been one of the few regional leaders topublicly voice concern about the Zim situation, comparing theplight of the country’s economy to the sinking of the Titanic.

The former British colony now has a six-figure inflation rate,unemployment is beyond 80 percent while average life expectan-cy stands at 37 years.Mugabe, who has presided over his country’s descent fromregional model to economic basket case in the 28 years sinceindependence, has often bridled at any kind of outside in-tervention. But the prospect of a SADC get-together was wel-comed by Tsvangirai’s party, which has previously castigatedthe region for its “deafening silence”.Earlier, after talks with new Botswana president Ian Khama,Tsvangirai said it was in the interests of the whole region todefuse the crisis. See also page 7

’We are informed thatthere were police atthe flats and a tenantwas taken by thepolice but we do nothave details of why hewas taken’

– Lawrence Ramashamolenight said one of the men takenaway by police was spotted at hisflat yesterday morning.He told the Dispatch: “A trafficcop and another man were ar-rested and a VW golf with a GPnumber was taken by the police.But the other man has sincereturned. I have not seen thetraffic cop.”The Belgravia swoop came justover a week after six men armedwith automatic weapons, inclu-ding AK47 and R5 assault rifles,shot and injured a cash-in-tran-sit security guard outside the

Top award for Dispatch reportersTHREE Daily Dispatchjournalists walked awaywith a top award in theMondi Shanduka News-print and Newspaper As-sociation annual awards inJohannesburg last night.And a Dispatch photog-rapher was also highlycommended.It is the first time theDispatch has won one ofthe prestigious awards,which have been in exis-tence for the past sevenye a r s .

News editor Brett Horn-er and reporters ChandréPrince and Ntando Ma-khubu won the investiga-tive journalism categoryfor their report: WhyFrere’s babies die.The judges said thatmonths of hard work, per-sistence and sheer deter-mination, even in the faceof vilification, set the lead-ing entries apart in thiscategory with time and ef-fort invested paying off inproducing agenda-settingst o r i e s .

They congratulated the

newspapers for runninghard with stories of na-tional importance in theface of denials and courtchallenges.“The winners – ChandréPrince, Brett Horner, andNtando Makhubu – scoredfor their coverage in theDaily Dispatch on babiesdying at Frere Hospital.“Over nearly twomonths, the team compre-hensively documented andexplained the deaths.”Daily Dispatch editorPhylicia Oppelt said shewas “enormously proud”of all four Dispatch final-i st s .

“The Frere investigativeteam win is the result of ayoung team of reporters’tenacity and talent,” shesaid.“I would like to thankthe Eastern Cape govern-ment and the ANC, whoseover-the-top reactionsgave the Frere story na-tional prominence.

“I would also like to paytribute to the other peopleinvolved in the Frere story,

from the deputy editor,Andrew Trench, to thephotographers, graphicartist and sub-editors.”Other finalists for theinvestigative journalismcategory were Cobus Co-etzee and Adriaan Bassonof Beeld for their report,Staat het geweet eNaTISsou vou; and Jocelyn Mak-er and Megan Power of theSunday Times for Manto’shospital booze binge.Elise Tempelhoff ofBeeld was commended forher report Mynmonopoliese gru-moeras, togetherwith Tony Carnie of TheMercury for Probe intometal illness factory andDiane-Marié Strydom ofDie Burger for Jy moetmaar afskeid neem vanjou familie….“There has been out-standing journalism overthe past year,” said Pro-fessor Guy Berger, head ofthe Rhodes UniversitySchool of Journalism andMedia Studies, and con-vener of the judging panel.“Critics should balance

their concerns with thefine achievements thiscompetition has highlight-ed, and meanwhile SouthAfricans in general canfeel there is good cause tovalue our free and vibrantnewspaper journalists.”From a record 575 en-tries across the 10 cate-gories, the judging panelhandpicked a shortlist ofsome 32 finalists and 25commended journalists.Nine category winnersshared R165 000 in prizem o n ey.

Thanking the industryfor its support of theawards, Mondi ShandukaNewsprint chief executivePeter Lynch said: “Thankyou to the newshounds(and their respective own-ers and masters) who haveso enthusiastically put for-ward their work to betugged at, pulled apart andperhaps even chewed on inthis competition.”Daily Dispatch photog-rapher Masi Losi was afinalist in the feature pho-tographs category for his

striking photographic es-say on a white boy un-dergoing a traditionalXhosa circumcision ritual,entitled You are now aman, my son.The category was wonby Sandile Ndlovu of theSunday Tribune for his La-bour of love series.

The event was hosted byformer Carte Blanche an -chor and presenter RudaLandman, with popularcomedienne Krijay Goven-der providing comic relief.— DDC

WINNERS: Dispatch editor Phylicia Oppelt with Chandré Prince, left, Brett Horner and Ntando Makhubu who won the Mondi Shanduka Newsprint and Newspaper Association

award for investigative journalism.

Picture: PHILLIP NOTHNAGEL

The truth isnot so crazy / 13 Kallis is world’s

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Why Frere’s babies die

HUNDREDS of newborns are dy-

ing every year at Frere Hospital’s

overburdened maternity section

– and the institution’s own

records reveal the scale of neg-

ligence behind many of the

d e at h s .A Daily Dispatch investigation

has found that the situation is so

bad that a cleaner delivered a

baby in front of shocked stu-

dents.Exhausted staff are stretched

so thin they must abandon the

nursery at night to assist doctors

in theatre.

Mothers are also victims of

negligence.

A swab was left inside one pa-

tient after a Caesarean-section,

while another’s placenta was re-

moved a full 24 hours after she

gave birth.

The Dispatch team spent near-

ly two months walking the

maternity wards with hidden

cameras, attending the mass

burial of dead babies and inter-

viewing medical staff and heart-

broken mothers.

Reporters even staffed the

Frere mortuary for an afternoon,

answering the phone and

dispatching porters to collect

bodies.Internal documents show that

senior management knew the

situation was out of control for

years, but did little to address the

crisis.Minutes from weekly manage-

ment meetings reveal damning

admissions by doctors that

patients were dying because of

outright negligence.

“Mothers and babies die at

an alarmingly high rate,” con-

firmed a former hospital gynae-

c o l o g i st .Two thousand babies were still-

born in the past 14 years at Frere,

according to the Abortions and

Stillbirth book in the labour

wa r d .Last year’s figures appear to be

the highest on record, when at

least 199 babies were stillborn.

Frere’s official baby mortality

rate exceeds provincial and

national figures as contained in

an unpublished report by a unit of

the Medical Research Council.

Worse is that hospital staff con-

cede in documents that “most”

maternal deaths and stillbirths

“are avoidable due to care”.

References are also made to

the worrying increase in the

number of maternal and neo-na-

tal deaths from 2005 to 2006.

The pattern of death is illus-

trated at the Haven Hills Ceme-

tery where batches of up to 45

babies in tiny white coffins are

buried in mass pauper funerals

every month.

Two weeks ago, 43 babies were

buried. The burial included two

tots who died in October 2004 and

another in December 2005.

Their bodies had remained in

maternity’s cold storage for

ye a r s .Mothers who lost babies told of

their ordeals at the hands of

inexperienced and “negligent”

medical staff.

Renata Coetzee went to Frere

in labour, but was turned away by

an intern who, she said, con-

fessed he could not read the CTG

machine, which monitors the

foetal heartbeat and other vital

signs.An hour later, Coetzee’s baby

was stillborn. “My daughter

would have been alive today had

it not been for that place,” said

Coetzee’s partner, Eric Johnson.

Other moms complained of

sitting on wooden benches in

prolonged labour, wearing blood-

soaked clothes and being left

unattended during and after

birth.Some mothers blamed insuf-

ficient vital equipment for babies

dy i n g .A maternity nurse concurred:

“You feel so helpless as the

deaths could have been avoided if

there was enough equipment.”

Again, the hospital’s own doc-

uments point to crippling short-

ages of staff and equipment, like

CTGs and oxygen points.

The situation has become

so critical that a long-serving

cleaner is known to have deliv-

ered babies and dispensed

m e d i c at i o n .

“I once saw a cleaner doing a

delivery while there were stu-

dents in the ward and she chased

the students out because she said

they don’t know what they’re do-

ing,” said a student nurse, a claim

corroborated by a veteran of

Frere’s maternity wards.

Soon after the Dispatch inves-

tigation began an emergency

inventory was ordered of all

equipment and staff needed in

the maternity section.

“Frere does not have even half

the number of required staff,

leaving those available exhausted

and burnt out by the long hours

they are forced to put in, which

often include day, and night-

shifts,” said a former Frere mid-

wife.Another nurse said staff short-

ages often forced them to leave

the nursery unattended to assist

with theatre duties.

Last July, a Health Department

project designed to reduce

maternal and infant mortality in

the province was itself stillborn.

The R37 million programme

was re-announced in March.

But the former Frere midwife

said this was no more than lip

service.

COMMENT

OUR special investigation into the

deaths of babies at Frere hospital’s

maternity unit had a humble

beginning.

It started as an item some two months

ago on our daily news diary as a report

about a mother whose baby had died in

apparently negligent circumstances at Frere.

It was, unfortunately, a story familiar to us.

Over the last year, a number of mothers had

come to us to tell of their ordeals and heart-

break after losing a child at the hospital.

This time we decided to hold back on

publication for a day. We told our reporters

to try to locate in 24 hours as many mothers

as possible who had had a similar

experience.

Within a day we had located at least half a

dozen. It was clear to us that we needed to

dig further into this phenomenon to really

understand what was going on. So we

assigned three reporters to do nothing else

but investigate the truth behind these dread-

ful accounts.

For the last two months, Chandré Prince,

Ntando Makhubu and Brett Horner have done

nothing else. They spoke to former and

existing staff and interviewed parents who

have lost their children.

They walked the corridors of Frere and dug

out documents. They have pieced together

the shocking truth which we reveal today and

which we will continue to publish in the

coming days.

There are many truths behind the Frere

baby death scandal. There is no single

person to blame. This tragedy is the result of

our collapsing public health system, bereft of

funding, resources and skilled staff.

Sadly, our baby death investigation proves

that when public health is mismanaged, hu-

man beings die.

We take no delight in revealing the Frere

story. We do not wish to destroy an institution

which is vital to our community, but it is our

responsibility to place the terrible facts we

have discovered in the public domain.

We know that with these reports

there is a danger that the men and women

who work at Frere will be vilified and their

professionalism denounced. But we warn

against this.

Of course there are staff that are negligent

and unprofessional, but there are many,

many more who are not. There are doctors

and nurses who work under appalling con-

ditions, for long hours, trying to deliver the

best care that they can. They are frustrated

and as heartbroken as the parents who have

lost their babies.

Many Frere staffers have actively helped us

to expose the conditions at the maternity

unit. Without them, this special report would

not have been possible.

We owe them our thanks. In helping us we

hope that they will have delivered the great-

est service to their patients to come.

We hope that the reports today and the

ones to follow will result in a change for

good.The tragedy taking place at Frere has to

end today. – Andrew Trench, Deputy Editor

LAST Friday we sent the

Department of Health 31

detailed questions asking

them for comment on the

stories we intend

publishing.

We gave them until

noon on Tuesday to

respond.The department asked

for more time and more

information about some

of our source documents.

We obliged by giving

them the information

and extending the

deadline to 10am

y e s te r d a y.

We informed them that

we did this in the

interests of fairness and

balance.We asked for them to

meet the deadline so we

could give their response

comprehensive coverage.

Health Department

spokesperson Sizwe

Kupelo yesterday morning

assured the newspaper

that their response was

being finalised and would

be available by midday.

At 4.45pm yesterday the

department finally replied

– and took out a full-page

advert on page seven to

respond.You can read the

response there.

Some questions refer to

stories we will publish in

the coming days.

Exhausted staff, lack of equipment – most deaths were avoidable

More reports, page 6

GRAVE-DIGGERS Patric Manxusa and Makhasi Luziya put crosses on the graves of 43 babies buried in a mass grave at Haven Hills cemetery. Picture: Michael Pinyana

Thembisa seeks

Pop Idols fame / 3

It’s all my own,

says rock star / 12

Emotional strain of

attaining happiness / 17

TO PAGE 20


Under her leadership, this newspaper began publishing hard-hitting investigative journalism. “When I walked in there as editor, I was roundly detested,” she recalls. “I was the outsider from Johannesburg who was sent in to boss people around. By the time I left at the end of 2008, our newsroom was filled with talented and inspiring young people who were no longer mocked for working at the Daily Disgrace.” Some of the outstanding moments in her career took place on this paper. A number were thanks to her news team breaking stories like ‘the state of emergency conditions’ at Frere Hospital, which won many awards.

In 2008, she took on the editorship of the Sunday Times’ Business Times until she took over from Ray Hartley (now editor of the Sunday Times) on The Times in 2010. When she takes on a newspaper, she has a specific approach: “I am only as good as the people I lead and no-one – including me – is indispensible. I have learnt from bitter experience that you can’t stride into a newsroom waving a to-do list without knowing what or who you have to engage with.”

When she took over from Hartley, she was told she had big shoes to fill. “I didn’t want to fill his shoes, I like my own quite nicely.” Besides, her mandate of focusing on single-

copy sales was quite different to Hartley’s, which meant the paper’s outlook and way of dealing with stories had to change.

Has being a woman impacted on her leadership? “The managers at The Times say I am an equal opportunity bully,” she says. “I have no favourites when it comes to discipline and professionalism.” Although she is clear that she is not a social worker or therapist, she believes in maintaining a balance between

professionalism and empathy and being open to people’s personal circumstances impacting on their performance at work.

“I believe in the strength of the team rather than the god-like status of the editor,” she says. “While I am perfectly comfortable taking the lead in making difficult decisions, I roll my eyes when I hear editors talking about their people or their staff.”

Her working hours are long and hard but what keeps her going are her two daughters. She admits managing the balancing act of being mother and editor is “immensely difficult at times”. While she is at work before 8am in the morning, she makes a point of being home to put her children to bed because “I give my colleagues my time all day and when I leave it is my daughters’ time”.

