SA’s tarnished image - 19 May 2008

I am angry today, saddened and stunned at the images and news filtering through after days of utter barbarism in Gauteng: The Times front page pic of a man burning to death, while onlookers laugh, says it all. The video is up on its site but I couldn't watch it; we saw too much death in the late '80s and early '90s in South Africa and those are images I hoped we would never have to see again. How ironic that this week the International Media Forum is in South Africa to host senior local and international journalists to talk to politicians and communicators about South Africa's image and how it is projected abroad, as well as how to deal with the international media. And what were the images being flashed on global news channels this morning? Rioters on the streets of the Johannesburg CBD in gun battles with police and video of people being burnt to death! On the agenda for discussion at the IMF is: how international communications affects economic development in SA; the importance of the South Africa story; how media is changing; and how to get positive results in international media... I'd like to know how many marketing dollars it's going to take to explain the events over the last few days in SA to the international investment community, not to mention FIFA, when we ourselves are still trying to understand.