Veteran journalist Juggie Naran dies

Although Naran retired in April 2017 at the age of 72, he continued to write as a columnist and media consultant.

We pay tribute to veteran Independent Newspaper journalist, mentor, & friend, Juggie Naran who has passed away at the age of 74. His funeral is expected to take place at the Clare Estate Crematorium later today. This indeed is another great loss for the journalism field. #RIP pic.twitter.com/M1H8YtCnR2

— iamrealFBI (@FBIComm) October 30, 2019

A son of the Grey Street complex

Naran was an advertising sales representative for the Graphic and Post newspapers before he joined the Leader newspaper as a reporter. He moved to the Sunday Tribune Herald where he did a sterling job, aided by his bulging notebook of trusted contacts.

He was a founding member of the Black Consciousness Movement and moved in the circles of the late political giants Steve Biko, Sathasivian “Saths” Cooper and Strinivasa "Strini" Moodley. He also played an active role in the Media Workers Association of South Africa (MWASA).

The retired Naran was believed to be working on publishing his book that focused primarily on former Black Consciousness Movement operatives. Upon his retirement in 2017, he had expressed the desire to profile people like Biko, Barney Pityana, Moodley and others who worked tirelessly in the region promoting the Black Consciousness Movement.

He was also known as a fearless journalist who defied banning orders and security police to be with anti-apartheid activists such as Sam Moodley and others.

Yogin Devan, a former colleague of Naran, described him as a great mentor saying he taught him his first job – selling advertising for the Graphic newspaper.

“A son of the Grey Street complex, he was well-known by young and old alike in the then bustling Indian hub of Durban city. Although Juggie was diminutive in physical stature, he had a big heart and the most significant legacy he will leave behind is his mentoring spirit. He was always willing to show cub reporters in the newsroom the ropes of news gathering and writing.

“When he retired from the Sunday Tribune, he lectured to budding journalists at the Durban University of Technology,” Devan added.

According to Devan, KwaZulu-Natal has lost three veteran journalists in the past three months, Trevor Harris, Farook Khan and now Juggie Naran.