She doesn’t do the editors’ social circuit. “I know which choice I will always make – putting my children to bed, reading stories to them, sitting between their beds until I hear they are asleep or standing at a function with a glass of wine and a canapé in my hand. That space at night is just mine – the laughter, tenderness, love. No title can ever equate with that of ‘mamma’.”

No doubt, that makes her a better editor and leader. n

women in the media: winner

WHILE SHE IS AT WORK BEFORE 8AM IN THE MORNING, SHE MAKES A POINT OF BEING HOME TO PUT HER CHILDREN TO BED BECAUSE ‘I GIVE MY COLLEAGUES MY TIME ALL DAY AND WHEN I LEAVE IT IS MY DAUGHTERS’ TIME’.

The

Tim

es

WWHEN ETHEL HAZELHURST JOINED THE Financial Mail in 1985, she was already a mid-career journalist who had worked mainly on the women’s pages of the Rand Daily Mail. Over the next 26 years, she established herself as one of the first women of financial journalism and, to this day, remains only one of a handful of women to have won the coveted Sanlam Financial Journalist of the Year Award.

Hazelhurst started her journalism career 53 years ago and she is not planning to quit anytime soon.

She’s currently working at Business Report and says she’ll go on for as long as they keep offering to renew her contract. “I love writing. I love finding things out and I like putting together a picture, showing people a pattern,” she says.

And while she would have liked to try her hand at being an archaeologist, she still says: “In practice, there’s nothing I’d rather have done than be a journalist.”

Hazelhurst believes news is in her blood, which might explain why she hasn’t been able to turn her back on the newspaper industry.

She did retire after 18 years at the Financial Mail in 2003, not because she wanted to, but because it was company policy. Not nearly ready to give up working yet, she took up a job as a research manager in the financial sector.

But, in 2006, she resumed her financial journalism career when Jabulani Sikhakhane, then editor of Business Report offered her a job. Within days, she was writing front-page leads again.

Hazelhurst grew up in Johannesburg, and

remembers fantasising about becoming a war correspondent in her early teens, even though she was well aware that ‘girls couldn’t be journalists’ at the time. However, this never stood in her way.

She began working half day as a shorthand typist, spending her afternoons hanging out around the South African Associated Newspapers (SAAN) building in Main Street. This paid off when she got her very first job in this industry – in the SAAN library. “Somebody was away for three months and they just needed someone to help with cutting and filing, so that was what got me onto the premises,” she says. It was while working in the library that she met her husband.

At the time, in 1958, newsrooms were still male-dominated and newspapers as a rule employed only one woman on their news staff. “But there were only women working on the women’s pages,” she points out. So when a temporary position opened on the women’s pages of the Rand Daily Mail, Hazelhurst jumped at the opportunity.

“I saw the women’s pages as a way in.” And although she considered covering social events a bore, she now admits to really enjoying it. “It opened a world to me I couldn’t have afforded. I couldn’t afford to go to the theatre, opera or the ballet. It’s only now I realise what it has really meant for me.”

She accepted her first permanent post, as a news reporter at the Sunday Express in 1959, where she worked with and later married newspaper guru Dave Hazelhurst. “He used to throw paperclips at me,” she

women in the media: lifetime achiever

Doyenne of financial journalismThis year’s 1st for Women Insurance Brokers Lifetime Achiever is Ethel Hazelhurst, one of the finest financial journalists in South Africa. She speaks to SHARLENE SHARIM.

TO PAGE 23

HAZELHURST BELIEVES NEWS IS IN HER BLOOD, WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN WHY SHE HASN’T BEEN ABLE TO TURN HER BACK ON THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY.


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women in the media: lifetime achiever

says. At the time, she remembers wondering whether this meant anything.

In 1963, she left the Sunday Express to have their first child and returned to the Rand Daily Mail and the women’s pages the following year – as they offered somewhat more predictable working hours than as a news reporter. She left the paper in 1971 to have their second child and returned to the women’s pages in 1974. Realising that getting a degree would make her more marketable, she enrolled for a BA degree at Unisa. It was while studying that, she discovered a fascination for economics that changed the course of her career. It later became one of her two majors in the degree that was to take her more than 30 years to complete but still served as her backup plan.

In 1979, Hazelhurst became the women’s page editor. But she says: “Even before it became clear that the Mail’s future was in jeopardy, I realised that women’s pages editors had a limited lifecycle. There were an awful lot of people like me, with my sort of skills and not many jobs. And I’d seen it happen to older colleagues, the older you get the less editors thought you were suitable for the job. They always liked to have attractive, decorative young women in that job.” She realised that it was time to move on to another form of journalism and asked to be transferred to the newspaper’s business section (which would become Business Day). While she only had a few months doing business journalism before the Rand Daily Mail closed in 1985, it stood her in good stead because she had established herself as a business reporter.

This - coupled with less than three years of an economics major - gave her the confidence to approach Stephen Mulholland, then editor of the Financial Mail, for a job and, she believes, opened him to giving her a chance.Looking back, she prides herself on her ability to read between the lines - before it was obvious that the Mail was in jeopardy - and pick the right time for a change of direction.

Despite the fact that there were far more women journalists in newsrooms then, she became

one of two women on the FM team. “I don’t think they actually applied a one woman rule as they did on the newspapers in the 1950s but it just happened that way because few women were going into this area of journalism at that stage,” she says.

Hazelhurst says she learnt an awful lot from the people she interviewed during those first years in financial news. “People were very, very helpful. I found that people never minded if you were ignorant, just as long as you asked intelligent questions, they were prepared to give you any amount of time.”

But her work kept her exceptionally busy and she didn’t pick up studying for her second major in linguistics until some years

later, when she was near retirement age.She admits that balancing work and

studies with being a wife and mom was a real challenge. “I mean my husband was great about doing the shopping and a lot of the cooking and things like that,” she says. “Although it was still very difficult, my family helped and suffered.” It helped a lot that her husband was in the same industry because, she says: “He understood, so I didn’t have to explain why my work flowed over into my personal life.”

But looking back, she regrets the sacrifices her children had to make because she wasn’t there. “I feel that there were times when I was concentrating too much on work and missed things that I should have caught, things that I should have been aware of.”

In order to manage her responsibilities, her studies clearly took a backseat. She completed her BA in 2007.

“Everything I do takes a lot of time,” she says. She has since learnt never to assume that anything is too late. For example, she began writing a novel in 2005 and aims to finish it when she is in her seventies.

“A nurse who was testing my blood on one occasion told me I was going to live to a very old age so I’m making plans for that,” she says.

She may be winning a lifetime achiever award but she is clearly not nearly finished achieving…so, watch this space. n

SHE HAS SINCE LEARNT NEVER TO ASSUME THAT ANYTHING IS TOO LATE. FOR EXAMPLE, SHE BEGAN WRITING A NOVEL IN 2005 AND AIMS TO FINISH IT WHEN SHE IS IN HER SEVENTIES.

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IN TOUCH. IN TUNE AND INDEPENDANT.

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Eyewitness News is a dynamic news service that feeds Primedia Broadcasting’s radio stations, Talk Radio 702, 567 CapeTalk, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 94.5 Kfm. Over 30 years EWN has built a reputation as a source of up-to-the-minute, credible, investigative and balanced news. Eyewitness News has over 3 million listeners across the four stations and our innovative website www.ewn.co.za.

Mandy Wiener, winner of the 2011 Women in the Media Rising Star Award.

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IN TOUCH. IN TUNE AND INDEPENDANT.

EWN CONGRATULATES OUR RISING STAR

With a newsroom populated by strong women dedicated to uncovering the truth, EWN congratulates all the winners who live by the philosophy of being in touch, in tune and independent.

Eyewitness News is a dynamic news service that feeds Primedia Broadcasting’s radio stations, Talk Radio 702, 567 CapeTalk, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 94.5 Kfm. Over 30 years EWN has built a reputation as a source of up-to-the-minute, credible, investigative and balanced news. Eyewitness News has over 3 million listeners across the four stations and our innovative website www.ewn.co.za.

Mandy Wiener, winner of the 2011 Women in the Media Rising Star Award.

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Wiener: smell of napalm in the morning

The Media: How and why did you become a journalist? Mandy Wiener: I always knew that I would become a journalist. It’s one of those vocations that is just inherent – either you have it in you or you don’t. I have a picture from the family album of me in my pram at around two years of age reading a copy of Newsweek. I studied journalism at RAU (now UJ) and began working at what was then RAU Radio.

Describe getting your first job as a journalist.While working at RAU Radio, there was an opening at Primedia. I started off doing the early morning shift, writing traffic on the Rude Awakening for Aki Anastasiou. I was also call-screening overnights which was just gruelling. After a few months of begging editor Katy Katopodis, she finally gave me a job. I remember the first story I was sent out on, about water cuts in Houghton. I was held up at gunpoint and somehow managed to record the entire thing. It was a sure fire way to get myself on air!

What do you enjoy most and least in your job?News is cyclical, there are days when news is

breaking and we’re all spinning; and there are others when nothing is happening at all and that can be incredibly boring. The busy adrenalin-filled days most certainly make up for the quiet ones.

What is it about radio that attracts you?It is so immediate and there is so much space for creativity. It really is theatre of the mind.

What has been some of the most memorable experiences of your career so far?I have been extremely fortunate during my tenure at Eyewitness News. I was in Grant Park when Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech and in Madrid when Spain won the 2010 Football World Cup. I’ve met Oprah, Bono and Madiba. The most memorable stories I have covered are from the days when charges were dropped against Jacob Zuma and when Jackie Selebi was convicted of corruption.

What drove you to write ‘Killing Kebble: an Underworld Exposed’?I didn’t think a comprehensive Kebble/Agliotti/Selebi book had been written. Barry Sergeant’s book focused on Kebble’s business empire and Adriaan Basson took an analytic look at the Selebi corruption – I wanted to pull it all together and interrogate the link between business, politics and organised crime. I wanted to tell the story of the shooters, of Agliotti, the prosecutors, the parallel investigations, the political interference and the effect it all had on the criminal justice system.

How did you manage to do it with a full-time job? I was extremely fortunate that my editor at Eyewitness News gave me some time off last year to write the book. However there was a long period where I was waking up before dawn, going to work and writing late into the night in order to make deadline.

How has working on the Brett Kebble story impacted on your life and career? Following the full evolution of the story from the day Kebble was killed to the day Agliotti was acquitted, was extremely beneficial. I grew with the story over five years. I felt I needed to take that all a step further and put it into a book and now newsmakers know who I am when I call them up.

What did you learn about yourself during the time you followed that story?I learnt just how much I love breaking an exclusive story. It’s like the smell of napalm in the morning!

Why do you think people have reacted with such enthusiasm to your book?I absolutely did not expect it to get the reaction that it did. I think the book really struck a chord. I was incredibly fortuitous with the timing – it came out at a time when there was a real focus on the underworld. Radovan Krejcir had just been arrested and Steve Paparas was acquitted. It also resonated with people because so many people who read it, know at least one of the characters or have had some kind of experience with them. It’s all very close to home.

What don’t people know about you?I hate liquorice, cinnamon and coconut. And I’m terrified of the paranormal.

What do you in your time out?There’s a lot of reading, sleeping, hanging out with friends and ideally, going to gym, but that doesn’t happen as often as it should.

You have won awards, got married and written a bestseller, what now?I plan on spending some time enjoying being married and relaxing. I’m not sure I’m very good at relaxing, so I need to practice! n

This year Mandy Wiener wrote a bestselling book, ‘Killing Kebble: an Underworld Exposed’ got married and won a few awards, including the 1st for Women Insurance Brokers Women in The Media Rising Star award. Not bad for a journalist who is not yet 30.

women in the media: rising star

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O

A ‘rottweiler’ with passion

OTHER THAN HER SIZE, THERE IS NOTHING small about Devi Sankaree Govender. She has a tremendous personality, strong opinions, is hugely enthusiastic about whatever she does and does it all in a larger-than-life way.

This presenter has taken on some big fish during her tenure at M-Net’s multi award-winning magazine and actuality programme.

Govender says she’s often felt afraid and exhilarated in her career - never nervous though. Not surprising considering she has been physically assaulted by a gang of appliance repairmen in Durban, locked up in a garage on the campus of the Medical University of South Africa and almost run over by a Metro cop. She says: “It’s always at the back of my mind that I could lose my life but I’ve learnt to trust that the universe will not allow me to die while telling the truth.”

Govender realised a childhood dream when she joined Carte Blanche in 2002. “I watched the very first episode of Carte Blanche when I was 16 and somehow I just knew that I was going to work on the show,” she says. “I saw Carte Blanche as being this shining light in turbulent times – a programme which bravely took on government and told stories of truth.”

Her upbringing also had a huge impact on her choice of career. She was raised in a strict Hindu home that was built on the land her great-great grandfather had received from the British after serving his five years as an indentured labourer. “Growing up in rural KwaZulu-Natal and witnessing poverty all around me, made me want to have a career which would serve people,” she says.

But Govender believed she needed to get a solid academic background and experience in the right newsrooms, before she could approach Carte Blanche for a position.

She began her journalism career at the age of 21, freelancing for SABC radio while completing a BA degree at the University of Natal. Since then, she has presented a music show, been a newsreader and hosted a daily chat show that ran for nine years. In 1996, Govender also became a continuity presenter on SABC1’s Eastern Mosaic. Two years later, she began work as a weekly columnist for the Sunday Times. Govender went on to become the newspaper’s Durban features editor, and at one stage, was juggling her writing, hosting and presenting as well as a pregnancy.

She also managed to find time to do an honours degree in drama and performance studies, a higher diploma in education, a post graduate diploma in business management and - despite many in her field discouraging her - an MBA. But having a sense that being confident in finance would enhance her career, and never being one to kowtow to others, she went ahead with it anyway.

“I knew that when I was confronting somebody on an economics or a financial issue, if I didn’t understand their world, they could easily get away with whatever it was that I was trying to expose.” Today, however, that doesn’t happen.

Govender - who got married and fell pregnant the same year she started her MBA - says this degree was “one of the most difficult things” she has ever done. However, today,

she is proud of thie sacrifice and difference it has made in her life. And there have been other sacrifices.

