The heirs to Beeld andDie Burger are firmly divided, writes Gustav Thiel
The failure of Nasionale Pers newspapers managers to testify before the truth commission has catapulted an ascendancy battle between verligtes and verkramptes at its two flagship newspapers into the open.
When staff threatened to donate their shares in Naspers to victims of apartheid abuses, management backed down and agreed that they could testify to the commission as individuals.
But heirs apparent to the thrones of Beeld and Die Burger are now firmly divided between those who see a more progressive future for the papers and those who want to maintain the status quo. While Beeld, under the guidance of its two maverick deputy editors, Tim du Plessis and Arrie Rossouw, has been transforming into a progressive publication for the past four years, Die Burger has remained steadfast in its conservatism under Ebbe Dommisse.
Dommisse, described by one of his editorial staff as “a man very much out of touch with what is happening at his paper”, says openly that he alone is responsible for all decisions taken at the paper.
This led to a recent clash between Dommisse and Du Plessis, the man touted by Naspers’s non-executive chair, Ton Vosloo, to assume the mantle at Die Burger. Du Plessis was offered the position of deputy editor at the paper, but balked at the prospect of working under Dommisse because he is too authoritarian. Dommisse in turn declared himself unwilling to work with Du Plessis, who was instrumental in trying to convince Naspers to testify before the commission about its role in upholding apartheid.
Die Burger’s efforts to find an editor in Dommisse’s mould backfired further when long-time heir apparent Barnard Beukman, the paper’s parliamentary correspondent, decided to resign and join the insurance industry. Dommisse is still keen to find a successor and is said by sources to favour Jonathan Crowther, the deputy editor of Volksblad, in Bloemfontein. A senior member of Beeld’s management described Crowther as “just another Dommisse clone”.
The editor’s vow to find somebody to continue his legacy has not found favour with his staff. “The irony of Die Burger is that for several years now junior staff members have been very enlightened. We want real change and want to reflect the true feelings of young Afrikaners in the country, but Dommisse will make sure that we get fired or at least not get promoted if we speak out,” said one staffer.
Over the last 10 years, Beeld has taken a definite swing to the left of Die Burger. Beeld prides itself in its editorial freedom, says Du Plessis.
Under Dommisse, Die Burger tends to support Hernus Kriel’s policies in the Western Cape and, the paper has a reputation for Afro- scepticism.
When Du Plessis and Rossouw convinced Beeld’s current editor, Johan de Wet, to write an editorial in December 1996 supporting a submission to the commission, Vosloo and Dommisse summoned De Wet to Cape Town and demanded an explanation. Several sources at both papers say De Wet succumbed to Vosloo’s influence.
Beeld’s Cape Town-based political correspondent Peet Kruger then convinced several colleagues to offer all the shares they owned in Naspers to the commission to be used as reparation for victims of apartheid. The Naspers management backed down, allowing Beeld staffers to make submissions as individuals.
At Die Burger, deputy arts editor Gawie Bothma tried to initiate a similar process, but was told by Dommisse that he would compromise his position at the paper if he proceeded with his plans.
Eventually, 26 staffers signed a submission. Staffers told the Mail & Guardian that the morale at the paper is very low. “We work in a culture where if you speak your mind, you risk your future. This must change soon.”