Description
Paper Tiger: Iqbal Survé and the Downfall of Independent Newspapers by Alide Dasnois and Chris Whitfield is a compelling work of contemporary South African nonfiction, exposing the turbulent events that followed one of the country’s most high-profile media takeovers. In 2013, Iqbal Survé’s Sekunjalo Independent Media Consortium purchased Independent Newspapers — home to The Star, Cape Times, and The Mercury — in a move many believed would return respected South African media to local hands. But optimism quickly turned to disillusionment.
The book chronicles the storm that broke the day after Nelson Mandela’s death, when Survé dismissed Cape Times editor Alide Dasnois, allegedly for disrespecting Mandela, though a critical story about one of Survé’s companies raised serious questions about the real motive. Dasnois and Whitfield provide a detailed, insider account of the newsroom tensions, corporate manoeuvring, and erosion of editorial independence that followed, as respected journalists found themselves accused, marginalised, and removed in what many viewed as a politically charged purge.
A must-read for anyone interested in South African media, corporate ethics, and press freedom, Paper Tiger is a powerful cautionary tale about the fragile line between ownership and editorial integrity.
