So How Much Has South African Media Transformed?
In this week’s episode of The Listening Post on Al Jazeera, Nicholas Muirhead examines whether the news media in his native South Africa have transformed since the end of apartheid over two decades ago. “Under apartheid, the media – like every sector – were, for the most part, white-owned and operated,” says Muirhead. “In 1994, when the African National […]
In this week’s episode of The Listening Post on Al Jazeera, Nicholas Muirhead examines whether the news media in his native South Africa have transformed since the end of apartheid over two decades ago.
“Under apartheid, the media – like every sector – were, for the most part, white-owned and operated,” says Muirhead.
“In 1994, when the African National Congress came into power under Nelson Mandela – apparently an avid news consumer – transforming the media was a key priority.”
In the show, which aired Saturday, Muirhead spoke with City Press editor Ferial Haffajee, who authored the book, What If There Were No Whites In South Africa?
[Haffajee] warned of the ‘cappuccino effect’ in South African industries…
She warned of the ‘cappuccino effect’ in South African industries – where the
workforce is brown at the bottom, but with a white layer on top and a few chocolate sprinkles. Haffajee argues that newsrooms are now transformed in South Africa, but upper management and ownership remain an issue.
Rachel Jafta, chairperson of one of South Africa’s four big media companies, Media24, has a different take.
“I have the sense here that perception still has to catch up with reality. Of the four big media houses, Caxton remains the only one that in ownership hasn’t transformed. Independent, Times Media Group and Media 24 have black ownership. For Media24, it’s 47%.”
However, Muirhead points out that Media24 is a subsidiary of Naspers, a company that had close ties to the apartheid government. “When you look at Naspers’ board of directors, the cappuccino metaphor makes more sense,” he says.
In contrast to the print outlets, there is the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). While transformation has been comprehensive there, critics say this has been used as a tool to dilute political output.
As Songezo Zibi, outgoing Business Day editor, told Muirhead: “Is the SABC serving the purpose for which it is conceived in the democratic era? And my answer is it’s got a very questionable performance. Is it therefore transformed from what it was or have we had one form of political culture being replaced by another? I think it’s largely the latter. And in that sense, SABC has not been transformed for me.”
The transformation goals of 1994 were to create a post-racial society in South Africa. But as Muirhead says, “Media reflects society and if the country has not transformed, then nor will the media.”
Muirhead, who was born and bred in South Africa, has been with Al Jazeera English since 2008 working on The Listening Post, which is Al Jazeera English’s weekly media review show. It casts a critical eye over not just what gets reported, but how it gets reported – covering the coverage of the news and analyzing global events through the prism of the media.
Watch Video – Mandela’s Legacy: Media in Post-Apartheid South Africa
The Listening Post can be seen each week at the following times: Saturdays 1030 and 2130 (South Africa time – SAST); Sunday at 0430 and Monday at 0530.
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