While her friends were going out and having fun, Govender says, she was always working. “My very first job was at the university library and there was a time when I juggled studying and three other part-time jobs,” she says. But she doesn’t regret any of this. “If I hadn’t put in the work early on, I doubt that I would have been able to actualise any of my dreams.”

As a mother of two, Govender says she does what most working moms do: “I put myself last so that everything else, my husband, children and home are at the top of my list.”

She admits that juggling motherhood and her career is a massive challenge, one that still requires a lot of work.

But as she points out: “I’ve never had to choose between my family and my career – I prioritise both even if it’s at my own expense.”

She sees being a part of M-Net’s flagship programme after a decade as having reached the pinnacle. “Working at Carte Blanche means that you’re taken seriously as a journalist and I appreciated that after years of being just a number in a newsroom.” As part of this team, she has worked on over 647 stories and done many interviews with people who have impacted on her life.

Govender says that over the years they’ve had to be better and faster due to both the competition and the speed of news. “It keeps me on my toes and – to be honest – I love the rush!”

She says she feels very privileged to be working as a journalist now. “These are exciting times for us because we have such a lot of work to do.”

And while Govender has plans for her own television talk show in the future, at least for now, she’ll keep banging on people’s doors and sniffing out the truth like a true Rottweiler, because: “There’s nothing like finding a conclusion to the story,” she says. n

She might be pint-sized but very few people want to open their front door to see Devi Sankaree Govender with a Carte Blanche camera crew. She doesn’t have the nickname, ‘The Rottweiler’, for nothing. Once she sinks her teeth in to a good story, there’s just no letting go until the truth is out.

women in the media: finalist


W

A rebel with a cause

WORLD PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE Year, Jodi Bieber, understands a lot more about the media industry than most people expect. Not only has she worked around the world as a photojournalist but she was once a media planner.

But she found her passion in telling stories through photographs. She has also had a couple of books published illustrating her photographic projects, has exhibited her work all over the world and her work has graced many of the top international magazines.

This woman has been so busy documenting other people’s lives, she has neglected some of the basics in her own. “One of these days, I am going to take some time to buy a lounge suite and put something up on my blank walls,” she says. “Perhaps I will learn to cook as well.”

Bieber grew up in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg and had a sheltered childhood. She excelled at sport in primary school but rebelled in her teens. “Most people thought I would fail in life because I was a rebel and not academic,” she says. But even then, when Bieber set her mind on achieving something, nothing could stop her.

Following the advice of a career expert, she completed a three-year course in marketing

management which led to her to becoming a media planner. “I could walk the talk but I felt like an actress because it really wasn’t for me. I was far more interested in what was happening in the news and outside of, rather than in, the ad agencies.

By this time, she had already started taking photographs, but one day she stumbled upon a flyer for the Market Photography Workshop and signed up immediately. Whenever the opportunity arose, she would head for political rallies and marches with her camera. Clearly impressing her tutor TJ Lemon (former Sunday Independent chief photographer), he arranged an interview for her as a trainee with the late Ken Oosterbroek, then chief photographer at The Star in September 1993. “He gave me three months with no guarantees. I gave up media planning then and there,” she says. While her job mostly entailed working in the darkroom, she took a front-page photograph on her third day there. “I had a day off on a Sunday so I went to a peace rally at Zoo Lake.” When she handed her photographs in, she recalls Oosterbroek saying: “Clever girl” and there was no turning back. She stayed on as a permanent freelancer.

“I was already passionately living this life and for the next 15 years, I was so deeply engrossed in it. I covered the ’94 elections, went out with crime prevention units for six months and whenever I got a moment, I would go out and do my own photographic projects.”

In 1996, she was nominated for the World Press Masterclass in Holland, where 12 up-and-coming photographers in the world are chosen to learn from some of the most experienced. “Until then, I was insecure and traumatised but from then on, all the world’s media opened its doors to me.” She started freelancing for the international magazine market, doing assignments for The New York Times Magazine, marie claire, VANITY FAIR and many others.

“I am not a news photographer. I don’t see myself as a journalist but rather a storyteller,” she says. When she is behind the camera,

she is: “creating respect and making people feel comfortable… It is about trying to communicate to the person in an armchair who the person on the other side of the camera really is – telling their story.”

Being a woman, for Bieber, has never been an issue. “I just never allowed it to be because I couldn’t let it get in the way of getting what I needed. My passion overrode any fear,” she says. “When I was in the ganglands in Westbury as this small white girl, I think I took people by surprise but it never stopped me.”

Her car clocked up 7000 kilometres driving around Soweto before her book, ‘Soweto’, was born in 2010. “I was angry about the way the world was seeing Soweto. It showed an exaggerated extreme world which it truthfully isn’t. I wanted to show it as it really is.” And this was just one of her many personal projects.

“After working flat out for 18 years, I looked up and I wasn’t married or settled. I would love to find a partner,” she says. When she was offered the TIME Magazine assignment to Kabul that would win her the World Press Photographer of 2011, she told the picture editor concerned that she planned to slow down soon.

Instead it has been a whirlwind ride. She went to take photographs of women in Kabul and when she met and photographed Bibi Ayesha (the woman in the winning portrait), she thought she had failed. “Ayesha didn’t have ears or a nose but in the photograph she didn’t look vulnerable and you couldn’t see that she didn’t have ears. Instead, she looks powerful. I thought they wanted vulnerable but, as usual, I wanted to remove the stereotype. Amazingly, people identified with this beautiful woman and that picture.”

Since that cover photograph was published, Bieber has been interviewed and written about, won this ultimate award and been flown around the world.

But when it slows down, she has plans to create a proper home and possibly find a new path. n

Jodi Bieber has dedicated her life to telling stories in a way that few others do – and she has a multitude of international awards to prove it, including the World Press Photographer of 2011.




“N

The ultimate juggling act

‘NINE-TO-FIVE’ ARE NOT THE WORDS one uses to describe working in the media industry. Fast-paced, deadline-driven and long hours are far more apt descriptions. Yet, despite the demands of the job, most women in the industry take on a second – even more demanding role – that of motherhood. So, how do women perform this juggling act?

“It’s hard,” says The Times features editor Jackie May. This mother of three children under nine years of age explains: “Not only is there the awful guilt of not being with your children all day long, but there is the impossible task of trying to keep all the balls in the air. There is grocery shopping to do, school fund-raising requests to manage, tuck shop duty once a month, lifts and drop-offs to organise, nits to pick and all the while the daily deadlines have to be met.”

And for some like The MediaShop’s Trish Guilford, single-mother to a five-and-a-half-year-old daughter, the job is never completed at the end of the day. “There are always deadlines and urgent things to do for my clients,” she says.

But over the last five and a half years she’s

come to realise that she can’t be everything to everybody. “However, a little person is completely dependent on their parent or parents and they must come first. You can’t explain to a little person that you have a deadline and work comes first.”

Kagiso Msimango, group executive of broadcasting at Kagiso Media, and mother to a three-year-old points out that: “it is much easier to maintain balance when things are going smoothly on both fronts”.

Guilford says she’d love to find a working mother in this industry who has managed to achieve balance as she doesn’t believe there is ever an equilibrium met when you’re a mom. “Something always has to give and you always have to make a choice,” she says.

Editorial director of Associated Magazines and editor of COSMOPOLITAN, Vanessa Raphaely, doesn’t believe a woman can ‘have it all’ at any one time, but perhaps consecutively: “I suspect also, that if, as a mother, you score more than two out of three for work, social life and children, you’re doing something wrong and someone or something will be suffering.”

And while there are many ways to raise children, for moms in the media a support network and much compromise is essential to make it work.

As former editor of the Saturday Star, Paula Fray points out: “There is no special formula for juggling a career. We cope because we have to.” Fray who has three children aged 17, 15 and 12 has always been a working mother. She says working was important to her as it made her a happier and more effective parent. “But at some point I realised my children were far

Working in this industry is so straightforward when you are single but add a family to the equation and it becomes a complex web most women have to make work for them. SHARLENE SHARIM asks media moms just how they do it.

women in the media

AND WHILE THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO RAISE CHILDREN, FOR MOMS IN THE MEDIA A SUPPORT NETWORK AND MUCH COMPROMISE IS ESSENTIAL TO MAKE IT WORK.

HAVING FUN ... Carte Blanche Managing Editor

Jessica Pitchford with her

daughter.


more important to me than any professional accolades and I now live my life according to that belief.”

However, she didn’t do it on her own. “Being a parent is a joint responsibility I have always shared with my husband and so I have never felt that it was solely my responsibility.”

Most working moms rely on their various support structures.

May says her parents-in-law and nanny play an enormous role in their children’s lives. “What is the saying? You need a village to raise a child…I think that applies to our family. Without the support, I don’t think we’d manage as we do - even without milk sometimes.”

Raphaely, mother to a 22 year-old step daughter, an 11 year-old daughter and two sons aged nine and four, says she is lucky to be able to afford to live close to her office and to have excellent help both at home and at work. “I can’t lie about that. There are single mothers

with families doing very demanding work with no help at all, and I am always cognisant and respectful of my privilege,” she says.

That said, Raphaely says she manages the juggling act by setting her bar low. “If my children’s teeth are brushed and their homework is done, I think I’m winning.” She says she has also compromised her ambitions. “I have definitely not been as driven at work as I would have been were I not foremost a mother.” And mostly, as something has to give, it is generally her. She says she has no social life. “I can’t work all day and not be there at night to do the kids’ homework. So whether it’s dinner with friends or a launch of an important partner’s product, I just don’t go out.”

She also makes a point of ‘never ever’ keeping her children waiting.

And for Carte Blanche’s managing editor and mother to an eight year-old daughter, Jessica Pitchford, this often means leaving the office at inconvenient times. “Carte Blanche is mainly populated by childless, but very understanding people, who try not to be irritated by my slipping out and arriving late when meetings and viewings clash with the end of the school bell,” she says.

Msimango is relieved that her employers have allowed her the flexibility she needs as a mom. “They are sensitive to the fact that life happens, kids get sick, nannies don’t show up for work, that there are occasionally pre-school concerts to attend and I’m allowed to work from home when necessary.”

But, in the end, media houses are still businesses and those running them are more concerned about the bottom-line than their staff’s children. Raphaely sums this up: “Investors and shareholders want a return for their investment. They don’t care how many nits you picked out of your two squirming, scratching children’s hair the last night before staying up till dawn with another child who had bronchitis, or how all of that interfered with your sleep. And neither should they. It wasn’t their choice that I felt I would cope with hundreds of children. And two dogs, a cockatiel and a husband.”

But if you want to do what you’re passionate about, you’re going to have to work long, intense hours and your family is going to have to adjust to your work life, says May. “Make sure you’ve got support from family and friends,” she adds. “You’ll need it.” n

A LITTLE PERSON IS COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON THEIR PARENT OR PARENTS AND THEY MUST COME FIRST. YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN TO A LITTLE PERSON THAT YOU HAVE A DEADLINE AND WORK COMES FIRST.

ABOVE: A walk on the wild side...The Times feature

editor Jackie May and her brood

RIGHT: Down time ... The MediaShop’s Trish

Guilford and her daughter

Good Music Good Friends

CLAIRE MAWISAProducer and Content co-ordinator

Socialite and media doyenne Claire has been featured in almost every magazine and newspaper in South Africa thanks to her sassy and refreshing views on life. She is the producer of T-Bose Mokwele’s show on Kaya FM. Claire wakes up each morning vowing that each day will be a good day. She would like to have an evening of talk-ing and laughing with a young Mae West because a girl can really have fun and gain a new perspective in Mae’s company (and Claire’s, for that matter!).

LINDA REDDYFinancial Manager

Linda Reddy is Kaya FM’s financial manager and believes that satisfaction and success comes from the experiential knowledge of one’s real nature (her nature is relentless, strong and realistic!). Real success for her is the ability to enjoy the choices she has made in the present. It is the ability to fo-cus her attention on the choices that bring her the most joy. Each day for Linda brings her a brand new chance to share love and make a difference. She would love to dine with Deepak Chopra to share and explore in his infinite wisdom, to create affluence and possibility.

“I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.”

Oprah Winfrey

Our listeners encompass

maturity, sophistication,

soul, social consciousness and progressive

thinking. In the spirit of women’s month, we honour KAYA

FM 95.9’s top women.

Through their hard work and passion,

they encourage us all to be self determining,

descerning and rooted individuals.

We thank you, ladies –

KAYA FM is, because you are.

www.kayafm.co.za

woman

NICKY BPresenter: The World Show with Nicky B

Nicky hosts the ever popular World Show on Kaya – one of the longest running shows. Listeners are treated to four hours of the finest in African, Caribbean and South American music. Nicky embraces light and love and her inspiration comes from knowing she is divinely guided and that she is simply enough. She would love to make dinner for Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango, Bill Laswell, Baaba Maal, Omar Sosa and other great musicians.

THABISO SIKWANEPresenter: Home with Thabiso Sikwane

In her 14 year career Thabiso has hosted various shows across the spectrum beforehoning in on talk. She hosts KAYA FM 95.9’sevening talk show called HOME, which-deals with family-related matters – a sub-ject close to this mother of three’s heart.Thabiso’s also been a presenter of prestig-ious televised events such as the Archbish-op Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s 70th birthday celebration. She is a well-rounded media personality who has gained an enormous following thanks to her wit, intelligence and infectious laughter.

FAHMIDA MILLERJournalist & News Anchor “180 with Bob”

Fahmida is the news anchor on Kaya’s breakfast show -180 with Bob. Fahmida believes that happiness is our own respon-sibilities and that while God gives us bless-ings, the rest is up to us. Fahmida’s hu-mility and passion for news is an asset to Kaya. If she could have dinner with anyone, it would be her late father so she could be reminded of all the lessons he taught her, especially patience.

4179 WOMENSDAY ADVERTORIAL ver5.indd 2-3 2011/07/18 9:26 AM

Good Music Good Friends

CLAIRE MAWISAProducer and Content co-ordinator

Socialite and media doyenne Claire has been featured in almost every magazine and newspaper in South Africa thanks to her sassy and refreshing views on life. She is the producer of T-Bose Mokwele’s show on Kaya FM. Claire wakes up each morning vowing that each day will be a good day. She would like to have an evening of talk-ing and laughing with a young Mae West because a girl can really have fun and gain a new perspective in Mae’s company (and Claire’s, for that matter!).

