Financial Mail editor Mthombothi quits

Mthombothi is a seasoned and highly regarded journalist‚ having been honoured with a Reuters Fellowship at Oxford in 1986 and the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University in the US in 1994. He has also worked for the BBC News Service in London.

Before he took over at Financial Mail he was editor of Sunday Tribune in KwaZulu-Natal. He is also a former editor-in-chief of SABC Radio News‚ assistant editor of The Star and day editor of Sowetan.

In his address to staff on Wednesday morning‚ Mthombothi said his last day was Friday. "I just want to thank you for co-operation. I am very sad but it's time to go; I have been here for too long."

Mthombothi said the Financial Mail remained by far the best financial publication in the country and he would continue to read it.

Difference of opinion leads to resignation?

He alluded to a difference of opinion with the board on the future direction of the magazine.

"We greatly regret losing a colleague of this calibre. We wish Barney only the very best and we will jealously guard the integrity with which he edited the Financial Mail‚" BDFM publisher Peter Bruce said.

Mthombothi's departure comes amid changes at the Times Media Group‚ which is the owner of Sunday Times and part-owner of Business Day and Financial Mail.

There have been discussions within the BDFM stable about the integration of Business Day and Financial Mail.

Two weeks ago Times Media Group announced that Phylicia Oppelt‚ who has been editing The Times‚ was replacing Ray Hartley as editor of the Sunday Times.

Max Gebhardt has been named acting editor of the Financial Mail. Pearl Sebolao is the acting editor of Business Day‚ with announcements awaited on the editorships of both publications.