Fresh energy and seasoned experience in the newsroom to be a winning formula
Cape Town, 19 October 2020 – South Africa’s largest print publisher, Independent Media, has announced several key editorial appointments that will take effect 1 November 2020.
Independent Media has an established approach to its business that includes providing opportunities to young talented editors alongside seasoned newsroom stalwarts. This combination of fresh energy and seasoned experience resonates with not only the organisation’s existing KwaZulu-Natal readership and subscriber base, but a broader audience too, with the region having no less than eight titles to its name and now the benefit of some added perspective and energy, courtesy of the new appointments.
Key senior appointments:
Sandile Mdadane, is appointed editor of Sunday Tribune. Sandile has extensive experience in the media industry and has been with the group for the past 12 years. Philani Mazibuko, is appointed editor of The Mercury. Philani, who has been an integral member of The Mercury’s editorial team for over 15 years, will now helm the region’s flagship publication. Ayanda Mdluli, is appointed editor of Daily News. Ayanda recently headed up Independent’s Special Investigation Unit and now joins the corps of young editors in the group. Former acting editor of the Daily News, Zoubair Ayoob, has been appointed editor of Independent on Saturday, while Mazwi Xaba, relinquishing his post as editor of the Independent on Saturday, will assume the position of managing editor for the region.
The Executive Chairman of Independent Media, Dr Iqbal Survé, in congratulating the team, remarked: “2020 has been a year of change and challenge for almost everyone in the country, if not beyond our borders. We have taken the viewpoint that these challenges are actually opportunities for a fresh start for some, re-thinking how we work and then of course, in injecting new energy into the changing nature of media.
“For the past few years, growing and nurturing our own pool of talent has been a priority in order to ensure a truly transformed and diverse editorial leadership team. These moves bear testimony to the investment that we have made in our transformation strategy. Mazwi, Sandile, Philani, Zoubair and Ayanda have an abundance of fresh perspective and energy to lead these titles into the next chapter of their existence and we are excited to see what they deliver. I congratulate each one of them for their achievements and look forward to sharing in further successes in the future.”
Mazwi Xaba, speaking on behalf of his colleagues and for the region as a whole, confirmed that readers could continue to count on compelling content that is relevant and that will resonate with them – no matter where in the region they happened to be located.
Yogas Nair, former editor of The Mercury will be taking up a senior appointment within the wider Group, details of which will be announced shortly.
These appointments follow several other key changes in the editorial team throughout the Independent Media organisation in 2020, which have also ensured that not one of the nearly 1500 staff have had to surrender their employment with the Group during what has been a trying year for all businesses, especially the media sector.
For more information, please contact Kaz Henderson
[email protected] or 082 339 1199
//ends
Ayanda Mdluli
Mazwi Xaba
Philani Mazibuko
Sandile Mdadane
Zoubair Ayoob
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