LINDA REDDYFinancial Manager

Linda Reddy is Kaya FM’s financial manager and believes that satisfaction and success comes from the experiential knowledge of one’s real nature (her nature is relentless, strong and realistic!). Real success for her is the ability to enjoy the choices she has made in the present. It is the ability to fo-cus her attention on the choices that bring her the most joy. Each day for Linda brings her a brand new chance to share love and make a difference. She would love to dine with Deepak Chopra to share and explore in his infinite wisdom, to create affluence and possibility.

“I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.”

Oprah Winfrey

Our listeners encompass

maturity, sophistication,

soul, social consciousness and progressive

thinking. In the spirit of women’s month, we honour KAYA

FM 95.9’s top women.

Through their hard work and passion,

they encourage us all to be self determining,

descerning and rooted individuals.

We thank you, ladies –

KAYA FM is, because you are.

www.kayafm.co.za

woman

NICKY BPresenter: The World Show with Nicky B

Nicky hosts the ever popular World Show on Kaya – one of the longest running shows. Listeners are treated to four hours of the finest in African, Caribbean and South American music. Nicky embraces light and love and her inspiration comes from knowing she is divinely guided and that she is simply enough. She would love to make dinner for Miriam Makeba, Manu Dibango, Bill Laswell, Baaba Maal, Omar Sosa and other great musicians.

THABISO SIKWANEPresenter: Home with Thabiso Sikwane

In her 14 year career Thabiso has hosted various shows across the spectrum beforehoning in on talk. She hosts KAYA FM 95.9’sevening talk show called HOME, which-deals with family-related matters – a sub-ject close to this mother of three’s heart.Thabiso’s also been a presenter of prestig-ious televised events such as the Archbish-op Emeritus Desmond Tutu’s 70th birthday celebration. She is a well-rounded media personality who has gained an enormous following thanks to her wit, intelligence and infectious laughter.

FAHMIDA MILLERJournalist & News Anchor “180 with Bob”

Fahmida is the news anchor on Kaya’s breakfast show -180 with Bob. Fahmida believes that happiness is our own respon-sibilities and that while God gives us bless-ings, the rest is up to us. Fahmida’s hu-mility and passion for news is an asset to Kaya. If she could have dinner with anyone, it would be her late father so she could be reminded of all the lessons he taught her, especially patience.

4179 WOMENSDAY ADVERTORIAL ver5.indd 2-3 2011/07/18 9:26 AM


M

A “hard bloody slog”

MICHELLE MEYJES IS THE MOST POWERFUL woman in the commercial side of South Africa’s media industry. This 1st for Women Insurance Brokers Women in The Media Awards finalist is the chief executive officer of the MEC Group, comprising two specialist media agencies: Nota Bene and Mediaedge:cia. She is also the chairperson of GroupM which incorporates WPP’s media investment brands (MEC, Nota Bene, Mindshare and Mediacomplete).

You would be right in believing that someone with this kind of responsibility has a fair amount of stress and pressure and doesn’t get much sleep. You would also be right in assuming that it is all ”hard bloody slog”, and that Meyjes still dreams of being irresponsible for a change and seeing where that takes her. “I would love to erase the word ‘deadline’ from my life and simply wake up with no driven tasks at hand,” she says.

But that isn’t going to happen for a while…because, as Meyjes says, “I’m too driven and responsible and I find it difficult to delegate.”

She says her independence, work ethic and sheer determination were things she learnt from her mother, who brought her and her brother up on her own on the salary of a hospital theatre matron. “Regardless of the

hardship, she remained a pillar of strength and sacrificed the best years of her life for her family. I wanted to make my life ‘better’ and prove that even through adversity one can succeed.”

At school, Meyjes excelled at sport, breaking a world swimming record at the age of 10. She captained the swimming and tennis teams and had to choose between hitting the international tennis circuit or going to university. She dropped out in the second year of her BComm and got a job in promotions at Republican Press. “I worked with magazine editors and the trade. We were involved in multiple functions, namely sales, marketing, brand extensions, competitions, reader relations and we even dabbled in editorial copy and shoots.”

While this was the start of her career in the media, she bowed out of it for 15 years and went into the fashion and then electronics industry. In 1993, at the age of 40, Meyjes gave up being the marketing director of Panasonic Consumer and the first female appointee to its board, to launch a small specialist media operation called Media by Storm with Erna Storm. “This choice altered my career and life dramatically and significantly,” she says. “The turning point was to get out of my comfort zone in the corporate world of classical marketing and be challenged by the entrepreneurial side of business in specialist media.”

Says Meyjes: “Unless I’m being constantly stimulated, I get bored very easily.” However, she says, nothing could prepare her for the shock that awaited her curiosity.

“It was damn hard but a lot of fun. Our partnership was very much like ‘flying a kite’ – Erna would be flying into the clouds and I would be the one pulling the strings and taking control.” Their launch was at the start of media specialist agencies and the move away from creative agencies that heralded a major shift in the media world.

In 1999, Storm and Meyjes sold to the international WPP Group and in 2003 they

were rebranded The Mediaedge. Today, the MEC Group is a R3-billion billing specialist strategy, planning and buying agency.

But getting and staying at the helm is no mean feat and it has not come without sacrifices. “I think it is tough being a woman at the top of her field. A woman has so many responsibilities in life – being a mother, a wife and in some cases, the breadwinner.” She has had to sacrifice many a netball match, a parents’ evening and a school play. “That’s why there are so few women at the top in our industry because I think the sacrifices are too daunting and it is damn tough. You have to have nerves of steel and be made of metal. I have had many women tell me they would not have my responsibilities for all the tea in China.”

She succeeds because, she says: “I command total respect for being a woman in business, honesty and integrity at all times. These are my non-negotiable values in business.”

Her daughter, Bianca who is in her early 20s, is extremely proud of her mom. Meyjes says: “She’s also had to make sacrifices but above all I think she appreciates the hardships I’ve had to endure as a woman professional and she felt that pain on my behalf.”

As for setting an example, Meyjes says, “I have not set a good one. I have made it look too hard and all-encompassing.” While she says her daughter is already achieving in her field, she has said she “will never work as hard as her mother”.

While it hasn’t been easy, it has been enjoyable. “I simply love the experiences I have had and the people I have met. Also, there is always a first in this industry. Nothing is ever the same. And there is always a lot of laughter. “I have made a point in surrounding myself with people who make me laugh,” she says.

As for the future, she says, “My biggest dream is to run a government department like a business.” That could be exactly what South Africa needs. n

Being a powerful woman in the industry comes with its sacrifices. Michelle Meyjes tells PETA KROST MAUNDER about it.



B

A passion for print media

BEING A LEADER COMES NATURALLY TO 1ST for Women Insurance Brokers Women in The Media Awards finalist and SARIE editor Michélle van Breda. As a little girl she helped raise her siblings and emotionally supported her mother after her father left them.

“I don’t recall being a child much,” says Van Breda. “I do remember being acutely aware of responsibility.” This sense of responsibility could explain why she ended up as an editor of the top-selling women’s magazine in South Africa for the last decade.

When she took over, the magazine was losing ground to direct competitors and suffering dwindling advertising support. She totally repositioned SARIE. “I was not satisfied to compete against only local, Afrikaans magazines. SARIE had to be a women’s magazine on par with the best in the world and this meant adapting the content, visually and editorially and going monthly,” she says.

In 2002, Van Breda’s SARIE hit record sales and has remained the biggest-selling women’s glossy. Today it enjoys a paid circulation of 134 939 (ABC Jan – Mar 2011) and has won over 80 awards. With her instinctive understanding of magazines, it’s difficult to believe she had dreamed of becoming an

airhostess and not a journalist. This small-town girl from Caledon, in the Cape Overberg, completed her BA degree at the University of Stellenbosch and remembers “slogging away” to meet her bursary requirements, in order to remain at university. In the last months of her degree, a boyfriend’s father asked Van Breda if she had considered becoming a journalist, as he believed she had both the talent and the passion.

He made an appointment for her with the professor at the department of journalism which she “reluctantly honoured”. Somewhere during their two-hour meeting, the journalism seed was planted.

Van Breda completed her honours degree in journalism. “I consider myself fortunate to have a career that is my true passion,” she says.

She has however been in a constant battle between her love for newspapers and magazines ever since and has accrued experience on both. Van Breda was one of the first women to be awarded a Naspers bursary. This led to spending 10 years altogether at Die Burger and Beeld.

She recalls working as a junior reporter at Die Burger as a haunting experience. She admits to often battling to keep her emotions at bay and desperately trying to be the professional journalist, but found it tough, as she was barely 21. One of the first stories she covered was a murder case in the Supreme Court. Nothing could have emotionally prepared her for seeing the accused, scarcely two metres away from her in court, being sentenced to death. “Seeing him cringe with fear and battle to stand up as the judgement was read, his knuckles turning blue on the bar in front of him made me shake from head to toe. To this day I recall the moaning and wailing in the courtroom. It seemed endless and I felt surrounded by death and evil and unbelievable sadness,” she says. But it certainly taught her about accurate reporting, resilience and emotional maturity for the job, she says.

Van Breda went on to become editor of Beeld’s women’s pages. She moved over to SARIE when she was appointed beauty editor in the early nineties. Van Breda left the magazine as

bureau chief and returned to Beeld in 2000 as senior assistant-editor.

“When SARIE’s editorship came up about a year later, I did not apply as I saw my future at the newspaper,” she says. But she was contacted by one of Media24’s then bosses for a ‘casual chat’ about the magazine’s future. Van Breda finally agreed to throw her name into the hat.

“No-one was more surprised than me on becoming SARIE’s editor,” she says. “In my head I was always going to be the journalist, doing what I loved. Being an editor was never part of my bigger plan.” But the decision to accept the role complicated her life as it meant weekly commuting between Johannesburg, where she has a permanent home and husband with his own business, and Cape Town which is where SARIE has its head office.

Today, she says that commuting, like SARIE, has become a lifestyle for both her and her husband. “I now call both Johannesburg and Cape Town home, and I love it!”

She is currently working on SARIE’s biggest venture to date, pouring all of her efforts into getting the magazine’s e-commerce platform off the ground. “Anything and everything inspires me,” she says. “A combination of colours could spark an idea for a cover, a smell could trigger a visual image, a shape could determine a layout, and people’s own, real-life stories are more than often thought-provoking and heart-warming magazine copy.”

But she has her dislikes too. “When working for a big corporate, in-house politics comes with the territory. It’s tiring, it can kill creativity and could turn your job into sheer misery,” she says. “That is, if you allow it to.” Neither politics nor criticism from within the company have however been able to bog her down and in dealing with the latter she says: “I’ve learnt to listen and consider, but in the end I’m the editor and along with my team, nobody knows our readers better.”

Judging by her magazine’s figures, she appears to be right. n

This SARIE editor may have moved between newspapers and magazines throughout her career but, she told SHARLENE SHARIM, it is journalism she loves.



THE WOMEN BEHIND THE MAGIC

FHULUFHELO BADUGELA

M-Net has engaged and inspired us for a quarter of a century, boasting channels that cater for over three million DStv subscribers in Africa. Over the years, many strong, vivacious women have contributed to the success of M-Net.

Meet some of M-Net’s lady gems who have created magic on and off the screen.

YOLISA PHAHLEYOLISA PHAHLE trained at the Guildhall School of Music of Drama in London and was a member of the number one selling band in the UK and the US. She has performed with Duran Duran, Jamiroquai, M People, Maxi Priest, Take That, Belinda Carlisle, Ronan Keating and Wet Wet Wet. When she came to South Africa, Yolisa joined M-Net as Channel O’s GM. She is now the Channel Director for Mzansi Magic, VUZI, CHO, kykNET, MK, and Koowee.

What inspires you? Creativity, accountability, a value system that is in line with my own values and ethics, as well as innovation and results.What would you advise young women entering the media industry?Have a global as well as a local understanding of the media industry, consume as much media as you can, and surround yourself with an expert team. It is important not to be afraid of appointing good people. Be the best you can and surround yourself with the best you can find.

KAREN WILLENBERGKAREN WILLENBERG is a former drama student, turned entertainment lawyer and at present, the Director of Regulatory and Legal Affairs at M-Net. She is responsible for commercial and regulatory issues affecting the pay-television broadcaster.

What inspires you?Nature, a good night’s sleep, a great book.What would you advise young women entering the media industry?The same advice I would give anyone entering any industry – be prepared to earn your dues, accept that you know a whole lot less than you think you do and use every experience to learn.

FHULUFHELO BADUGELA is M-Net’s Human Resources Director. She grew up in Venda, completing her schooling there. She then went to Wits University, achieving an Honours degree in Industrial Psychology. She then specialised, obtaining a Masters degree from the University of Johannesburg. What inspires you?Definitely my family – they’ve taught me to believe in myself and have never boxed me. I’ve always had the freedom to just be myself and my family have been behind me, supporting my decisions. I really appreciate this as I understand that to be given this right and opportunity to choose my own path is a fantastic privilege. So I use this opportunity, I work hard to constantly create a lot of possibilities for myself.What would you advise young women entering the media industry?Be agile, embrace change and always put your customer in mind. Most importantly, you’re an individual, act like an individual, don’t try to blend in. Just be yourself.

THE WOMEN BEHIND THE MAGIC

KAREN WILLENBERG

KOO GOVENDER (B.Comm Management) is M-Net’s Corporate Marketing and Communications

Director. She has been in the broadcasting industry for almost 20 years. She held the position of Creative

Services Manager at DStv, where she won numerous international Promax awards with her team. She

was also appointed as the first Chairwoman of Promax SA.

What inspires you?Driven, authentic, dynamic people – especially those from difficult backgrounds – who are passionate

about making a difference wherever they are. Through our M-Net Cares initiatives, I have witnessed how

passionate leaders can bring about change that eventually spirals out to bigger communities.

What would you advise young women entering the media industry?Be observant and sensitive to your environment and identify mentors who you can learn from. Be brave

and assertive, but don’t lose your femininity and unique personality.

