Justice Malala, Sunday Times’ New York correspondent, has been appointed the first editor of ThisDay, which is to be launched shortly as South Africa’s new international daily newspaper, announced John Matisonn, editorial director for the publication.
ThisDay, a Nigerian-based group, is bringing Malala back from New York where he has been since establishing the bureau for the Sunday Times in May last year.
Matisonn said: “Justice has been a leading figure in South African
journalism for a number of years, as a senior political writer for the
Financial Mail, and then the Sunday Times, before being posted first to London and then New York.”
“He has the wide range of newspaper experience we were looking for in an editor — he has written columns for The Star Tonight, foreign affairs columns
for the Sunday Times, and covered the education, labour and provincial beats for The Star.”
In Johannesburg briefly this week before returning to New York to pack,
Malala said South Africa has been crying out for a popular but quality daily newspaper for a long time.
“I relish the prospect of being part of the team that will bring this dream to realisation,” he said.
“Ours will be a new and unique voice which we hope will contribute to and
lead the many pivotal debates that our country and continent need to grapple with in this exciting and uncertain era.” – I-Net Bridge