M&G announces a new board chairperson and an acting chief executive

Dear readers of the Mail & Guardian,

I want to take this moment to share with you the start of a new phase for our publication. After more than a decade as chief executive of the Mail & Guardian, and now a significant shareholder in the parent company, I have made the decision to assume a new role in the organisation. This change aims to usher in a fresh approach to secure the future of independent journalism that has been the hallmark of our publication for the past 38 years. As we embark on charting a new path, I firmly believe that it is essential to embrace a new generation of leaders who will help shape our future.

On 22 June 2023, we had a defining moment for the M&G brand. Our 200 Young South Africans event that evening was the most successful in our history. As I observed the incredible talent that South Africa has to offer and talked to the outstanding youth we recognised, it triggered deep reflection on my own journey and the aspirations I held at their age. The energy, passion, tenacity and innovative thinking demonstrated by this year’s cohort left me inspired and reinvigorated.

For the past three decades, the Mail & Guardian has played a pivotal role in driving positive change for South Africa. Whether it was our coverage against apartheid or our exposés on corruption, we have remained committed to building a better South Africa. As we step into the future, we must respond to the dynamic requirements and needs of the digital age, serving new generations who have grown up without newspapers. Independent, quality journalism must adapt to their needs through new products and services, and we need visionary leadership to make that happen as we continue our culture of building a better South Africa.

I have since held discussions with the M&G board and my fellow shareholders, the Media Development Investment Fund, and we have agreed that the organisation is well placed for me to relinquish my role as chief executive for me to take on the role of chairperson of the board of M&G Media Limited, and to now lead the task of finding my successor.

During my tenure as chief executive, I have had the honour of working with some of South Africa’s best journalists and editors. I have watched proudly as we set the news agenda, over and over again. The media industry is different now to what it was when I was first appointed CEO. The market has contracted so radically that I’m left stunned sometimes by the blunt force of it all. I will readily admit to having made mistakes, yes. But under my watch, we have also thrived. And, above all, when we could have long faded into nothing, we have survived.

So what I am most proud of is having maintained the independence of the Mail & Guardian, amid severe economic and political pressure. A publication of our size will always be vulnerable to even the slightest shifts in the media market. But I am proud that this is still an institution that continues to serve South Africa’s democracy well. And will doubtless continue to do so.

The M&G, after all, is bigger than any single one of us that has passed through its doors. And my new job will allow me to focus on a broader role, promoting the M&G brand and leading efforts to recalibrate the relationship between technology companies and news media in South Africa.

The quality independent journalism of the Mail & Guardian is essential as our democracy undergoes some significant tests as we enter elections for the seventh administration of a post-apartheid South Africa. The new chief executive of the M&G must understand the political context and a new and growing audience.

To assist me with this transition, the board has agreed to second Thembisa Fakude to assume the role of acting chief executive for six months, the period we have allocated towards recruiting a new CEO.

Thembisa is no stranger to the M&G. He has been a member of the board overseeing the organisation for the past five years. He is also a senior research fellow at Africa Asia Dialogues (Afrasid), a columnist for the Middle East Monitor, London, UK, and a research fellow for the Al Sharq Forum, Istanbul, Turkey. His management experience includes being the former bureau chief at Al Jazeera Media Network in Southern Africa for both Arabic and English and thereafter became the head of external relations and English unit at the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Doha, Qatar.

He has published extensively for various international media and academic platforms on the geopolitics of Africa and the Middle East. Thembisa will immediately assume all my responsibilities as chief executive, and I will continue to work closely with him as we transition to a new chapter for the Mail & Guardian.

I am excited about the future for the M&G, for myself and for the people it serves.