HAJRA KARRIM is currently the Chief Financial Officer at M-Net.

What inspires you?Seeing women make their mark and succeed in typically male dominated spaces.What would you advise young women entering the media Industry?Change is the only constant – technology develops, trends change and strategies are re-worked. Approach each day with an open mind and the drive to continuously challenge and develop yourself. It’s a hard-driving industry that moves at a relentless pace so having a thick skin and the agility to grasp new concepts is key.

HAJRA KARRIM

KOO GOVENDER

BIOLA ALABIBIOLA ALABI is a graduate from the University of Cincinnati and holds a Bachelors degree in Public Health and Marketing. She serves as the M-Net Africa Channel Director and is responsible for providing leadership and strategic directionfor M-Net activities across Africa.

What inspires you?I am inspired by people, places, books, but most of all by moving pictures and the endless possibilities of movies. Movies educate us, inspire us to love, live, and learn. The power of the media is overwhelming and truly inspiring.What would you advise young women entering the media Industry?I would advise anyone entering the industry to be flexible and open to learning you never know what opportunities are around the corner so it’s important to be flexible, and also to be willing to take risk.


ELANA AFRIKA

DEVI SANKAREE GOVENDER

ELANA AFRIKA is the quintessential M-Net Cares ambassador. Blessed with a bubbly personality and tons of charisma, Elana has been wowing South Africans with her presenting and MC talents for over a decade. Oozing confidence wherever she goes – whether it be radio or TV presenting, her successful and in-demand skills as an MC and public speaker, an ambassador for corporate social responsibility programmes or on the golf course – Elana’s passion always shines through. What inspires you?So much – my youngest God-child’s birthday, the sense of community that I experienced when I joined a few caregivers in East London taking care of HIV/Aids patients in their homes and speaking to my amazing parents. What would you advise young women entering the media industry?Be competitive and always know the latest of everything. It’s the one industry that will keep you on your toes. That for me is enough to love what I do.

DOREEN MORRIS is an M-Net institution having been at the station for almost 20 years. During this time she has presented the Miss South Africa Pageant, Carte Blanche and African Living – a half-hour local lifestyle series focusing on the home and the growing importance it has for South Africans. Doreen has not always been in showbiz, having qualified as a teacher and then joining M-Net as the PR manager in 1986.

What inspires you?I’ve learnt not to live according to other people’s opinions. Listen to what they say, assess the validity and learn from it. If it’s not valid, then ignore it. What would you advise a young woman entering the media industry?The industry is dynamic and you can only sustain a career if you are prepared to commit to life-long learning and building capacity. It is also a comparatively small industry and strong relationships and networks will stand you in good stead.

DOREEN MORRIS

ASHLEY HAYDEN is a Rhodes Honours graduate, broadcaster, motivational speaker and proud member of the M-Net family for 23 years. She is a mother of two, is ambidextrous, a multi-tasker and lover of good food, friends and laughter.

What inspires you?I am inspired by people who live their passion, and follow their dreams - in this quick fix instant gratification world of ours, determination to achieve your goal, no matter how long it takes is something that I greatly admire.What would you advise young women entering the media industry?Don’t give up! We are in the first decade of a new ‘female’ century where the qualities that women embody are becoming more and more respected and revered. Your time in the sunshine is now!

DEVI SANKAREE GOVENDER has been working as a journalist for the past 18 years and was fortunate enough to have had opportunities that have spanned radio, newspapers, magazines and television, before settling on M-Net’s Carte Blanche. She is married to a rather patient man and has two children, both under the age of 10.

What inspires you?I’m inspired by the truth, stories of individuals who have overcome bad circumstances and, the South African spirit – something which I have never seen replicated anywhere else in the world. What would you advise young women entering the media industry?First, get a solid education and while you’re studying, knock on the doors of media houses and offer to work for free – it’s the best training you will ever get. Secondly, grow up – this is a tough industry to work in and nobody will take you seriously until you prove yourself. Thirdly, there is no such thing as over-time in this industry. Fourthly, there’s nothing glamorous about television journalism.

ASHLEY HAYDEN


TPhotojournalism in conflict

THE ICY COLD WIND WAS BLOWING OFF the nearby sea as the Libyan rebels parked their military vehicles on the high ground, close to the tar road that led to Bin Jawad, Eastern Libya.

The atmosphere was relaxed, considering this was the frontline of a war, and it reminded me of some sort of huge outdoor picnic in the middle of the desert. Libyan rebels offered me cups of sweet tea and tuna sandwiches and we tried to converse in my non-existent Arabic and their non-existent English. All they could get across was: “Gaddafi crazy, Gaddafi crazy…!” as they sat on chairs and surveyed the battlefield.

Then our friendly chat was broken by the screaming of rebel rockets being launched from

a sand bank about 100 metres to our right. Each salvo was met with a huge cheer from the rebels who would then shoot their AK47s aimlessly into the air.

As we watched the rockets impact with a dull thud, my friend and driver, Abdullah, an ex-Libyan army soldier, grabbed my shoulder. “Kim we must go! The government soldiers will get their distance now! Let’s go!”

As we turned and started running down the hill to the car, a salvo of Libyan army shells, most likely from both tanks and artillery, came slamming into our position. Sounding like wailing banshees, they exploded around us; there was chaos as rebels and journalists ran for cover,

some diving into ditches beside the road, others making for their cars, some simply standing still, bemused and shocked.

As I made the tar road and sprinted towards the vehicle with Abdullah in front of me, a shell came spinning at warp speed, end over end, just above our heads, crashing into the road behind us with a dull but menacing thud. As Abdullah drove like one possessed through the retreating rebel 4x4s, shouting and screaming at them and the universe, my mind was racing, praying that we would not be hit by a shell as we went on our mission to make the safety of a junction about 5km away.

KIM LUDBROOK is a photographer and was in Libya shortly before his friend Anton Hammerl arrived and was killed. He reveals the conflicted soul of people who photograph war.

media in conflict zones

TO PAGE 42

The photographs in this article

were taken by Kim Ludbrook

while covering the war in Libya in

March this year. These were shot

at the frontline in a town

called Ras Naluf.

DEVI SANKAREE GOVENDER


Adrenalin fills the veins, all your senses are on full alert – and as you drive, time seems to stand still; even though you are running for your life, the human mind and senses work overtime, in a higher gear and so, despite the speed at which everything is really happening, it slows down; every memory becomes recorded in your memory bank…

As the conflict continues there are many who have not been so fortunate. With the recent passing of conflict photographers, Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondras, and the death of friend, colleague and fellow photographer Anton Hammerl, those memories and questions I asked myself, come to mind.

Why did I survive the daily bombings on the front and not others? Do my images make ANY difference in the world? What has happened to my driver and friend Abdullah? How do I process the absolute assault on my senses that a war brings (the massive barrage of sounds, smells and sights of wounded and dead soldiers, tanks and metal, sand and cold, wind and rain, no trees, no vegetation, men screaming and shouting at each other, nerves on edge…)?

But probably the most important questions is: how do I deal with the fact that although I put my life at risk to take photographs, I am thrilled by the excitement of covering war?

Is it that you took the risk and survived that leads you to feel invisible and invincible, or is it the fact that there’s no other drug on the market, no motorcycle fast enough, no fairground ride tall enough, that holds such danger that it captivates you to such an extent?

As the memories start to fade into the background, I realised that the most difficult aspect of covering conflict - what I have a problem dealing with - is the fact that within hours of leaving my quiet and idyllic middle-class life in the suburbs of Johannesburg, I was dodging bombs in a bitterly cold and desolate foreign desert. And then mere hours after leaving the frontline, the reverse happens. It’s like waking up from a dream. Now that I’m at home the entire two-week experience seems like an ultra-fast, acid-induced dream that I remember clearly, but now seems to have been some sort of out-of-body experience.

So, as this personal account shows, covering

conflict is not the glamorous pastime that many outside of the photojournalism community think it is. Even from within the confines of the photojournalism community, those who have not been under fire may feel that the life of the Bang-Bang Club photographer is all Hollywood and easy...

The opposite is true: hard work, long hours, a huge toll on both your own karma and that of those close to you, airports and visas, getting sick on assignment, having friends die and having friends injured and trying to deal with the aftermath of covering such scenes, is all the daily reality of conflict photography.

I must say though that being the next generation of photojournalists to ‘graduate’ from The Star newspaper in 2000 means I never met Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Gary Bernard; but I have had the pleasure of working with and being friends with Joao Silva - and I am sure he will not mind me commenting on the fact that as a young photographer, their ‘image’ and mythical status that the Bang-Bang Club book and all the awards that they won, attracted me, and others, to the business.

Although the attraction and the thrill of news photography appear to have not left my soul, I do approach the assignments with a vastly different viewpoint. It is a down-to-earth approach. It is a viewpoint of a father of twin girls and a husband – an older man who realises that he still wants to be part of the greater picture, to tell the story of those who cannot and also add my still images to the information superhighway that helps keep the human race’s chakras balanced. It is also a viewpoint that has had the shine taken off, a viewpoint that has seen the horrid side of conflict photography; both the death of so many innocent people but also of friends like Anton Hammerl.

Some spectators will always look from the outside at conflict photography and feel it is a romantic pastime and yet to others it is still a champagne lifestyle on a beer salary...

And as the war in Libya rages on, I watch from the safety of my home in Johannesburg with interest and pray that the needless attempts to depose a leader does not cost the lives of more journalists, photographers and civilians.

But the hard facts are that war needs to be photographed. The eyes of the world mostly get their image of what is really happening in these areas through stills photography. Thus the need for photographers to risk their lives to bring the images to the mass media will continue. n

media in conflict zones


WWhat a client wants…While media agencies seem to be in a complicated situation at the moment, BETH SHIRLEY tried to find out what their clients - and others who work with them - expect.

WHAT DO BIG COMPANIES WANT FROM media agencies? In order to make sure they have what it takes, there is rife and sometimes ruthless competition between media agencies and subsequently, some ugly practices have emerged. Price slashes, undercutting, ‘bargain’ deals and more-for-less are all indicative of what has happened to bag the big clients.

“It’s tough out there for media agencies,” says Janet Proudfoot, e.tv’s general manager of research and audience. “Their margins are small and their financial models are constantly under strain, so we are aware that bad practices arise from this.”

Proudfoot, who was head of group media at Standard Bank before recently moving to e.tv, adds that media agencies are devaluing their currency to sign on more clients. “Ironically, this could push a client away. Devaluing yourself impacts a client negatively…I would rather an agency turn work down if they feel they cannot meet a brief owing to price pressures,” she says.

Chris Hitchings, CEO of DStv Media Sales (previously known as Oracle Airtime Sales) feels the pressure on media agencies can be alleviated by the strong relationship they have with their clients. “It is about the media owner, the media agency and the client sitting down together and understanding the complexities. With free-flowing conversation, agencies don’t always need to be in a bind,” he explains.

In reality, some agencies are very much in a bind. A few multinational clients spoke on condition of anonymity, alluding to the sensitivity of the matter. Unanimously, these clients said they were hounded by so many agencies trying to pitch for their business. One of them explained that media agencies pitched “in seriously dodgy ways…trying to get an edge by undermining and undercutting each other to win business.”

“Admittedly, it’s not always the media agency’s fault,” says Proudfoot. “Clients want champagne campaigns on beer budgets and

so there is limited scope for them. In the end, media planning becomes commoditised so that money is saved. Many blame the procurement department for this.”

Adds Hitchings: “The media planners bang in a brief and project ratings by plugging into Telmar. What happened to creative problem solving? What happened to media planning as an art?”

He says he believes that finding and nurturing talent is a way that agencies can add value to their clients. “Clients are often ignorant about media types and the media industry. Therefore, offering expert advice and specialist knowledge is key. Again, growing talent is essential,” explains Hitchings.

Both Proudfoot and Hitchings believe agencies should challenge clients and not be bullied by them. The agency is the expert and has to be strong enough to not undermine the industry by price cuts and discounts. “The client sees this undercutting as potentially fatal to a long-term relationship with the agency,” notes Proudfoot.

The skills issue is also a significant challenge. Explains industry doyen John Farquhar: “Media agencies have very little direct contact with consumers. Their knowledge of the target market comes from information provided by the client – which is often off-target. The media agencies have very little hard information about what consumers interact with daily: billboards, activation programmes, word-of-mouth, public passenger vehicles, in-store displays, wall posters, sampling and more.”

Farquhar adds that some media agency’s knowledge of communication strategy is

limited, resulting in their advice to clients being based on Telmar’s algorithmic evaluation of AMPS data. “Media agencies do not fund any research at all. All they do is massage AMPS data.”

Brenda Koornneef, group marketing and corporate strategy executive of Tiger Brands, says that the world is changing and agencies have to be acutely aware of what consumers want which is to “engage with and experience brands.” She adds: “We want value back. This comes with the media agency having a thorough understanding of our business and brands which would enable them to be true strategic partners in developing the best media strategy.”

Koornneef echoes Hitchings’ and Proudfoot’s emphasis on skills: “We look for expertise and a strategic ability in helping us to develop a communications strategy that really works for the brands and most importantly – differentiates us in our ability to reach the most effective touch points with our consumers.”

Koornneef lists the ability to work through-the-line; negotiating preferential contracts with media owners; developing media plans that will give the best value for money and the “ability to deliver on what they promise,” as being the most important things she looks for in an agency.

There is unanimous agreement among clients that media agencies should understand a client’s target audience and challenge the client where necessary.

“It is crucial that an agency take cognisance of the nuances in a company and the different market segments they may have to target. I would suggest that Telmar be used as a tool, and creativity, care and common sense be at the forefront of strategic planning,” says Proudfoot.

Times are indeed tough and tentative, but agencies and clients both need to realise they are in this together and have a responsibility to elevate the worth of the industry. n

media agencies

DEVALUING YOURSELF IMPACTS A CLIENT NEGATIVELY...

19743 FFW Directions Media Mag.indd 1 2011/07/15 9:58 AM


MDealing with a crisis in the mediaCompanies and people in the public eye pay top dollar to ensure they come out looking good through a crisis in the media. GLENDA NEVILL tackles this issue.

