Mvela after M&G?

NEWSWATCH: Tokyo Sexwale's Mvelaphanda Group is allegedly after a 30% stake in the Mail & Guardian, writes Sunday Times Business Times. Meanwhile, the SABC reported yesterday, Sunday, 11 November2007, that President Thabo Mbeki has denied that Government is behind the Koni Media offer to buy Johncom, according to News24, but “said that there was nothing wrong with public servants owning shares in a public company”, according to Business Day.

By Simone Puterman

12 Nov 2007

IOL reports that on Sunday, SANEF stated that the potential for direct political influence over the media was unhealthy for democracy, giving various examples of “the possibility of political office-bearers and civil servants acquiring interests in independent media”.

Rob Handfield-Jones, the outspoken editor of Caxton's AutoDealer, has written in his personal capacity an open letter to Essop Pahad, Minister in the Presidency, concerning his “latest attack on the media”, published on Journalism.co.za. Pahad's full speech at the inaugural meeting of the Press Council of South Africa on 2 November is available on SANEF's website.

This week's Financial Mail editorial is also concerned with keeping politicians out of the media. The financial magazine also raises questions about the role of two particular Coronation and Allan Gray directors in connection with the M-Net deal.

For more:

Sunday Times Business Times: The media wars
News24: 'Govt not behind media buy'
Business Day: Mbeki defends Koni's bid for Johncom media
SABCnews.co.za: Mbeki denies govt involvement in Koni Media bid
SABCnews.co.za: Check your Johncom facts - Mbeki tells critics
IOL: Political influence is undesirable – editors
SABCnews.co.za: Govt must re-look media ownership: Maseko
Journalism.co.za: Of course there are reasons to worry about media freedom
SANEF: Address to the Press Council of SA by Dr. EG Pahad, Minister, The Presidency - November 02, 2007
Financial Mail: Keep politicians out of the media [editorial]
Financial Mail: Murmurs over M-Net deal

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Simone Puterman

About Simone Puterman

Simone Puterman (@SimoneAtLarge) is currently editor-at-large at Marklives.com and deputy chair of the Sanef online editors subcommittee. After majoring in psychology and linguistics at Rhodes University, and then completing her honours in psychology, she has been in the world of B2B publishing since 1997, with 7.5 year stints at both WriteStuff Publishing and Bizcommunity.com (March 2006-August 2013). Email her at moc.sevilkram@enomis.