Barbara Ludman The Mail & Guardian, formerly known as The Weekly Mail, has changed more than its name. The staff who have worked on the paper in the past 15 years change rapidly, with many coming back for a second stint at the paper.
In the difficult first years, the fact that the paper survived at all could be credited to a range of people:
The determination and guts of the founding editors, Anton Harber and Irwin Manoim. Harber and Manoim are now at Broadcast Interactive, a joint venture company between Kagiso Media, Nail and Hoskins, specialising in Internet broadcasting. Harber is the MD and Manoim is the editor.
The brilliance of its accountant, Alan Velcich, who applied the revolutionary method of tailoring his advice to suit the needs of his clients, and not the other way around.
The creativity of business manager Clive Cope, who found the operation a jol and constant security police visits an interesting challenge.
The determination of lawyer David Dison and the late advocate Ismail Mohamed, who were gifted at identifying stories that skirted the border of the censorship laws but were “defendable” in court.
The patience and courage of its printer, Martin Dannheisser of the Springs Advertiser, who took in his stride Cope’s (obviously fictional) promises to pay the print bill as well as visits by security police when the Mail was on his presses.
The bloody-mindedness of the paper’s tiny staff, who survived on toasted sandwiches, 16-hour days, six-day weeks and a single salary scale set at roughly one-quarter of the amount they could have been making elsewhere.
The extraordinary support of its readers and subscribers, who greeted every non-appearance of the paper with a shrug, an assumption that it had been seized again and a trip to the corner cafe the next day in the hope it would finally appear. By the end of the first year, there were 11 staff members. Among the new finds: full-time advertising director Marilyn Kirkwood (now Honikman), full-time reporter Sefako Nyaka, full-time receptionist Seipathi Montsho, and Shaun Johnson, who wrote in-depth political features and also did a spot of training.
Fifteen years later, the co-editors and most of the early staff have moved on, but many others have moved in, in force. Many of the staff have gone on to other triumphs. Here is a small sampling of some of the more familiar names:
In broadcasting: Phil Molefe is the head of television news and current affairs at the SABC. Reg Rumney is the economics editor at the SABC. John Perlman is the host of SAfm’s AM Today and Gaye Davis is a producer at Cape Talk. Marion Edmunds is a producer at SABC’s Special Assignment. Charles Leonard is news editor at e.tv and Cassandra Moodley is a member of his team.
In photography: Jurgen Schadeberg is a world-renowned documentary photographer; Kevin Carter won a Pulitzer Prize but tragically died the same year; Henner Frankenfeld was a founder of PictureNET Africa. Themba Hadebe started his photographic career as an intern at the Mail and went on to win numerous international awards. l In government: Sefako Nyaka, the Mail’s first full-time reporter, is special adviser to the Mpumalanga premier. Mukoni Ratshitanga left the paper to join the Congress of South African Trade Unions as its media representative and is now doing the same work for the MEC of finance, trade, industry and tourism in the Northern Province. Portia Maurice and Chris Vick work for the Government Communications and Information Service.
Authors: Adrian Hadland is the author of a biography of Thabo Mbeki and a member of the Cape Argus staff. Mark Gevisser is also writing a biography of Mbeki. Arthur Goldstuck publishes bestsellers on a range of subjects. Samantha Weinberg is the author of a bestselling book on the coelacanth. Emma Gilbey wrote a controversial book on Winnie Mandela.
Magazines: Thandeka Gqubule is the managing editor of Mafube Publications. Patrick Laurence and Ferial Haffajee are senior editors at Financial Mail.
Newspapers: Sunday Times: Charlotte Bauer is Insight editor, Carmel Rickard is legal editor and Mondli Makhanya is on the political staff.
City Press: Deputy editor Vusi Mona, news editor Wally Mbhele and political editor Chiara Carter. Business Day: Mzi Malunga is managing editor, Drew Forrest, assistant editor, Steven Laufer, features editor, Pat Sidley, personal finance editor, Farouk Chothia, associate editor, Vuyo Mvoko, parliamentary correspondent, Jon Swift, sports editor, and Hilary Joffe, associate editor. Ken Owen, our first subscriber, has not yet worked for the M&G.
The Citizen: Former M&G MD Mike Martin is now publisher of The Citizen newspaper. Independent Newspapers: Shaun Johnson is director of Independent Newspapers Cape and Lizeka Mda is executive editor at The Star.
Midway through the millennium year the M&G has a staff complement of 93. Among them: advertising manager Brigitte Jaftha has a department of 13 souls; circulation manager Arlene Sanford has a staff of four. The accounts department consists of six people, and mahogany row of two: CEO Govin Reddy and financial director Hoosain Karjieker. Editor Phillip van Niekerk – a contributor from the first issue – assisted by deputy editor Rehana Rossouw, managing editor Tracy Spencer and news editor Mungo Soggot, runs a newsroom of 38, including 18 reporters, four trainees, and eight sub-editors, as well as bureaux in Durban and Cape Town.
There are two full-time photographers, a five-person production team and a full-time librarian.
There are currently two other operations wholly owned by the M&G: The Teacher, a monthly newspaper for educators, edited by Philippa Garson and her three-person staff; and the M&G’s book division, run by Maggie Davey, which has published five books this year as well as a number of publications for contract publishing clients.
Some former M&G staffers have – understandably – decided never to work full-time for a newspaper again, but carried on as freelance journalists and consultants.
Some – even more understandably – left the profession entirely and have taken up activities close to the land – in development in small communities, landscape gardening or running tourist lodges.
To the best of our knowledge, none has been permanently incarcerated in a mental institution. Yet.