MANAGING REPUTATIONS OR CRISES IN the media is a tricky business. Just ask Jimmy Manyi. He’s broken the cardinal rule of crisis communications and high-level media liaison by becoming the story himself. Now it doesn’t matter whether he spews pearls of wisdom or his usual nonsense. It’s all about him.

As one media consultant - who specialises in reputation management on a global scale – told The Media, “When dealing with a crisis, one becomes ‘knitted’ into the fabric of that client; and almost never do you become the ‘face’ of the crisis or, heavens forbid, get the glory for it,” she says, not wanting to be named to safeguard her clients.

It’s a strategy that Chris Vick of Codeblack has fine-tuned. As Tokyo Sexwale’s media man for many years, in government and in the corporate world, Vick knows only too well how layered managing a crisis within government can be. “There are some unique challenges, particularly the fact that the crisis is usually triggered or initiated by a ‘rival’ - either a political rival, a disgruntled public servant, or a party rival,” he said. “It is rarely, if ever, as cut and dried as it may appear on the surface.”

Vick added that the stakeholders with an interest in the issue are also quite different. “Businesses have to keep their customers and shareholders happy; those are two fairly easily segmented audiences. But government has to worry about voters, party supporters, opposition parties, Parliament, Cabinet, international investors, local business, labour, the unemployed, the homeless, the voiceless - the list is almost endless.”

No matter how different the crises, there are certain rules for the way in which media consultants should manage the story.

“Of course you always need to tailor your response to the context but the same general rules apply. The first rule is: ‘Don’t lie, you will get caught’,” said McCann’s Ranjeni Munusamy. “I’m a graduate of the school of hard knocks and have come through several

harrowing crises – including losing my job twice, both times making big news. I’ve learnt to take it on the chin, pick myself up when I get knocked down, and accept that the news cycle can be your best friend and worst enemy at the same time.”

Having worked within the government space, with Zuma first and then as Blade Nzimande’s spokesperson, Munusamy is well-qualified to comment. “Very often, the client’s first instinct is to opt for legal action to counter negative publicity, believing that an announcement of intention to sue translates

into a statement of innocence. A good media consultant should be able to advise the client to respond to the issues in the public domain first and deal with their dented egos later.”

A good media consultant is someone who understands the differences between the actual business problem and the communications problem. It is someone who knows the media; knows the client and understands the core of the problem that needs solving. A good media consultant is calm and honest, and is able to formulate a rapid response backed by a communications plan that will help resolve the issues or crisis, is the joint opinion of Craig Rodney and Glen Bvuma of Cerebra Communicatons.

A good media consultant should not say ‘no comment’, nor should they lie, blame others,

threaten to sue or panic. The Joost sex-tape scandal is a case in point, said Rodney. “He denied it was him enlisted respected members of the church and sporting worlds to publicly defend him. He basically accused everyone that thought it was him, of being a liar. Turns out he was the liar and he dented the reputations of those who defended him while destroying his own reputation.”

Munusamy said that Nelson Mandela’s health scare earlier this year is an example of both a badly-managed and a brilliantly-managed crisis. “The response of Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and former GCIS head Themba Maseko was a class act. The decision to have the press conference at the hospital with the Surgeon-General Veejay Ramlakan explaining to a highly anxious nation exactly what was wrong with their icon, immediately settled the hysteria. Motlanthe’s reassuring and apologetic tone and Ramlakan’s frankness and lucidity, leant credibility to what they were saying. In the face of enormous panic, no one disbelieved them. That was quite a feat.”

The ability to stay objective is critical, says Sentient Communications managing director, Sarah Rice. “It’s easy to be sucked into the drama but without remaining slightly outside of the high emotions, it’s impossible to provide good communications advice.”

Rice added that the most important rule is to be “open, clear and not to change your story. Don’t be afraid to take a bit of time to get your facts together and then keep the narrative flowing. Second important rule: make sure your spokespeople are ready and available. Both nature and the media abhor a vacuum; and they will fill it with speculation if there is no access to information. Your spokespeople are critical to keeping the information on track.”

It is not uncommon for government spokespeople to go to ground during a crisis. “In my view, the role of a spokesperson should be to promote and protect their principal: that

media consulting

A GOOD MEDIA CONSULTANT SHOULD NOT SAY ‘NO COMMENT’, NOR SHOULD THEY LIE, BLAME OTHERS, THREATEN TO SUE OR PANIC.


means usually being the bulletproof vest of their minister, taking the punches to protect the principal,” said Vick.

Kingmaker’s Rams Mabote, who is currently the spokesperson for agriculture minister, Tina Joemat-Peterson, said, “Often government spokespeople think that the best solution to every crisis is spin. Not true. Sometimes simple facts can undo a crisis. A good spokesperson is key. Once you have the facts, you need someone to articulate them succinctly and convincingly.”

The problems come in when clients “deny, delay or do not respond or reply”, says Mabote. “Sometimes, and dare I say often, the truth is the quickest solution to a crisis. Take the current mess about the police headquarters, Roux Shabangu, Bheki Cele and Public Works. First the parties concerned deny, delay or do not respond; and when they finally decided to respond, they lied. It went from a small crisis to serious disaster.”

A plan of action can help mitigate the effects of a disaster, said Evelyn Holtzhausen of HWB Communications. “Do a dry run. Use the incident command system, (ICS) which puts a single person, that you trust, in charge to manage the public profile of the company. Give that person all the resources they need. Tell staff what you are doing. Tell them not to talk to strangers, then stand back…and don’t interfere with the process,” he said.

He said the toughest crisis he’s handled was the murder of Mrs Marike de Klerk by a security guard in the complex where she lived. He represented the security company. “I was given carte blanche to act on their behalf and given full access to any information I needed. I did not have to wait for CEO approval of comments. I was able to call journalists and give them information, before they called me. I gave hourly, daily then weekly updates. So I led the story, the tail did not wag the dog.”

Of course, the incredible power of social media has made reputation management that much more complex. Tamaryn Smith, managing director of Chillibush PR, said there has been a “huge increase in awareness of corporate sector crises because of the ease of online access to news and conversations. Whistleblowers and others can easily share confidential and often damaging information, and news reporting can rapidly escalate and blow situations out of proportion. Customers also have a very public forum to complain,” she said.

“Social media does allow companies to become part of the conversation, but this must be done skillfully and only when appropriate. It is often better to track and deal with complaints directly with the client, rather than being defensive or getting into a possible debate in a public forum, said Smith. “The science of online reputation management is to have your tools and online community manager in place so that you can swiftly move through the spectrum of ‘monitor – engage – respond – leverage – drive’ in accordance with the situation.”

Cut 2 Black’s Faizel Cook said it is key that senior people in any organisation – government or corporate – go through media training. “It’s unrealistic to expect any person to perform well in the glare of television lights if they have never been exposed to it. It doesn’t hurt having a spin doctor on your books - much in the same way as having a top-notch lawyer to call on can’t hurt – especially when you’re in real trouble,” he said.

Cook singled out Hawks spokesperson Mcintosh Polela as an example of a really good communicator. “He’s always available, sticks with the facts, and when he’s not sure, he says so. This is incredibly important in times of crisis when you may not have all the information at your fingertips.”

As Sentient’s Rice says: “In terms of planning for a crisis, it’s impossible. Life never turns out the way we planned, no matter how many pages of scenarios we have listed in our crisis manual. The only way to plan for a crisis is to plan on how to communicate, with clear responsibilities and processes.” n

From left to right: Top row: Ranjeni Munusamy,

Evelyn Holtzhausen, Rams Mabote, Tamaryn Smith

Bottom row: Sarah Rice, Chris Vick, Craig Rodney

and Glen Bvuma.

IT’S EASY TO BE SUCKED INTO THE DRAMA BUT WITHOUT REMAINING SLIGHTLY OUTSIDE OF THE HIGH EMOTIONS, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVIDE GOOD COMMUNICATIONS ADVICE.


alternate media

DStv subscribers can now watch their choice of the latest movies with just the touch of a button from the comfort of their own home. But how will this technological advance affect the DVD rental industry?

Video on demand challenges

WWHILE DSTV’S VIDEO ON DEMAND (VoD) may be a first for South Africa – launched at the end of last month – it does not bode well for the DVD rental industry.

While this trend has made life easier for movie fans who love the idea of the ultimate in convenience, meaning they no longer have to get into their car and go rent a DVD, it has proved to be a real problem for the DVD rental companies in the United States.

The US’s Blockbuster Video, once the world’s biggest video chain, went bankrupt because of the competition from digital competitors and mail-order DVDs. It was auctioned off in the Manhattan bankruptcy court in April this year, according to Reuters. Other US DVD rental chains have had to close their stores as well. Digital Entertainment Group, a non-profit, industry trade organisation that provides up-to-date data, revealed that US DVD rental revenue fell by 14 percent between 2009 and 2010. According to their report from the end of 2010: “VoD significantly offset the decline of the entire rental category in 2010. Without VoD, rental is down two percent for the year – with VoD, the category is back to growth, up 2% to US$7.8-billion.”

INTERNATIONAL TRENDDStv on Demand general manager Jean-Louis Acafrao is convinced of the appeal of their offering because, he says: “As part of an international trend right now, we’re seeing a real revolution in transactional Video on Demand services. In South Africa, we didn’t have anything like this and DStv is in a good position to offer this.”

So with the launch of DStv’s BoxOffice, DStv premium subscribers can simply download the latest blockbuster movies hot off the cinema screens – onto their PVRs through their existing satellite network. In the US and other western countries, VoD is

accessible via the Internet but because of South Africa’s broadband limitations, DStv has opted to stick with using their satellite network for now.

While DStv is the first to launch this locally, competition is not far off. The SouthTel Group – a South African telecommunications company – is scheduled to launch VOD:TV which will be the country’s first VoD subscription service. For roughly R200 per month VOD:TV subscribers will have access to the latest movies updated weekly.

By the end of this year, DStv will also launch an online version to their BoxOffice service, making their offering available to the general South African market. So, anyone with an Internet connection will be able to stream or download BoxOffice movies, at a price. DStv is working towards a VoD service that will be available on iPads, smartphones and other devices.

In the past, video stores have had access to the latest films, months before pay-TV broadcasters. So while many a consumer may be thrilled by the convenience of these new services, considering the events abroad, trouble is brewing for local DVD-rental stores. However, those in the rental industry say otherwise.

Managing director of Nu Metro Entertainment, Fay Amaral says: “Video on Demand is still relatively small in global revenues on home entertainment, despite being widely available in the US and UK for some time. This will take time to establish in SA and physical rental is still a very convenient and appealing entertainment option for many South Africans.”

Henni Erasmus, owner of The Majestic, a DVD-rental store in Greenside, shares this sentiment. “I deal with a lot of connoisseurs in my shop, people who want to come in and get a quality movie, who want to come

in and browse around. It’s not about coming in and getting the biggest movie and then leaving again. It’s a quality thing,” he says.

CEO at SterKinekor Entertainment, Mario Dos Santos says they are evaluating the VoD proposition. He points out that the entries in the local market are somewhat different from those in the US and other markets as they operate via satellite.

“They are not typical VoD services where one will have access to hundreds of titles,” he says.

LACK OF CHOICE“There will be some level of impact, however, the limited volume of content will mean that consumers may be faced with a lack of choice. Secondly, from a Ster-Kinekor point of view, there will be a window between the Rental DVD and VoD window.”

But as Acafrao, points out: “The idea is to negotiate with the major international studios to ensure that as much content as possible is made available to us at the same time that it becomes available to DVD rental stores.”

That said, he believes DVD rentals and BoxOffice will complement one another. For now, he explains, DStv will offer a much smaller variety of titles than the current offering available in video stores. But they plan to create content libraries with older films as well from 2012.

On the upside though, while we’re looking at international trends, services like BoxOffice and VOD:TV may well help put an end to the piracy problems. Much like what happened in the music industry, with the launch of iTunes, Acafrao believes that when you offer people a competitively-priced, but legal alternative, that’s the option they’ll go for.

Time will tell whether ‘Blockbuster’ history will repeat itself. n

Readers in the Zulu

target market have told us,

“Yes! We want to read

Isolezwe on Saturdays too”.

Isolezwe ziyawa ngoMgqibelo!

Launching on Saturday 27 August!

Is lezweIs lezweIs lezweliwela umfula ugcwele

ULWESIBILI, AGASTI 03, 2010

www.isolezwe.co.za

KWAZULU-NATAL EDITION R2.70 VAT INCLUDED – ZONKE IZINDAWO

Bavuke indlobanebavala uMangosuthuHighway abafundi IKHASI 3

IKHASI 19

I‘Downsi

Isolezwe ngoMgqibelo refl ects the target readers’ Saturday – busy and

social. Conceptualised by the ‘on-target’ Isolezwe team who ‘have the style’,

the Saturday edition is tailor-made to fi t the Saturday space. Including news

highlights and topical discussion, the focus is fi rmly on entertainment - celebs,

fashion, glamour, and gigs, along with an abundance of sport.

To advertise call Durban: 031 308 2588 Cape Town: 021 422 1094 Jhb: 011 639 7100

gc l

BILI, AGASTI 03, 2010

IKHHASASII

Downs

Is lezweUSINDE NGOKULAMBISA

Uhlale izinsuku

ezingu-30 entanta

olwandle IKHASI3

Sidalula imfihloyeBaroka FC IKHASI 28

WINAIMOTONOKUNYE

MEYI 7, 2011, R2.80 VAT INCLUDED – ZONKE IZINDAWO

Is lezwengoMgqibelo

NGOKULALL MBIS

Uhlale izinsuku

ezingu-30 entanta

olwandle IKHASAA I3

mfihhllooooFCFF IIKKHHAAASSAAAA II 228

WINAIMOTOTTNOKUNYE

ngeSonto

Is lezweIs lezweIs lezweAGASTI 8, 2010 – R2.70 – ZONKE IZINDAWO

Umfelokazi kamaskandiukhala ngezesheliUthi akasalali unkosikazi kaBhekumuzi

Udaba ekhasini 4

Newly-appointed Weekend

Editor, Slindile Khanyile, makes

a welcome return to Isolezwe

attic

rush



Video on demand challenges

Readers in the Zulu

target market have told us,

“Yes! We want to read

Isolezwe on Saturdays too”.

