An open letter to Dr Iqbal Survé and the Sekunjalo family

Dear Doc, the Survé family, and the broader Sekunjalo family, I write this letter from the heart. Nine years ago, I wrote a deeply personal letter to you. At the time, I reflected on my experiences as a journalist who had come to know not only a businessman and entrepreneur but also a leader who believed passionately in transformation, opportunity, and the power of ordinary South Africans to achieve extraordinary things.

Today, almost a decade later, I find myself compelled to write again. Much has changed since that first letter. Not only in my own life but also at the media company I joined many years ago as Executive Editor of Business Report, where I now serve as Editor-in-Chief, CEO, and Director of Independent Newspapers.

Over the years, I have had a front-row seat to one of the most significant transformation journeys in South African media. When Independent Newspapers was acquired from the Irish owners in August 2013, the organisation looked very different from the one we know today. Opportunities for black journalists, women journalists and aspiring young newsroom leaders were far more limited than they are today.

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Today, Independent Newspapers stands as one of the most transformed media organisations on the African continent. Our editors, reporters, photographers, content managers and newsroom leaders reflect the diversity of South Africa. Women occupy leadership positions across our organisation.

Young journalists from communities historically excluded from mainstream media have been given opportunities to build careers, develop skills, and tell their communities’ stories. It required commitment, resources, vision and, above all, belief. For that reason, I want to publicly thank you and the Sekunjalo Family for the financial support provided over the past eight years.

At a time when many media companies around the world were reducing staff, closing titles and abandoning local journalism, Sekunjalo continued to support Independent Newspapers. That support came during some of the most difficult periods in the history of the South African media industry. The result was not merely the preservation of a company.

It was the preservation of jobs. It was the preservation of journalism. It was the preservation of a platform through which millions of South Africans continue to access news, information and diverse perspectives every single day.

Hundreds of families benefited directly from that support. Thousands of stories were told. Countless young journalists received opportunities that might otherwise never have existed.

For that, I remain sincerely grateful. At the same time, I cannot ignore another reality that I have witnessed over the years. I have watched as your name became the subject of relentless public scrutiny and criticism.

As a journalist and editor, I fully understand the role of scrutiny in a democracy. Public figures, business leaders and institutions must be held accountable. That principle applies to everyone.

However, there have been moments over the years when I have found myself asking whether the public discussion surrounding you has always been balanced and fair. As someone who has worked alongside you for many years, I can only speak from my own experiences. In almost three decades of knowing you in various capacities, I have never personally witnessed conduct that resembled the character that some critics have sought to portray.

Instead, I have known a person who consistently spoke about economic transformation, education, entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for those who had been excluded from the mainstream economy. I have known a person who frequently spoke about the responsibility of business to create jobs and uplift communities. I have known someone who invested significant time and resources in initiatives aimed at supporting young people, entrepreneurs, students, and future leaders.

Reasonable people may differ on many issues. Some may debate business decisions, strategy and leadership. That is entirely legitimate.

But I believe history should ultimately judge people on the totality of their contribution rather than through the lens of a single narrative. When I reflect on your legacy, I think about the opportunities created. I think about journalists who have developed. I think about businesses built.

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