Isolezwe ziyawa ngoMgqibelo!

Launching on Saturday 27 August!

Is lezweIs lezweIs lezweliwela umfula ugcwele

ULWESIBILI, AGASTI 03, 2010

www.isolezwe.co.za

KWAZULU-NATAL EDITION R2.70 VAT INCLUDED – ZONKE IZINDAWO

Bavuke indlobanebavala uMangosuthuHighway abafundi IKHASI 3

IKHASI 19

I‘Downsi

Isolezwe ngoMgqibelo refl ects the target readers’ Saturday – busy and

social. Conceptualised by the ‘on-target’ Isolezwe team who ‘have the style’,

the Saturday edition is tailor-made to fi t the Saturday space. Including news

highlights and topical discussion, the focus is fi rmly on entertainment - celebs,

fashion, glamour, and gigs, along with an abundance of sport.

To advertise call Durban: 031 308 2588 Cape Town: 021 422 1094 Jhb: 011 639 7100

gc l

BILI, AGASTI 03, 2010

IKHHASASII

Downs

Is lezweUSINDE NGOKULAMBISA

Uhlale izinsuku

ezingu-30 entanta

olwandle IKHASI3

Sidalula imfihloyeBaroka FC IKHASI 28

WINAIMOTONOKUNYE

MEYI 7, 2011, R2.80 VAT INCLUDED – ZONKE IZINDAWO

Is lezwengoMgqibelo

NGOKULALL MBIS

Uhlale izinsuku

ezingu-30 entanta

olwandle IKHASAA I3

mfihhllooooFCFF IIKKHHAAASSAAAA II 228

WINAIMOTOTTNOKUNYE

ngeSonto

Is lezweIs lezweIs lezweAGASTI 8, 2010 – R2.70 – ZONKE IZINDAWO

Umfelokazi kamaskandiukhala ngezesheliUthi akasalali unkosikazi kaBhekumuzi

Udaba ekhasini 4

Newly-appointed Weekend

Editor, Slindile Khanyile, makes

a welcome return to Isolezwe

attic

rush



living standard measures

Reaching the mass market or middle class appears simple but is it? We ask three experts.

Reaching people on the move

TANYA SCHREUDER, JOINT MD OF VIZEUM SA: Around 17.3-million people fall within LSM 4-6, 32 percent are aged 15-24 and 81% earn between R800-R7 999. This grouping has seen the largest growth over the last few years, particularly LSM 5-6. The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing has just released a new study, where LSM 5 and 6 form part of a segment which they refer to as ‘The Strugglers’. The study shows that this group’s confidence levels are deteriorating due to increased debt.

Although they have aspirations, their limited opportunity is frustrating them. However, although their growth is predicted to be stagnating, they account for 50% of South Africa’s spend. Although channel selection is dependent on the brand message and objectives, electronic media remains important in reaching this segment, with 95% watching TV in the past seven days. Ninety-one per cent watched SABC 1, followed by SABC 2 and e.tv at 71%. While 14m of this LSM group watched DStv in the past seven days, this is a number that is expected to grow due to offerings like Compact from DStv.

While 93% listened to radio in the past seven days, 26% were tuning into community radio. Radio broadcast in the vernacular is key and, depending on the region, this group is loyal to the area’s vernacular station.

Just less than 1m people in LSM 4-6 have accessed the Internet in the past seven days. However, the study shows a more integrated use of digital media in the lower LSMs. With mobile penetration being so high, this is expected to grow.

A one-size-fits-all solution is not always recommended, due to diverse cultures, languages and the sheer size of LSM 4-6. An

understanding of these differences and the regions in which people in this group live, will help define how you customise your media plan and message.

ERICA GUNNING, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CARAT JOHANNESBURG: The LSM 4-6 market – which forms the majority (50.1%) segment of SA’s adult population - is all about living in the now and grasping life’s opportunities.

They are mostly black men and women between the ages of 15 and 49, who earn an average personal income of just over R2 500 a month. They are most likely to live together in family environments and use public transport. Radio is omnipresent in their lives – it gets switched on first thing in the morning, kept on in the background throughout the day, and listened to while travelling, usually by way of cellphone. If your product is geared towards this market, think outdoor media and radio exposure, especially on channels that are easily picked up on mobile phones. In-store promotions and bold point-of-purchase sampling initiatives are key to getting them to notice new products and innovations.

The younger section of the group loves to ‘hang out’ - in malls, window-shopping and meeting friends - and is drawn to mall entertainment and promotions. Television is a ‘me-time’ medium for the LSM 4-6’ers, who enjoy watching soap operas, music shows and movies.

They have little time for reading, but community newspapers and some tabloids and magazines do sometimes grab their attention. It is worth noting that the younger members of the family are likely to buy magazines and later pass them around. They pull out and collect broadsheets, flyers and bargain ads and often act on them. Promotions and relationship marketing efforts also appear to work well with this group, especially for those who tap into the stokvel-type gathering structures and the group’s entrepreneurial drive, for instance through direct sales initiatives.

Direct, experiential and value-added

communication is the way to go to reach potential customers in the LSM 4-6 market. Reach them by:• tapping into community projects, passions

and icons, and amplifying campaigns in traditional media as content to build brand respect;

• ensuring communication platforms employed have longevity in order to maintain relationships; and

• involving the market in communication via active engagement.

ANDREW MALULEKA, MEDIA STRATEGIST, THE MEDIASHOP: The typical LSM 4-6 consumer, found in most townships across SA*, is a very community-orientated person that still values the spirit of Ubuntu and over weekends enjoys participating in social community activities.

Here word of mouth plays an integral role in spreading information.

It is important for brands to understand the ever-changing lifestyle dynamics of these consumers.

The trick in targeting and reaching this market is engaging with them on an emotional level that will leave a lasting impression for your brand. The spending power of this market has attracted a lot of brands into these communities and, as a result, there is an abundance of advertising clutter.

For your brand to stand out and be recognised, you need to have an integrated approach to your media mix because here the medium is the message. What matters here is how you utilise the role of each medium in your integrated approach to achieve your desired results.

There is no specific integrated approach that will be considered one-size-fits-all. However, to bring your campaign alive you need to have an interactive mechanism in your media mix that will enhance the brand experience so that it can be spread and shared by these consumers for a long time. *approximately 90% of this grouping is black with the other 10% comprising whites, Indians and Coloureds. n

Erica Gunning Andrew MalulekaTanya Schreuder


TMUCKRAKERS

amabhungane, m&g centre for investigative journalism

Investigative journo meets private eyeTHE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOURNALISTS AND forensic professionals is a tricky one.

I recently addressed two conferences of what one might call ‘proper investigators’ (as opposed to enthusiastic amateurs like me) from the private sector – accountants, lawyers, ex-cops – who service the growing business of forensics.

The topic was the synergy between investigative journalism and forensic investigators. What is the appropriate relationship?

Professional investigators – whether from the state or private sectors – tend to be nervous of journalists, seeing them as a risk rather than a resource and a potential ally in bad times.

They also tend to hide behind the rules, saying: “We’re not allowed to talk to the media”, when the situation often demands a morally more courageous approach. This brings with it some tough ethical choices.

This is hard for forensic professionals who are reared in a culture of ‘confidentiality’ rather than disclosure.

How often is the explosive forensic report buried for years, because it is politically or financially damaging? How often is the crooked director or bureaucrat allowed to quietly resign?

ETHICAL ASSUMPTIONSWhat I tried to do was to get my audiences to question some of their ethical assumptions and think about the possibilities (and benefits) of a more radical approach to information sharing and disclosure.

After all, we often have common interests and objectives.

The media can be a useful ally in resisting a client’s attempts to cover up or manipulate an investigation - assuming you accept you have a wider ethical obligation other than just to the client.

This is particularly important, I argued, when forensic professionals come up against investigations that are politically highly charged – and carry with them the threat of being interfered with or closed down.

What would have happened, I asked, if former National Director of Public Prosecutions, Vusi Pikoli had held a press conference immediately after his showdown with President Mbeki over the Jackie Selebi investigation?

Instead he kept his counsel in the face of attempts to interfere in the independent exercise of his constitutional mandate – and was suspended for his trouble. (To be fair, Advocate Pikoli – who now heads the forensic unit of a big audit firm – told me afterwards he never saw the suspension coming).

There is in principle no reason why lawyers, accountants and other forensic practitioners should not be whistle-blowers; why they should not be moved by the same sense of needing to expose wrong-doing that would otherwise likely remain hidden.

Yes, by disclosing confidential material, they will be breaking a professional code, but then most confidential sources take similar risks to their jobs, if not to life and limb. Also, it is worth remembering that disclosure need not be an all-or-nothing affair.

Most of my relationships with forensic professionals have been such that they have barely strayed beyond ethically defensible norms.

Usually, only small bits of information have been disclosed, which have tended to be significant to me because I have done my homework and have an existing information matrix.

It has also often been more of an information exchange, where I have insights or information to trade – which is something most professionals can justify ethically.

I also tried to offer a bit of a roadmap for dealing with journalists – which may be relevant to other professionals who interact with the media.

Confidential disclosure is an act of trust and you should choose which journalists to trust with the same care you would take in any trust-based relationship. It needs to be forged out of professionalism and mutual respect, understanding that each side has different boundaries they need to observe.

Here are a few ethical protocols for co-operation with journalists I would like to suggest:• Don’t try to manipulate the media. It can backfire rather

horribly. Confidential disclosure is a contract of good faith, not a transaction.

• Be open about your legitimate agenda – and don’t try to conceal countervailing information. Don’t try to prescribe the angle. As a confidential source, you have the right to have your identity protected, but you don’t have the right to determine the angle of a story.

• Don’t hold back unnecessarily. Journalists really have very limited capacity – and it’s usually a waste of time to provide a general allegation and then say: “Now you go and investigate”. If you feel you can’t provide internal documentation, then provide leads, contacts and as much detail as you can so that a journalist can independently retrace the investigation.

• Make sure you have a clear and common understanding of what information may be used and what may not – and how it may be attributed. n

SAM SOLE opens an interesting door to the relationship between forensic professionals and investigative journalists.


AReconstructing the pastAcclaimed author and journalist MANDLA LANGA spoke about the investigative reporter as a storyteller. Here are extracts from his speech.

ANYONE DUMB ENOUGH TO BE suckered into the enterprise of storytelling knows that it’s a mug’s game. And I am not even dealing with the economics of writing. Novelists know that society cannot abide a person whose sole occupation is to weave idealised scenarios, while journalists appreciate the fact that no-one believes a word they put down or broadcast. Investigative journalists are at the bottom of the food chain – but, like the rhino horn, they manage to get a rise out of someone.

Seriously, society would be poorer if there weren’t men and women whose preoccupation was bringing to light what has been kept in the shadows. People, especially those in powerful positions, don’t normally take kindly to someone rattling the skeletons in the closet. Throughout history, journalists have been flogged for disclosures that were unpalatable to the powerful. It could be said that these were trustworthy barometers to take a measure of the times, serving the public interest, maintaining a healthy public sphere and helping hold power to account. These are all laudable attributes.

But what has been overlooked is the role of investigative journalists as storytellers.

Investigative journalism is about reconstruction: a reconstruction of the broken shards of the past to build a mirror, an image that can help us understand the places, the people who, the time when and the reason why. In this reconstruction, the investigators stumble on debris. In South Africa today, society is schizophrenic in its attitude towards journalists’ penchant to disturb the smooth layers spread evenly above a restless past. The old adage about the future being certain and the past being unpredictable applies. At issue is the question, whose past is it? Whose ancestral bones will be disturbed in our commitment to the truth? This is a truth that lies hidden in sacred burial grounds.

We need to look at some of the unexplored stories, the unfinished investigations. What

happened, really, with the disasters of the past? The Helderberg? Why aren’t we reopening the investigation into the death of Samora Machel?

There has always been something elusive in the elements that make up the South African story, for the simple reason that no-one – let alone South Africans – wanted to hear it. To make it palatable or tellable, writers have had to dress it up or pare it down to its barest bones, or even tell it in symbols or hieroglyphics. The South African story has been a litany of disasters, skirmishes and little victories, but mainly a story of loss. I remember when the Coalbrook mine disaster happened. I was about 10 years old in 1961. A year earlier,

Sharpeville had happened and when upwards of 400 miners – all black save for six white men – were buried under tons of rock, it felt as if an insatiable ghoul, some homegrown Moloch, was gobbling everything in its wake.

It was around this time, during Verwoerd’s reign, that the Golden City Post reported that there had been an earlier severe cave-in shortly before the Coalbrook mine rock fall. It reported that about 40 miners had scrambled for the safety of the life cage and 20 were forced back into the mine at the cage entrance, while 20 others reached the surface but found their way blocked by supervisors who ordered them back into the tunnel. Those who baulked were

thrown into the mine’s own jail and charged with insubordination, and quietly released after the disaster.

Investigative journalists – for instance, Max du Preez and countless others – gave us the merest teaser that led bloodhounds to Vlakplaas and other killing fields that filigree this country from coast to coast. Before then, the Rand Daily Mail and Sunday Express were among papers that broke the story which gave us an understanding of the venality and corruption of the National Party. The ‘Information Scandal’, involving Eschel Rhoodie and Connie Mulder, effectively led to the ousting of BJ Vorster.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) process much later cultivated an appetite for truth among South Africans who had, throughout history, been fed pabulum of lies. Suddenly, that which was in the shadows, the ugliness, could be countenanced. In the ugliness we saw our own reflection. Many things, some insupportable, had been done either against us or in our name. The TRC spawned films and books and lucrative consultancies in foreign countries where we had become, overnight, world experts in fostering reconciliation.

But has the story been told?I believe that the story has yet to be told.

We have distracted ourselves as the South African polity with sideshows. I believe, for instance, that the investigation of the arms deal should have been engaged with more vigour and single-mindedness. I believe that there is still a role that journalists can play in laying bare the exact nature of poverty in this country and the real effect of some legislation, like the Land Act, that need repealing if this country is to release itself from the strictures of the past.

As a country, it will still take us a while to find the appropriate way, and we might have to go deep into ourselves and search the terrain and dig the ground. To find that will be a journey towards finding ourselves. n

investigative journalism

WE NEED TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE UNEXPLORED STORIES, THE UNFINISHED INVESTIGATIONS. WHAT HAPPENED, REALLY, WITH THE DISASTERS OF THE PAST?

Community Radio has always been perceived as backyard radio, which caters to the lower LSM bracket of South Africa. And perhaps in the very beginning this was the case. But over the years, as the sector has strengthened, improved, and stabilized, the standard of community has been raised, and the scope of community radio has broadened so widely, that there are very few radio listeners within South Africa that cannot be reached by a community radio station. There are community radio stations who were established in 1994, with growing listenership’s, that have solid and informative programming, and their listeners rely heavily on them for information and entertainment. Media Connection knows the exact LSM demographics of its community radio stations’ listeners. This enables us to specifically target a campaign for a brand hoping to reach any LSM category from 1 to 10 and above.

This makes LSM 4-7 a market which cannot be ignored, and we should not underestimate the power they hold within the market place. These are people who are stressed consumers, as often their salaries do not keep pace with inflation. This tends to make them fussy purchasers, who will be prone to shop around for prices, and look for bargains and promotions. They think before they spend, and have consciously reduced their consumption. Large monthly shopping sprees, which included luxury items are a thing of the past. By the same token, these are the people who expect service delivery, and want to see results and get for what they pay for.

It has been proven that community radio listeners are increasingly loyal to their stations, as many of the personalities on the stations are their friends, family or community leaders.

Out of the 124 community radio stations we represent, the majority of them fall within the LSM 4 – 7 bracket. To us this is a vital listenership group. According to UCT Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing’s March 2011 research, approximately 54% of the South African population fall into this LSM bracket, and they hold up to half of the country’s economic spend. The lower LSM bracket of 1 -3, is mostly responsible for about 10% of the country’s spend.

WWW.THE MEDIA CONNECTION.CO.ZA

011 791 3107

COMMUNITY RADIO IS

NOT BACKYARD RADIO!

They rely on the station to provide up to date and accurate news and information, which is pertinent to their own environment and communities, and they also have an opportunity to have their voices and grievances heard. They receive support, can receive event updates, and can be spoken to directly by various government departments, or by organizations who will be impacting the communities.

Gauteng

Mpumalanga

Limpopo

Freestate

Northwest

KZN

E Cape

N Cape

W Cape

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000A

DV

ER

TO

RIA

L

Community Radio as a medium cannot be ignored. Their listeners are important, have spending power, and are entitled to as much information, advertising and engagement with their stations, as any commercial listener. With community radio reaching 8 355 million listeners (RAMS June 2011), this is a large portion of the sector which has expendable income. Consumers are being more exposed to retail growth, as investors are seeing the value of opening retail stores further into the communities, and away from the totally urban areas. Retail growth in townships and peri-urban areas is on the increase, and the becoming more accessible to community radio listeners. Credit has also been extended to these listeners, who now have the opportunity to purchase in stores they may not have previously approached.

There are alternate ways of reaching LSM 4-7 community radio listeners, other than simple generic advertising. Satellite broadcasting through The Media Connection is an excellent example of reaching the LSM 4 – 7 mass market very simply and directly. By going into one central studio, we can get over 75 of our community stations to broadcast the same message to their listeners at the same time. Not only is this extremely cost effective for the advertiser/ client, as booking individual features is far more expensive, but it is also time efficient, and convenient for the client.

It is important to make sure that radio listeners are catered to in their own language. This is vital from an educational point, with regards to the listener being able to clearly understand the underlying message of a campaign.

Satellite radio offer advertisers and their brands numerous engaging and interactive campaigns. We have just enjoyed a successful run with one of SA’s leading banks, whereby listeners from all over South Africa could call into the satellite studio and have their questions answered. This is one area where The Media Connection can put clients / advertisers directly in touch with LSM 4 – 7 listeners.

Gauteng Mpumalanga Limpopo F State KZN N West E Cape N Cape W Cape

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

LSM 4-7 LISTENERS PER PROVINCE

NUMBER OF LSM 4-7 COMMUNITY STATIONS BY PROVINCE

TOTAL 8 281 000


I

ADVERTISING MEDIA FORUMamf’s columnist this month is debbie ihlenfeldt – MD, the mediashop, cape town

Paying homage to our media buyersI FIND IT FASCINATING, IF NOT A LITTLE SHAMEFUL, just how little understanding and appreciation some clients, media owners and even media planners have of what it takes to be a media buyer, and what a media buyer actually does for them in order to make it happen.

Maybe it is because media buyers have done themselves a disservice? I once heard someone say: “I’m only a media buyer!” Maybe this perception has even filtered down to the graduates and young interns we recruit, as everyone coming into the industry wants to be a media planner and strategist.

No new recruit should move straight into planning without at least spending some time in buying. After all, if you only have some vague knowledge that buyers handle the bookings and administration, then how on earth can a planner truly tap into the value that a really great buyer can bring to all those hours of researching and planning a strategy?

When I asked a group of world-class media buyers what they find interesting about their jobs, someone said: “It’s really a glow moment when people say, for example, ’Ah the Kulula ad is so cool’. To that, you can then say ‘I booked that‘ with a sense of pride, just like a mum would when her boy scores his first goal in soccer!” This just expresses her passion and attitude so perfectly and makes an excellent buyer stand out from the admin clerk type mentality that some buyers have.

Buyers have an incredible responsibility to make it all happen, on time, at the right price (and negotiating for even more added value and discounts). It is therefore imperative that you share the creative work and strategy with your buyer because it will give their job context and they can add even more value to the process. Buying may be the end of the line in the whole process from development of the strategy and concept to implementing the media plan and tactics. It may not be important to you or I because you expect it to happen. But having an excellent buyer on board will make you feel safe. When you’ve worked with the best, you can sleep at night knowing your client’s media plan will happen seamlessly.

Media buying can be done by anyone but excellent media buyers have a certain skill set. These skills are (in no particular order):• Being extremely thorough and consistently

accurate;

• Understanding and enjoying systems and processes;• Being excellent negotiators;• Being confident with numbers;• Being patient and persistent;• Being team players;• Being organised;• Being good communicators; • Being proactive; and• Trustworthy.

Underpinning all this is the fact that they have the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with the media owners, advertising agency teams, clients and planners. They also appear to have the instinctual ability to unofficially fall into the role of traffic manager, account manager and mother, among other tasks.

I recently assisted the AMASA team who were working on the new AAA School media planning textbook. We got them to publish over 10 pages on the subject of media buying because the last industry text book only had one and a half pages on this. Hopefully this new textbook will inspire future media students to have a better idea of this very important cog in the wheel and maybe appreciate that it’s more than okay to aspire to ‘just be a buyer’. n

Media buyers are an essential part of any media team but for some reason they are not held in high esteem. DEBBIE IHLENFELDT explains why they should be.


T

UNPLUGGEDhoward thomas is a media business consultant, trainer and specialist in audience psychology

Here we go againIT’S HAPPENED AGAIN. WE THOUGHT WE’D GOT over it a decade ago, but it just goes to show there is always someone influential who is 10 years behind the times.

There’s this prominent government body with a direct interest in the media which has a new CEO (it’s not in my interest to offend people in high places – there are four departments and five agencies with a direct interest in the media, so take your pick). Anyway, this person wants to spend tens of thousands commissioning research into adspend in radio and TV because Nielsen and GCIS figures don’t agree.

I thought we had matured to the stage where we had media-savvy people in responsible positions in government, but it appears not. So let me go over the whole story again (if I can remember it from a decade ago).

The media works on two levels (much like any sector): according to its economics, and, on the emotional level of the irrational decisions made by decision-makers.

First, let us look at the economics:• The only way you can control revenue, is by having

control over the audience – which you can’t do.• All your costs are paid upfront. You have to pay for

your content before you can broadcast it. At the same time, you don’t know when your advertisers will pay. That’s called rotten cash flow.

• Demand cannot be predicted. Your audience changes their fashion tastes before you can. You take the signals from them, and then you have to react fast, often at considerable cost.

• Television and radio channels multiply at an exponential rate. Audiences and adspend increase by a few percent a year.

• You never know the value of the industry or the deals, because everything is very secretive.Now, let’s tackle the decision-makers.Business executives have to make decisions

according to economic factors. There is no way they can do this rationally, so they use their experience and gut-feel for the audiences’ tastes to make multi-million rand decisions. Inevitably, their gut feel will differ from the gut feel of their executive advisors. So either the CEO gets his way, or he gets out.

That’s the reason Nielsen and GCIS don’t agree. You can multiply the number of slots by the rate card

price, but you never know what deals go on behind the scenes.

One Advertiser Funded Programme (AFP) was secured by an agency at a cut rate because the previous contender dropped out at the last minute, and the broadcaster was in a panic. The broadcaster knows that, and the advertiser, but no one else does (except me).

Where does this leave us with advertising revenue? It’s very simple. You can look at adspend trends over the past five years – you see Internet, sponsorship and outdoor increasing, while cinema is decreasing. It looks like radio, TV and print are still rising, but the trend is open to anyone’s interpretation.

The fact is marketers advertise where they think they will get the best value for their squeezed budgets (in a recession, the first two budgets to get chopped are advertising and training – the ones you actually most need).

Advertisers like to buy ‘measurements’. Even if the data is not statistically sound, they like to feel that adspend is scientific. They also tend to stay in the media that gives them value, and not make any drastic moves until they have thought about it for a long time.

So what on earth is there to research? It’s like hearing someone launched a new magazine. “We have found a vacant niche in the market, and we’re going for it. We are confident advertisers will follow us.”

The success of any venture, commercial or community, depends solely on the content; and the ability of that content to draw the audiences. The advertising follows. You don’t follow the advertising. n

HOWARD THOMAS explains that media works on two levels, according to economics and irrational decisions made by decision-makers.

MARKETERS ADVERTISE WHERE THEY THINK THEY WILL GET THE BEST VALUE FOR THEIR SQUEEZED BUDGETS (IN A RECESSION, THE FIRST TWO BUDGETS TO GET CHOPPED ARE ADVERTISING AND TRAINING).


Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its super-Nikiwe!

Former Women in The Media Rising Star, Nikiwe Bikitsha bestrides the different media platforms with ease: she is co-anchor on eNews channel’s News Night and writes a controversial column in the Mail&Guardian. She is an insatiable newshound.

20 QUESTIONSwith Nikiwe Bikitsha

What drew you to the media?Nikiwe Bikitsha: When I was little, I loved words and I aspired to be a writer. However, when I was a teenager I remember watching Christiane Amanpour covering the first gulf war in the 90s and I realised I wanted to be at the forefront of telling the stories of our times.

Do you have any hidden talents?I was a pretty convincing stage actress as a little girl. I took drama lessons because I was very shy and withdrawn, especially after my dad died in a car accident when I was 10. Drama helped me come out of my shell (a little bit).

What superpower would you like to possess?Superman is my all-time favourite so I would want to have his powers, failing which, I would be his Lois Lane anytime.

What is your best characteristic and biggest flaw?I think I’m a principled person of integrity. My biggest flaw is my fury and impatience.

If you didn’t have a career in media, what might you be doing now?On Broadway or singing the blues in New Orleans.

What moment do you regard as career-defining?As a young reporter someone failed to pitch for their reading shift on a weekend and I was it. It was so thrilling and exciting at the time to be recognised as a voice, there was no turning back after that.

What have you learnt the hard way?Often people are competing with you and you are not even aware of it. Not everyone has your best interests at heart.

What quote best describes the way you see the world?You must be prepared to let go of the life you’d planned, and live the one that lies ahead.

What book do you wish you had written?‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee.

What is your favourite holiday spot and why?My family has a holiday home on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape. It is the most beautiful, and rustig place in the world.

What or who are you addicted to?Not telling!

What is the best advice you’ve ever come across?Best advice was from Larry King: “When conducting an interview, remember it’s not about you.”

What are you terrified of?Failure. Not knowing enough. Insanity.

What do you regret most?I have no regrets at the moment. Life is to be relished with the good and bad

What cheers you up the most?My family. We are very close and we laugh a lot.

Who is the one person you’ve never interviewed but would have liked to? Why?Nelson Mandela. Oh, to get into the mind of that individual would be instructive for anyone.

Please tell us about the most nerve-wracking/memorable experience you’ve had in your career?I remember being at a Pagad protest in the 90s. The crowd got out of hand; police opened fire and I was live on air as the shots rang out. I was crawling on the floor to keep out of harm’s way while reporting. The next thing I knew the female journalist next to me crumpled to the floor, she had been shot in the knee. It was horrifying.

Being a mom, a columnist and a television anchor, how do you keep your life balanced?I strive for balance, but I don’t always get it right. But when I’m drained and I’ve had enough, I switch off and make a concerted effort to spend dedicated time with my son.

What impact has winning the Rising Star Award in the Women in Media had on your career?It was truly an amazing moment which opened up so many doors for me. There is nothing better than being recognised by your peers and by a magazine that is regarded as the gospel on media and is seen as an institution as far as journalism is concerned.

What are your career goals?To continue to strengthen and enhance my journalistic skills. After a two-year break, it’s back to school for me next year. I will be reading towards a masters degree in development studies. The next big story for the continent is how it grows its economies to ensure poverty eradication and the education of its people. We as journalists need to better understand that in order to equip ourselves to tell that story well.

• JHB (011) 293 6000 • CT (021) 530 8600 • KZN (031) 910 5708

Real women are the real experts!

While many women’s magazines feature well-known celebrities and models on the covers, essentials is giving the most coveted aspect of the title to its readers. To celebrate real South African women, the magazine launched a nationwide search to find real cover stars. The results were staggering – over 3000 entries were received and the magazine’s website saw a 62% increase in unique visitors over the two-month campaign period. In a highly competitive market, this exciting campaign gives essentials a unique advantage over other women’s glossies.

Circulation: 40 450 (ABC JAN-MAR 2011)

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